International Baseball Holds It's Breath!

Tomorrow is a very big day for International Baseball. In Berlin, Germany, the IOC Executive Committee will announce which two of seven sports (which also includes Golf, Karate, Roller Sports, Softball, Squash, Rugby) will be put forward for a vote for inclusion for the 2016 Olympics. That vote will then later take place in Copenhagen, Denmark (Charlotte's hometown!) in October, but all indications are that the two sports put forward tomorrow will be the only ones considered for 2016.

Sounds great, right??? Wrong. First of all, Tiger Woods has promised to play in the '16 Olympics if Golf is included. This is like having Frank Sinatra promise to sing at your wedding even though he is dead!!! Translation: Star Power. In other words, a done deal.

Golf also has another very important benefit of great value to the IOC Executive Committee. It is a sport also played by women, and Gender Equality is extremely important to the IOC. (Let me explain...The IOC Executive Committee is mostly made up of Europeans and politically correct inclusion takes on a whole new meaning if your country flies under the banner of the blue and gold circular stars...

And for that reason and that reason alone, I look for Karate to gain the other recommendation. Men and women practice Karate alike, over 10 million people in the world participate in the sport, and it almost achieved Olympic Status in the most recent vote held in 2005.

Side note of interest that all fans should know: Softball chose to petition the Committee alone, shunning the International Baseball Federation for a joint bid. It seems they felt a joint petition would have made them appear to closely aligned with Baseball, and the United States. In response, the International Baseball Federation announced it would include Women's Baseball in their bid (something that really hasn't been done since WWII and immortalized in the film starring Tom Hanks, Rosie, and Madonna, "A League of Their Own". And that's sad really. I think this decision alone will cost both Baseball and Softball ultimately. The IOC Executive Committee are no doubt, Shakespeare fans, and as we all know, a house divided against itself can not stand.