“The World Baseball Classic is out of the nest. Now is the time to let it fly.

The American victory over the Dominican Republic, in Sunday’s semifinal, was shown opposite the Academy Awards and still drew a bigger viewing audience than the 2025 All-Star Game did. If that isn’t a mandate for change, how about the jam-packed crowds in Miami to watch the Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Venezuelans? It’s proof that Miami loves baseball, as long as it’s not played by the Marlins. But it also launches the WBC into something that we should pencil in, at least once every two years. And not at the shank of spring training, either.

No, the WBC should replace the All-Star Game in alternate seasons, right there in the middle of July, when everyone is lathered up and in rhythm, when there would be no pleas from the MLB team executives to hold people out of competition, when baseball is the lone focus and when every other major sport is dormant.”