Pride was on display for Team Puerto Rico after its upset of Japan in the WBC semifinals on Sunday. (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO – For a place in which baseball was deemed terminal, sent to hospice and left to shuffle off this mortal coil, Puerto Rico is doing a mighty good impression of a land with a ripe baseball future. Just ask Venezuela. And the United States. And its latest conquest, the only champion the World Baseball Classic had known.

Japan traipsed into AT&T Park with a third consecutive WBC title on its palate only to run into the improbable buzz saw that is Puerto Rico. With a 3-1 victory over Japan in the books and another giant felled, it makes sense for Puerto Rico to want to face one team and one team only in Tuesday night's WBC final.

"Of course we'd like to play Dominican," said Mike Aviles, Puerto Rico's shortstop. "Everyone knows that. We want to play the best team. Everyone knows Dominican has beat us twice." Alexis Rios hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, giving Puerto Rico a 3-0 lead. (EFE)

In the first round, it was 4-2, and in the second round it was 2-0, and should the heavily favored Dominican Republic triumph in the second semifinal Monday

Dominican Republic fans cheer in the stands during the World Baseball Classic. (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO – One embarrassing truth about baseball in the United States is that the most animated moment at any given major league game is when the stadium's theme song plays. Red Sox fans vomit out "Sweet Caroline" even though Neil Diamond is a Dodgers fan. Kansas City blurts "Friends in Low Places," and it's more redneck revelry than ironic nod to the Royals' spot in the standings. Even here at AT&T Park, maybe the most electric atmosphere there is for the actual game, nothing brings tens of thousands together quite like "Lights" by Journey, a band that first broke up in 1984, when 22 of 34 current Giants weren't even born.

It is amazing, then, to see how gluttons for such aural torture have taken to the energy that accompanies every other baseball-rich nation in the World Baseball Classic. The bellyaching and bitching about the horns and flag-waving and general enthusiasm that emanates from the fan bases of Latin American teams – and the way they infuse the players with

Once Nolan Ryan deigns to stop the passive-aggressive posturing that has turned Texas Rangers spring training into a soap opera more than worthy of a storyline on "Dallas," perhaps Rangers ownership will realize their predicament really isn't much of a predicament at all.

Nolan Ryan has been a constant at spring training, but he's not talking. (USA Today Sports)In the 11 days since someone in Ryan's camp leaked to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram his dissatisfaction with the Rangers' new power structure that took away his title of team president, all Ryan has mustered publicly is a statement that said absolutely nothing, a hubristic response unbecoming a CEO whose organization is in crisis mode. Meanwhile, ownership has bowed to the altar of his Nolan Ryanness, saying pretty, pretty please stick around. President of baseball operations Jon Daniels, who was promoted to that position from general manager in order to give bigger titles to his consiglieres and keep them with the Rangers, has talked about what a pleasure it is to work with an icon. And all the people wanting to

Lost amid the Miami New Times' flailing, logic-deprived rationale behind refusing to hand over documents linking Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez and dozens of other baseball players to a South Florida performance-enhancing-drug peddler was some real news.

And, for Major League Baseball, real good news. Ryan Braun's name is listed on several Biogenesis documents. (Yahoo)

The government is in. Despite the failings of federal officials in past high-profile cases that married athletes and PEDs, the Florida Department of Health has started an investigation into Anthony Bosch, operator of the Biogenesis clinic that allegedly provided drugs to players, the New Times reported.

While MLB may have the budget and resources to go after players who used PEDs – one official said the league office is "obsessed" with finding evidence to discipline the players in the Biogenesis documents and devoting "massive amounts of resources" – it lacks one very important tool the government has at its disposal: subpoena power. Even if the government focuses on Bosch – the New

Before scoring in the eighth inning, Adam Jones (R) had the biggest hit for Team USA. (USA Today Sports)

PHOENIX – Two shadows cast themselves over Team USA on Sunday afternoon. The first peeked through the open roof at Chase Field and bathed home plate in darkness, making the already-trying task of picking up a 95-mph pitch from 60 feet away that much more vexing. Even worse was the other, impossible to see but easy to sense: The United States, where baseball was invented, was about to bomb out of the World Baseball Classic, and the lasting pall would be far greater than anything the clouds and sun ever could muster.

In order to vanquish the second, the U.S. needed to conquer the first, and it finally did after playing from behind against Canada in a win-or-go-home game most of the afternoon. Adam Jones ripped a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer followed with a bases-clearing three-run double in the ninth and Team USA, at one point just six outs from finishing last in the WBC's Pool D, finished atop its group's standings and advanced to the next round in

PHOENIX – On one side is a team of big names, All-Stars, hundred-millionaires, published authors, shampoo spokesmen, pitchmen and World Series heroes. And on the other side is a group that just kicked some ass in a fight.

Who ya got?

Scuttle the predictions, the hype and everything else that at one point defined Pool D of the World Baseball Classic, and replace it with a simple reality: Either Team USA (the celebrities) or Team Canada (the ass-kickers) is moving on to the next round of the WBC in Miami with a victory at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, and the other is heading back to spring training bathed in what-coulda-been. David Wright's grand slam helped the U.S. defeat Italy on Saturday. (EFE)

After a dozen uninspired innings to start the tournament, the Americans finally looked the part of tournament favorite Saturday night, riding a David Wright grand slam to a 6-2 victory over surprising Team Italy, which already had clinched a trip to Miami. Canada took care of that, eliminating Mexico with a 10-3 pummeling while finding time for an old-fashioned

Canada coach Larry Walker tries to restrain Mexico's Alfredo Aceves on Saturday. (Getty Images)

PHOENIX – The theater of the absurd unfolded, of all places, on a baseball diamond. It is a big stage, perfect for the players to dance and act and, in this case, throw a few punches. To look back at the first must-see moment of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and maybe the first legitimately classic event of the tournament's short history, is to revel in how a game, and emotion, and testosterone can turn conflagrant in a hurry. And, of course, what happens when you stare into Satan's eyes.

The devil was all over Chase Field on Saturday as the WBC entries from Canada and Mexico tangled – figuratively for eight innings, then literally for five heated and scary minutes during a brawl that started because of a breach in baseball etiquette. The game ended with the baseball-viewing world captivated.

Just about everybody loves a good basebrawl, and this was more than good. It was Canadian catcher Chris Robinson laying a bunt single down the third-base line with a 9-3 lead because

Mexico's Eduardo Arredondo (R) fights with Canada's Jay Johnson on Saturday at Chase Field. (Getty Images)

PHOENIX – A massive brawl between Canada and Mexico broke out in the ninth inning of their World Baseball Classic game Saturday afternoon after Canada's bunt for a hit with a six-run lead prompted a retaliatory hit-by-pitch.

Dozens of punches were thrown, players were strewn about the ground at Chase Field and umpires needed nearly five minutes to separate the teams.

In the brawl's immediate aftermath, a fan threw a loaded plastic bottle which struck Canada pitching coach Denis Boucher. Shortstop Cale Iorg picked it up and whipped it back into the stands. Later, after the game had resumed, a fan threw a foul ball back onto the field and nearly hit Canada first-base coach Larry Walker.

[Slideshow: Mexico-Canada brawl at WBC]

Canada won 10-3, eliminating Mexico (1-2) from the tournament. No injuries were reported from both sides.

"You can't hurt us Canadians," said manager Ernie Whitt.

There were no signs of rancor until Canada catcher Chris Robinson bunted