W-B-C easy as J-A-P

The 2009 World Baseball Classic pitched off with defending champion Samurai of Japan taking down a much-improved team from China.

I have been bumping Japan ever since the Red Sox paid a $55 million posting fee to pick up Tom Cruise prior to the 2006 Oscar season. Bojo is backing the Dominican Republic this year. If Japan wins it all, he has to buy me a Yu Darvish jersey. If DR wins it all, I can't refer to Alex Rodriguez and steroids in this column.

Notables from the first step of Japan's cruise to victory:

• Yu Darvish - The Japanese starting pitcher went hitless 4 innings and was every bit as dominant as that sounds. When reached for comment, Darvish said, "What do you expect? I'm Yu Darvish."
• All 4 MLB starters on the Japanese roster (Ichiro, Fukudome, Iwamura, Johjima) went hitless. Fukudome did draw 4 walks, a feat Cubs teammate Alfonso Soriano called, "virtually impossible".
• China lost this matchup 18-2 in the last WBC. Although they turned out a much more respectable result this time, manager Terry Collins admitted that he sought out A-Roid for advice on how to improve the team's offense after the game. "He told me it's all in the hands," Collins said, "You have to turn the hips to get a good angle, then flick the wrists so the needle sinks all the way into the vein."