Opinions are mixed in the baseball world when it comes to the Olympic Games. Some, including the current International Baseball Federation President Harvey Schiller, believe that the International Olympic Committee has no desire to see the sport return and that continuing to focus on that goal would be a waste of time. Others are adamant that the sport needs to do it all it can to get back into the Olympic fold, even if those efforts end up being unsuccessful once again.

If you think the IOC made a mistake by overlooking baseball for the 2016 Games, that will now take place in Rio, Brazil, and that it should be part of the Olympics in the future, why not show your support by voting for the sport in the poll at insidethegames.biz .

Fate in baseball is normally played out in front of an enthralled audience.  A perfectly turned double-play will lead to gasps and then cheers, a walk-off home run will lift fans from their seats into wild celebrations, while a rally-killing strikeout turns expectation to deflation in an instant.

This is the dramatic, spell-binding side of the sport that helps to make millions of people around the world love it so much.

But today, the fate of baseball as an Olympic sport will be argued in a more reserved setting as a delegation puts forward its case to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)  There will be no flashes of brilliance performed in front of a ballpark full of fans and millions more watching or listening from afar, just a twenty-minute presentation behind closed doors in Lausanne, Switzerland.  Continue reading →

As noted on Thursday, a six-man panel from the International Baseball Federation met with the International Olympic Committee yesterday to put forward the sport’s case for re-election to the Olympic programme.  As expected, the IOC’s main line of questioning concerned the participation of MLB players.  The IBAF’s response was promising even though they did not commit themselves to any specific plans in this regard.  Continue reading →

It’s now a week since the Olympic Baseball tournament was brought to a close by a thrilling final that saw Korea crowned as champions over Cuba.  Following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to boot baseball (and softball) off the Olympic list for the 2012 London Games, this year’s event represented a great opportunity for the sport to show what everyone would be missing in four years time.  The eight teams involved made sure that they didn’t let this chance pass them by.  Continue reading →

The new extra-innings rule came into effect in five of the 36 games that made up the 2008 Olympic baseball tournament. Here I provide some statistics on its use in those games. In considering the tactics employed (i.e. sacrifice bunt or swing away), I am not interested in the bottom half of innings played under the rule, as the situation is essentially the same as normal in the bottom half of the 9th or a later inning, with the first two players up reaching base – in other words, it is standard baseball. The difference with the top half is that you are playing knowing that your opponents will be in a stronger-than-normal position in the bottom half of the inning. For the choice of the spot in the line-up at which to start the 11th inning, though, I am interested in both the top half and the bottom half of the inning, as neither team’s decision crops up in standard baseball. Continue reading →

Amid stunning scenes at the Wukesong Baseball Field in Beijing, Korea held off a late surge from Cuba to win the Olympic gold medal in the most dramatic style imaginable.  In a game that had everything, Korea prevailed by a final score of 3-2 to win the gold medal for the first time.  Continue reading →

A game for a bronze medal provides just as much pressure and emotion as a gold medal contest.  In the latter, at least the loser will earn a silver medal.  A bronze medal game is a true ‘winner takes all’ contest: lose and you go home empty-handed.  With both teams determined to avoid that fate, the United States and Japan produced an enthralling game in which the Americans ultimately prevailed by a final score of 8-4.  Continue reading →