Oh really is it? Any person who is completely neutral on both of these "Sports" and watches, oh lets say 5 Baseball matches and 5 Sumo Wrestling Tournaments (Sumo in Japan/Asia, Sumo in Europe looks quite frankly ridiculous when guys wear biker shorts under their Mawashi) for the first time will be more entertained by Sumo than by Baseball. The reserved Japanese crowd even goes as the match goes which isn't exactly the case in Baseball. People don't watch baseball for the action value, it gets them out of the house to hang out in a stadium or it just gives them a good excuse to drink beer at home. Hardly anybody ever pays attention to the game unless somebody scores and that is the ultimate deal breaker. If you can't get excited for a sport unless somebody scores then it is simply boring.
I haven't watch Sumo in a long time now, I used to when I had access to Eurosport Germany and it is something that everyone can get into and appreciate once a person gets over the giggle factor (teehee, they are fat!).
What the hell are you talking about? What does any of this have to do with the athletic ability that you were talking about?
Also, your post makes no sense since Baseball is just as popular as Sumo in Japan, if not more.
Oh really is it? Any person who is completely neutral on both of these "Sports" and watches, oh lets say 5 Baseball matches and 5 Sumo Wrestling Tournaments (Sumo in Japan/Asia, Sumo in Europe looks quite frankly ridiculous when guys wear biker shorts under their Mawashi) for the first time will be more entertained by Sumo than by Baseball. The reserved Japanese crowd even goes as the match goes which isn't exactly the case in Baseball. People don't watch baseball for the action value, it gets them out of the house to hang out in a stadium or it just gives them a good excuse to drink beer at home. Hardly anybody ever pays attention to the game unless somebody scores and that is the ultimate deal breaker. If you can't get excited for a sport unless somebody scores then it is simply boring.
I haven't watch Sumo in a long time now, I used to when I had access to Eurosport Germany and it is something that everyone can get into and appreciate once a person gets over the giggle factor (teehee, they are fat!).
Oh, wow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshimitsu
What the hell are you talking about? What does any of this have to do with the athletic ability that you were talking about?
Also, your post makes no sense since Baseball is just as popular as Sumo in Japan, if not more.
Thank you.
It's probably not worth arguing with a guy who thinks Sumo wrestlers are better athletes then MLB players. Some of the most atletic people in the world play MLB. In fact, I'd say that if Baseball didn't exist there would be a lot of current MLB players who would be playing in the NHL or NFL. But yeah their less athletic than fat guys who push each other around a ring until one gets pushed out. There's players in my beer hockey league who more athletic then Sumo wrestlers.
What the hell are you talking about? What does any of this have to do with the athletic ability that you were talking about?
Also, your post makes no sense since Baseball is just as popular as Sumo in Japan, if not more.
I'm answering to your very intellectual "face palm" response.
Since a face palm can be construed in many ways I went for the most obvious one, that you don't believe Sumo Wrestlers are better athletes than Baseball players.
Sumo Wrestler have a very strict training regiment while Baseball practice, on ANY level is a joke. The reason for this is because baseball is not physically demanding in the least as I mentioned before. A completely untrained person can still be great at hitting a ball with a stick (Babe Ruth) and be considered a Legend in that activity while Sumo Wrestler have to actually be proactive at what they are doing.
Poker,Baseball,Darts are not much of a sport but a skill just like chess is. What's so hard to understand?
Finally, when or where did I talk about the popularity of Sumo compared to Baseball?
All I stated was that Baseball should not be considered a Sport/Team Sport and should not be brought up when people are trying to determine the popularity of a SPORT.
I said they play Lacrosse in NZ which they do. Otherwise, why would the New Zealand Lacrosse Association exist?
I never said anything about how popular it is.
lol and yet on the first page you say
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaaaaB's
And if you use the US being better at sports at that nobody plays as a mark against them then you take Soccer and Handball out of the equation since no one in the US plays them.
Wait, what was USA doing at the World Cup then if nobody plays Soccer?
You can't have it both ways
Soccer is a hell of a lot bigger in the USA than Lacrosse is in NZ or Aussie. So if nobody plays Soccer in the USA, according to you, then nobody plays Lacrosse here.
