MLBeat

Less than two months now until the ballyhooed World Baseball Classic finally gets underway. As for the question of how we got all these marquee names to sign up, we can guess that they fall under one of these categories: 1) playing for pride and national glory, or 2) convinced to participate by the Players Association.

Oh, and there is a third category, reserved exclusively for the Worst Best Player of All Time:

A-Rod: 'I want to say it out loud: I am Dominican' (ESPN.com, 7/14)
A-Rod leaning to Dominican team in Classic (ESPN.com, 12/14)
A-Rod says he'll sit out World Baseball Classic (ESPN.com, 12/16)
Report: A-Rod to play for U.S. (ESPN.com, 1/4)
A-Rod on Dominican roster, not sure he'll play (ESPN.com, 1/17)

All you IQ test-takers out there know the next headline in this sequence will be:
A) "A-Rod to sit out Classic...again"
B) "A-Rod reaffirms intent to suit up for D.R., but mistakenly shows up to press conference in U.S. jersey"
C) "A-Rod to apply for Japanese citizenship"
D) "A-Rod announces intent to leave Yanks, play for St. Louis Cardinals in '06"
E) "Dominican Republic to become 51st U.S. state, A-Rod says"