Manfred: WBC tournament had major success, has bright future (Yahoo Sports)

Even before the United States took the field to face Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic championship on Wednesday night, Rob Manfred was confident in declaring this sometimes troubled tournament to be a smashing success. The Major League Baseball Commissioner's confidence seemed well-founded when the Americans claimed their first WBC title in grand style with an 8-0 victory at raucous Dodger Stadium. ''We've had crowds that not only were record-number crowds, but had passion that it's hard to think where you saw something that good the last time,'' Manfred said shortly before the first pitch.