It's probably not worth arguing with a guy who thinks Sumo wrestlers are better athletes then MLB players. Some of the most atletic people in the world play MLB. In fact, I'd say that if Baseball didn't exist there would be a lot of current MLB players who would be playing in the NHL or NFL. But yeah their less athletic than fat guys who push each other around a ring until one gets pushed out. There's players in my beer hockey league who more athletic then Sumo wrestlers.
You mean those athletic guys who juice?
Yea, I bet there are some MLB guys who would turn to real sports if it wasn't for baseball. That's the point.
By the way, if somebody says "In fact" you don't follow it up by "I'd say", if you say "In fact" follow it up with, uuuuh.. I don't know.. facts not personal assumption.
I stand by my statement and you are just exposing your ignorance when it comes to Sumo if you really believe Sumo is just a bunch of fat guys pushing each other around.
Also I bet the majority of guys in your hockey beer league can easily compete with an MLB players athletic ability. That's no slight in the least towards Sumo.
I'm answering to your very intellectual "face palm" response.
Since a face palm can be construed in many ways I went for the most obvious one, that you don't believe Sumo Wrestlers are better athletes than Baseball players.
Sumo Wrestler have a very strict training regiment while Baseball practice, on ANY level is a joke. The reason for this is because baseball is not physically demanding in the least as I mentioned before. A completely untrained person can still be great at hitting a ball with a stick (Babe Ruth) and be considered a Legend in that activity while Sumo Wrestler have to actually be proactive at what they are doing.
The ignorance here is astounding. You are wrong on literally every single point you attempted to make.
You do realize that Babe Ruth retired in 1935, right? I think things have changed a good bit since then.
Quote:
Poker,Baseball,Darts are not much of a sport but a skill just like chess is. What's so hard to understand?
Quote:
Finally, when or where did I talk about the popularity of Sumo compared to Baseball?
All I stated was that Baseball should not be considered a Sport/Team Sport and should not be brought up when people are trying to determine the popularity of a SPORT.
If you don't think baseball is a sport, you are an idiot. It's that simple.
The ignorance here is astounding. You are wrong on literally every single point you attempted to make.
You do realize that Babe Ruth retired in 1935, right? I think things have changed a good bit since then.
If you don't think baseball is a sport, you are an idiot. It's that simple.
Babe Ruth is actually the perfect example that theoretically you do NOT have to be in great physical shape to excel in baseball.
I am an idiot because you don't understand how someone can think an activity that does not require much athletic ability to be one of the best is not a sport?
I guess you win the debate championship then. Congrats!
Anyhow, if Babe Ruth is too old and too dead for you to remember how great of a SPORT Baseball is let's take David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Prime "athletes" like Jose Molina, Prince Fielder,Joba Chamberlain, Bartolo Colon,C.C. Sabathia certainly support your theory, right?
Babe Ruth is actually the perfect example that theoretically you do NOT have to be in great physical shape to excel in baseball.
Yes, in the 1930s. By today's standards, NHL players from the 1930s weren't good athletes, either, so I guess hockey isn't a sport.
Quote:
I am an idiot because you don't understand how someone can think an activity that does not require much athletic ability to be one of the best is not a sport?
I guess you win the debate championship then. Congrats!
You're an idiot because you are woefully ignorant of the subject yet you continue to run off at the mouth.
Anyhow, if Babe Ruth is too old and too dead for you to remember how great of a SPORT Baseball is let's take David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Prime "athletes" like Jose Molina, Prince Fielder,Joba Chamberlain, Bartolo Colon,C.C. Sabathia certainly support your theory, right?
Are you drunk?
You literally just made the argument that Sumo wrestlers are athletic despite being fat, but now you're pretending that the baseball players you've listed aren't athletic because...they're fat. Hello? Is this thing on?
You literally just made the argument that Sumo wrestlers are athletic despite being fat, but now you're pretending that the baseball players you've listed aren't athletic because...they're fat. Hello? Is this thing on?
I was waiting for that dictionary reference. Use your head not theoretical analysis that somebody else made up.
If we go by those standards taking a walk everyday is a sport.
All you have to do to see the difference in athleticism is simply watch both. As I said earlier, anyone who didn't grow up with either sport will see the difference and will realize that as a Sumo you have to be much more active while doing it than a Baseball player will ever be during a whole game.
