Olympics or World Baseball Classic?

Two weeks ago, the United States Olympic women's softball team was in Washington to play an exhibition game before more than 4,000 people at Consol Energy Park. The players and head coach Mike Candrea were more than willing to talk about the decision by the International Olympic Committee to drop softball and baseball from the Games beginning with London in 2012.

They called the decision unfair, they suggested it was a aimed at the United States because of its dominance (in softball) and even mentioned that it might be money-driven because most potential host countries would have to build ballparks for the two sports.

Eliminating softball from the Olympics takes away the sport's biggest stage. For that reason, softball should stay in the Games. Softball is a growing sport internationally and its games have been well-attended at the Olympics. Softball needs the Olympics.

Baseball is a different story. The Olympics will never draw major league talent. Baseball doesn't need the Olympics. And the IOC's decision has shown it doesn't need Major League Baseball.

So it was interesting to hear Wild Things manager Greg Jelks talk about the Olympics and the recent World Baseball Championships. Jelks has experienced both. He was a player/coach for Australia - he has dual citizenship - in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a coach in the WBC in 2006.

"Being in the Olympics, you can't describe how big of a thrill that was," Jelks said. "I played in the big leagues, but the Olympics was the most thrilling thing that could have happened to me. I took part in the opening, the closing, everything. And living in Australia, and participating in the Games in Australia, just added to the experience."

Though he was glad to have taken part in the Olympics, Jelks wasn't sad to see baseball dropped from the Games. The baseball tournament in the Olympics left a lot to be desired when compared to the World Baseball Classic.

"I knew that when Major League Baseball started the World Baseball Classic, it wasn't good for the sport in the Olympics," Jelks said. "From a competition standpoint, the World Baseball Classic was so much better. You had guys like Big Papi (David Ortiz) and Manny Ramirez and the best players in the game participating. In the Olympics, it was mostly first- and second-year pros, maybe some Double-A and Triple-A guys. Major League Baseball is never going to let its players participate in the Olympics.

Plus, the atmosphere in Orlando - where we were for the World Baseball Classic - was unbelievable. You had 10,000 fans there from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Fans would drive cars through the streets honking horns when their country won a game."

Jelks added this story about the Olympics:

"I was in the cafeteria - and this is a cafeteria designed to hold 10,000 people, so you know its huge - when they brought Muhammad Ali in. When he entered, the whole place went silent. You could have heard a pin drop. You talk about a highlight. That sent cold chills up my spine."