The World Baseball Classic proved all of us that were at the expectation that it can be a true spectacle. Japan defeated Cuba with a 10-6, in the last match of 29 games on Monday in San Diego. But more important than who won and who lost was the launching of the international competition itself.

I think we can say that this was really a world series of baseball, with teams from 16 countries participating and games being held in several countries.

A lot of it was remarkable including the fact that the United States team didn't win the event; it was eliminated by Mexico. The patriotic enthusiasm of the fans was a pleasure to see, this gave many players a lot of reasons to show up in the field.

Cuba was one of the national teams that brought controversy to the event. For them even to play, President Bush had to intervene personally, sweeping aside old barriers put in place to punish Cuban president Fidel Castro's regime and because there was expectation if whether or not half the team would stay, we all know they didn't open the door for them to keep participating in future World Classics.

The fact that the event was held before the World Series started, in the middle of spring training presented foreign players on Major League Baseball's teams with a problem. There will be time for the sport to analyze the inaugural event, however, since the next WBC tournament won't occur for three years. After 2009 it will be played every four years, like the Olympics.

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