Let me guess... you play Baseball and consider yourself an athlete because of it.
Is that why you are taking it so personal and resort to insults?
Babe Ruth is actually the perfect example that theoretically you do NOT have to be in great physical shape to excel in baseball.
Exactly what do you consider "great physical shape"? Soccer players? Yes they have great endurance to stay on the field for 90min. Can any play in the MLB, NBA or NFL? I havent heard of any making that change. As far as baseball and in particular MLB goes, several sports stars in other sports have tried. Within recent memory MJ, Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders with Deion Sanders probably having the most success. Did any challenge any of Ruths records... No. Would you say Michael Jordan or Bo Jackson were not great athletes or in the case of Bo Jackson in top physical shape?
Only 2 players have bested Babe Ruths all-time HR record, Barry Bonds who was juiced and Hank Aaron who was not. Going down the 500 club HR list, there are less than 1/2 dozen players who can be said to be suspected/confirmed of doping. The rest on the list were not of the doping era. Hank Aaron only surpassed Ruth by sheer longevity. Moreover, Ruth was also a pitcher and a successful one at that.
To even remotely suggest Ruth was not an athlete or in "great physical shape" is ridiculous.
The fact of the matter is Babe Ruth was a freak of nature and so far ahead of the competition in his time, no modern athlete has come close to his career numbers.
Even considering the era when he set those records, it was not against inferior competition. Top to bottom the modern athlete without a doubt is better condition but Ruth wasnt playing against slugs either. And considering his success as a hitter and pitcher makes his records even more mind boggling.
Now can MLB players, play other sports. Perhaps not on the professional level since each sport is supremely specialized. The fact is however that more than a few "professional athletes" have played 2 (or more) sports at the college level including baseball.
Now when some other player in "great physical shape" in some other sport can best Ruths hitting and pitching records, let me know.
I was waiting for that dictionary reference. Use your head not theoretical analysis that somebody else made up.
I'm sorry that I prefer to consult a reference on the English language as opposed to the arbitrary definitions given by hockey message board posters.
Quote:
If we go by those standards taking a walk everyday is a sport.
No, it isn't. Please re-read the definition. Walking would only be considered a sport if it were done competitively. And wouldn't you know it, there is a sport called Racewalking that is contested in the Olympics.
Quote:
All you have to do to see the difference in athleticism is simply watch both. As I said earlier, anyone who didn't grow up with either sport will see the difference and will realize that as a Sumo you have to be much more active while doing it than a Baseball player will ever be during a whole game.
Meaningless conjecture.
Quote:
Let me guess... you play Baseball and consider yourself an athlete because of it.
Try again.
Quote:
Is that why you are taking it so personal and resort to insults?
I resort to insults because I have little patience for imbeciles.
But baseball is popular in a dozen countries if that, and completely irrelevant everywhere else. That's my point: just because these countries are at opposite ends of the world does not increase the sport's global appeal in the least. Venezuela being good at it does not increase its popularity in Argentina.
so than I can just revert back to you by saying that the fact that handball is played in more countries than baseball is irrelevant when it comes to popularity because baseball is America's past-time. America>>>>All of handball's countrie's population put together=baseball more popular. see how easy that is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jekoh
Holland is not really competitive from what I can see and it's hardly even "in Europe" either since most of the players seem to be from the Dutch Antilles.
So the countries you listed is really just one region plus two countries.
1st of all, Holland were the last champs of the baseball world cup in 2011, beating Cuba, which is like the Brazil X10 of baseball, I'd say that's competitive...
2nd of all, by that logic, should the French national soccer team be considered European?
3rd of all, I listed 4 continents with competitive teams..hardly "1 competitive geo-region +2 teams"
Quote:
Originally Posted by jekoh
What? Of course handball is an olympic sport
Baseball on the other hand has been dropped from the Games, with lack of international competitiveness being one of the reasons.
sorry I didn't even know that...ohh and the olympic thing, for anyone that knows anything about baseball knows that it wasn't that you couldn't find international teams, it's just that Cuba was the only team that sent its actual squad, the US would send like college kids, therefore the OC was pissed and didn't feel the love from baseball
Quote:
Originally Posted by jekoh
Yeah but then rugby is derived from football and you still listed them separately.
