Unless you have insomnia, you might not even know the World Baseball Classic has started.
Don't worry, though. If you are a Tigers fan, you haven't missed much.
The tournament started over the weekend with pool-play games in Japan and Taiwan, and the only surprise is that Taiwan and the Netherlands qualified out of Pool B at the expense of favored South Korea.
Late-night fans haven't seen a lot of familiar faces, at least from the Tigers organization. Warwick Saupold, who will probably start the season at High-A Lakeland, struggled in one relief appearance for Australia, but that was about it.
Things will change this week, though. Venezuela, boasting American League MVP Miguel Cabrera, Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez, start their campaign on Thursday night against a Dominican Republic team that has Octavio Dotel in the bullpen. Former Tigers closer Jose Valverde was schedule to join Dotel, but will miss at least the first round due to personal issues.
That game will also be carefully watched by players who have stayed in Lakeland — with Venezuelans Victor Martinez and Avisail Garcia cheering against Dominicans Jhonny Peralta and Ramon Santiago.
The Venezuelan roster also means that Cabrera, Infante and Sanchez will be playing alongside two of the players who helped beat them in the World Series — Marco Scutaro and Pablo Sandoval.
Team USA gets underway on Friday, but don't expect to see Justin Verlander on the mound. He turned down an invitation to be the American ace, and will stay with the Tigers during all of March.
So there are no Tigers representatives on Team USA, but the Americans will face two Tigers minor-leaguers. Toledo infielder Cale Iorg and Mud Hens starter Shawn Hill will both be playing for Canada, which takes on the United States on Sunday in Pool D's final game.
