FOX sits out while stars jump on board for WBC

	Derek Jeter didn't want to be left out of the World Baseball Classic. Chuck Solomon/SI
	Stars Will Come Out Notable Names in the WBC: Player Country Player Country Bobby Abreu Ven. David Ortiz D.R. Jason Bay Can. Jake Peavy USA Barry Bonds USA Andy Pettitte USA C. Beltran P.R. Albert Pujols D.R. L. Berkman USA Manny Ramirez D.R. Craig Biggio USA Alex Rodriguez --* Mark Buehrle USA F. Rodriguez Ven. Eric Chavez USA Ivan Rodriguez P.R. R. Clemens USA B.J. Ryan USA C. Delgado P.R. C.C. Sabathia USA Adam Dunn USA Ben Sheets USA Eric Gagne Can. John Smoltz USA Freddy Garcia Ven. Alfonso Soriano D.R. V. Guerrero D.R. Mark Teixeira USA Roy Halladay USA Miguel Tejada D.R. Derek Jeter USA Jason Varitek USA Andruw Jones Neth. Billy Wagner USA Chipper Jones USA Vernon Wells USA Derrek Lee USA Dontrelle Willis USA Brad Lidge USA Michael Young USA P. Martinez D.R. C. Zambrano Ven. Melvin Mora Ven. Barry Zito USA * Undecided Source: MLB.com

DALLAS -- The World Baseball Classic has begun to sound like such a cool idea -- especially with the biggest stars in the game signing on -- that Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter called up players association chief operating officer Gene Orza on the eve of the breakout news conference Monday and said, "Count me in."

With that the number of big leaguers who have signed on to play in the tournament next March hit 177. Good for the players. It's reached the point where if you're not playing, you have some serious explaining to do.

Jeter didn't commit in time to be included in the slide presentation that accompanied Monday's news conference, but Orza made sure to mention the Yankees shortstop, who likely pushes Jimmy Rollins to the bench for Team USA. Jeter, Orza said, is just one of the many players expected to be jumping aboard as the WBC gains momentum.

The unveiling of the potential participants (don't expect all of them to actually play) made for a fun day of imagining lineups. Do you want Ken Griffey Jr. or Johnny Damon in center field? Eric Chavez, David Wright, Chipper Jones or, if he opts for USA, Alex Rodriguez at third base? In what order do you bat Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Miguel Tejada and, if he opts to play for the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez?

But on what was otherwise a great day for baseball, something obvious was missing: a certain national broadcast television network partner. Commissioner Bud Selig may be right when he says none of us understand yet just how big the WBC will be for the sport, but for now the uninitiated includes FOX television. According to baseball sources, an announcement will be made in the coming weeks that the games will be carried on ESPN.

Fox is watching this one from the sidelines, according to one source at the network, to see how it plays out. Baseball, one source said, is content that all games can be found on one network, though ESPN will farm out some of the games to its sister channels, such as ESPN Deportes.

Nobody should expect Fox to carry such games as the Canada-South Africa tilt on March 7 at 9 p.m. EST. But if this tournament really is as huge as Selig expects, shouldn't FOX carry the semifinals or at least the finals?

(An aside here for viewers: If Team USA advances out of pool play, as expected, it will play its semifinal game -- likely against Japan -- at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 18. The championship game ignores children just as much. It's scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on a school night, Monday, March 20.)

The fact that the WBC championship game, which in baseball's perfect world would pit USA against Cuba or the Dominican Republic, will not be found on network television underscores that baseball still has a lot of selling to do to America when it comes to the out-of-MLB competition. Well, guess what? This time it's not just about selling to America.

Indeed, as an American, throw out every convention you have as to what defines a big sports event. You typically define such a success by tickets sold and, more so, by television rights fees and especially the TV ratings.

Sorry, Bubba, but this time it's not about your viewing habits. It is, as Selig said, about "bringing in new fans, opening up new markets and increasing the talent pool for players." It's about the rest of the world.

This tournament may very well be a bigger deal in Venezuela, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, China and other countries than it is in the primary host country. (The Asian pool play will be held in Tokyo).