ohhhh coooome oon, hahaha you're seriously going to say that? You're being super anal about this....how can you possibly compare two sports that are nothing alike, one played with your hands another with your feet and with totally different scoring systems to two sports that share the same name!! lols field and ice hockey are basically the same sports except for the obvious major differences of surface and one with skates the other on foot...if it makes you feel better the word I should of used is "variant" as in ICE HOCKEY AND OTHER VARIANTS IE. FIELD/INLINE....nevertheless, it's irrelevant because again they are similar sports, unlike rugby and football
Countries that are either what you could call competitive or good enough to not get steamrolled by the best nations at WCs or ECs include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain, Iceland, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea (NB some might only be competitive on the mens or womens side). Some of the listed countries can definitely be argued for and against though, but it reflect my opinion on the matter.
That's 21 countries, not much under Icehockey and baseball lumped together.
your whole premise was to list countries that would not get "steamrolled" by the best nations at WCs or ECs...yet..you..listed...almost..every...participa ting...nation...in...these...tournaments (including the best nations+WC and EC champions...lolss
congratulations you listed 5 more nations than in the World Baseball Classic...ohh yeah and by the way before I forget, the next World Baseball Classic will feature 28 international teams as opposed to 16 : )
I'm sorry that I prefer to consult a reference on the English language as opposed to the arbitrary definitions given by hockey message board posters.
No, it isn't. Please re-read the definition. Walking would only be considered a sport if it were done competitively. And wouldn't you know it, there is a sport called Racewalking that is contested in the Olympics.
Meaningless conjecture.
Try again.
I resort to insults because I have little patience for imbeciles.
So if I take a walk every day with my wife in slow pace but we still make it a competition to reach the threshold of our door as slow as we can that will make it a sport since we are competing.
I actually know a lot about Racewalking (Spaniards happen to be good at it too) and the goal there is to use the definition of walking to get ahead the fastest while having at least one foot to the ground at all times. It takes athletic ability to be as fast as you can doing so.
You constantly seem to miss the point which makes me believe that you are using projection when you call me an idiot and imbecile.
In Baseball you do not have to be athletic to be successful it is very hard to disagree with that unless you grew up with Baseball and have been indoctrinated into believing that Baseball is a sport. Sorry to burst your bubble but overall Baseball is pretty irrelevant, and that is for a reason.
I don't have a problem with Baseball per se, it's a nice way to kill some time and part of the American culture but it simply isn't a sport in the classical sense that you have to show a feat of athleticism.
So if I take a walk every day with my wife in slow pace but we still make it a competition to reach the threshold of our door as slow as we can that will make it a sport since we are competing.
I actually know a lot about Racewalking (Spaniards happen to be good at it too) and the goal there is to use the definition of walking to get ahead the fastest while having at least one foot to the ground at all times. It takes athletic ability to be as fast as you can doing so.
You constantly seem to miss the point which makes me believe that you are using projection when you call me an idiot and imbecile.
In Baseball you do not have to be athletic to be successful it is very hard to disagree with that unless you grew up with Baseball and have been indoctrinated into believing that Baseball is a sport. Sorry to burst your bubble but overall Baseball is pretty irrelevant, and that is for a reason.
I don't have a problem with Baseball per se, it's a nice way to kill some time and part of the American culture but it simply isn't a sport in the classical sense that you have to show a feat of athleticism.
dude seriously, stop, you have no clue of what the hell you're talking about and you're embarrassing yourself to the max...
dude seriously, stop, you have no clue of what the hell you're talking about and you're embarrassing yourself to the max...
No kidding... right.
Since baseball according to MrAlfie requires no "feat of athleticism", let me just quit my day job and go out and hit 500 homers off major league pitchers. While Im at it, I might just toss a few 100mph+ fastballs from the mound and make what Arod and Pujols combined make.
Wait, I only got an 80mph fastball and cant even reach the wall on solid drives... hmmm, guess Ill just keep my day job.
So if I take a walk every day with my wife in slow pace but we still make it a competition to reach the threshold of our door as slow as we can that will make it a sport since we are competing.
No.
Are you being purposefully obtuse?
Quote:
You constantly seem to miss the point which makes me believe that you are using projection when you call me an idiot and imbecile.
