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"World Series" team faces Japan in Olympic baseball opener
SYDNEY, Sept 16 (AFP) - Give him two years and manager Tommy Lasorda figures he could take his United States Olympic baseball team into the World Series against the best teams in Major League Baseball. Instead, the 72-year-old former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers has two weeks to try and turn the American Olympians into gold medal winners in the first Games tournament to feature professional players. The US team faces Japan here Sunday in an opening showdown of Olympic favorites. Other matches have two-time defending champion Cuba playing South Africa, Australia playing the Netherlands and Italy facing South Korea. Lasorda, who guided the Dodgers to two World Series crowns in 20 seasons as manager, said his Olympians could become the best team in the sport, bar none. "If you give me this club right now and put it in the major leagues, in two years we will be in the Fall Classic," Lasorda said. "They have a lot of talent and they are going to be great major leaguers." The Dutch, who have seven pro players, edged the US team 4-3 in a tuneup. But Lasorda said the US team cannot afford even one defeat in round-robin play in order to be in the best position for the semi-final playoffs September 26 and the next day's medal matchups. "It's almost like a World Series. You have to go out and win," he said. "To me there is no tomorrow and that's how I'm going to manage. "We didn't come 10,000 miles to lose. We're not a cocky bunch, just confident. We believe without a doubt in our minds we can accomplish that." First they must work on getting past the Japanese, who feature three-time Olympian Masanori Sugiura and young pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka among eight pros from the Japanese league. "Japan has developed a lot of outstanding players. They're a very talented team," Lasorda said. "We have to play the best we can to beat them. It's going to be an exciting game." Right-handed pitcher Ben Sheets figures to be the club's pitching ace, although depth on the mound and among relievers will be a US trademark. "Our pitching is really going to be a strong point," Lasorda said. "Although they are young, you can't believe the ability they have." And behind the plate to call their pitches and guide the young talent is catcher Pat Borders, the 1992 World Series Most Valuable Player for the Toronto Blue Jays. Borders is easily the most well-known US Olympian because the North American major leagues refused to shut down their season, leaving at home such stars as Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jnr and Randy Johnson. "There's no way we could get those guys," Lasorda said. "We didn't think about it. You play the hand you are dealt." For outfielder Ernie Young, a .538 slugger in six pre-Olympic tuneup games, the hand is even better than a full house. "It's going to feel like I have 100,000 people watching me," Young said. People around the world will be watching the best game I've ever played.
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