In Baseball you do not have to be athletic to be successful it is very hard to disagree with that unless you grew up with Baseball and have been indoctrinated into believing that Baseball is a sport.
Ahahahahaha. Yes, I've been "indoctrinated" about baseball. Again, are you drunk?
Name one successful MLB player that isn't athletic. And please, don't say someone like CC Sabathia or Prince Fielder, because they're both athletic. I mean, you said so yourself, you can be fat and athletic.
Quote:
Sorry to burst your bubble but overall Baseball is pretty irrelevant, and that is for a reason.
I don't have a problem with Baseball per se, it's a nice way to kill some time and part of the American culture but it simply isn't a sport in the classical sense that you have to show a feat of athleticism.
Except that isn't the "classical sense," that's an arbitrary definition that you just made up. Furthermore, it isn't even true. "Feats of athleticism" are shown in literally every single MLB game of the season.
so than I can just revert back to you by saying that the fact that handball is played in more countries than baseball is irrelevant when it comes to popularity because baseball is America's past-time. America>>>>All of handball's countrie's population put together=baseball more popular. see how easy that is.
Dude, you're trying to be an idiot here. Just take RUS+GER+FRA+SPA and it's already a bigger population than the USA (or "America" as you call it).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
1st of all, Holland were the last champs of the baseball world cup in 2011, beating Cuba, which is like the Brazil X10 of baseball, I'd say that's competitive...
The world cup is for amateurs and minor-leaguers, that's irrelevant. Hungary could win the equivalent ice-hockey competition.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
2nd of all, by that logic, should the French national soccer team be considered European?
Bar one or two, all of their players are from Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
3rd of all, I listed 4 continents with competitive teams..hardly "1 competitive geo-region +2 teams"
Are you really arguing that the USA, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are three different continents??
Do you realise with that reasoning France alone is already 6 different continents?
Whether you like it or not, USA, Cuba and Venezuela are from the same geographical region, disirregardless of what "continent" you believe them to belong to.
Continental boundaries are irrelevant here, and they're not even universally accepted. For your information, in most countries USA and VEN are regarded as being from the same continent of America (yes it usually refers to a continent, not a country). I'm pretty sure that's how they see it in Venezuela. That should tell you all you need to know about the relevance of the concept of continent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
sorry I didn't even know that...
Yeah you didn't even know that. You don't seem to be very knowledgeable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
ohhhh coooome oon, hahaha you're seriously going to say that? You're being super anal about this....how can you possibly compare two sports that are nothing alike, one played with your hands another with your feet and with totally different scoring systems to two sports that share the same name!! lols field and ice hockey are basically the same sports except for the obvious major differences of surface and one with skates the other on foot...if it makes you feel better the word I should of used is "variant" as in ICE HOCKEY AND OTHER VARIANTS IE. FIELD/INLINE....nevertheless, it's irrelevant because again they are similar sports, unlike rugby and football
You might as well lump cricket and baseball together. Also FYI rugby football and football association also share the same name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Panteras
your whole premise was to list countries that would not get "steamrolled" by the best nations at WCs or ECs...yet..you..listed...almost..every...participa ting...nation...in...these...tournaments (including the best nations+WC and EC champions...lolss
That's the point: almost the entire field is competitive.
Wait, what was USA doing at the World Cup then if nobody plays Soccer?
You can't have it both ways
Soccer is a hell of a lot bigger in the USA than Lacrosse is in NZ or Aussie. So if nobody plays Soccer in the USA, according to you, then nobody plays Lacrosse here.
I thought the smilie kind would indicate that I was joking but I guess not since you're the 2nd person to repsond to that comment. As I explained to the 1st person, I was joking as there are a lot of people who play Soccer in the US but overall it's not very popular when compared to Football, Baseball and Basketball.
You mean those athletic guys who juice?
Yea, I bet there are some MLB guys who would turn to real sports if it wasn't for baseball. That's the point.
By the way, if somebody says "In fact" you don't follow it up by "I'd say", if you say "In fact" follow it up with, uuuuh.. I don't know.. facts not personal assumption.
I stand by my statement and you are just exposing your ignorance when it comes to Sumo if you really believe Sumo is just a bunch of fat guys pushing each other around.
Also I bet the majority of guys in your hockey beer league can easily compete with an MLB players athletic ability. That's no slight in the least towards Sumo.
I was joking about the beer league comment. Thought that was pretty obvious. I know Sumo wrestlers are athletic for such big men in the same way O-lineman are in the NFL although to a lesser extent imo. That being said, almost all MLB players are just as or more athletic.
BTW, thanks for the grammar lesson. I guess that's what you have to resort to when you're losing an argument.
1-Tennis
2-Boxing
3-MMA/ Other martial arts specifically Judo
4-F1/MotoGP
5-Cycling
6-Athletics
1-Tennis
2-Athletics
3-F1/Motogp (these guys could run marathon with decent times)
4-Boxing
5-MMA/ Other martial arts specifically Judo
6-Cycling (though most of them are dopers)
NASCAR: only popular in USA and especially in the areas where people talk funny.
BASEBALL: Most popular in USA and Japan and in some parts of Southern America. Some parts of Canada. Played in many other countries but the popularity not that wide...
FOOTBALL (NFL): Most popular in USA. CANADA also has their own league. Played in many countries but the popularity not that wide...
MMA: sport is growing in many countries but still very hard to value the level.
BOXING: still popular worldwide but imo needs american heavyweight world champion to get it's glory back. Everybody follows the HW division.
ATHLETICS: Popular worldwide and maybe most popular in Europe --> money league.
BASKETBALL: Has more registered players worldwide than soccer. Very popular worldwide.
SOCCER: Number one sport worldwide.
F1: Popular worldwide. F1 not that much in America cause they don't have a legit driver there. I think the popularity is not the same that it used to cos lot's of races are boring.
Dude, you're trying to be an idiot here. Just take RUS+GER+FRA+SPA and it's already a bigger population than the USA (or "America" as you call it).
You might as well lump cricket and baseball together. Also FYI rugby football and football association also share the same name.
Add in the populations of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico for Baseball and they dwarf those populations. You can also include Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Italy, Holland, Venezuela. Even South Africa is competitive enough. Now you have coountries like Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, Phillipines, France, Germany and Spain joining the WBC and it will only be a matter of time before some of them are at least somewhat competitive. So maybe you're the one trying to an idiot. China alone has a bigger population then most of your Handball countries combined.
Also, are you seriously arguing that Ice Hockey and Field Hockey aren't similiar sports?
Why in the world would you add the population of China to the baseball crowd?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaaaaB's
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico for Baseball and they dwarf those populations. You can also include Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Italy, Holland, Venezuela. Even South Africa is competitive enough. Now you have coountries like Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, Phillipines, France, Germany and Spain joining the WBC and it will only be a matter of time before some of them are at least somewhat competitive.
You're really going to argue that South Africa and Italy are baseball countries?
Germany and France too?
This is getting ridiculous. Baseball has 7 or 8 competitive countries and that's it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaaaaB's
China alone has a bigger population then most of your Handball countries combined.
But then China is not a baseball country so it's irrelevant. Do they even have more baseball players than handball players?
Why in the world would you add the population of China to the baseball crowd?
You're really going to argue that South Africa and Italy are baseball countries?
Germany and France too?
This is getting ridiculous. Baseball has 7 or 8 competitive countries and that's it.
But then China is not a baseball country so it's irrelevant. Do they even have more baseball players than handball players?
So wait, countries like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, and Spain count as Handball countries but China doesn't count for Baseball. That makes absolutely no sense. Go tell Brazilians they're a Handball country and see how hard they laugh at you. Where do you come up with this Baseball country thing anyhow?
We were talking about countries that are competitive, not ones that are Baseball countries. And guess what China is competitive at Baseball.
I also never said South Africa or Italy are baseball countries but rather that they are competitive enough which is true. And again your reading comprehension skills failed you regarding Germany and France. I said they are joining the WBC and before long may become somewhat competitive. Somehow you read that as me saying they're "Baseball countries".
BTW, in the history of the World Handball Championships, how many teams outside of Europe have placed in the top 4? Don't bother looking it up because I'll tell you the answer is 2. Egypt was 4th in 2001 and Tunisia was 4th in 2005. That's over all 22 times the event has been held. Yeah, it not's dominated by one region at all is it?
Oh, wow. 
see how easy that is.
