SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- So, what are the possible scenarios now with Team Canada playing Mexico tonight?
A Canada win and Canada advances to the second round in Anaheim -- no questions asked.
Team USA will advance providing it defeats South Africa tomorrow.
And if Canada loses it means Mexico, Team USA and Canada are deadlocked with 2-1 records. Mexico knocked off South Africa 10-4 in last night's late game.
- If Canada loses 2-1, 2-0 or 1-0 to Mexico, Canada and Mexico advance.
- If Canada loses and allows more than three runs, Mexico and Team USA advances.
International Baseball Federation rules have the first tie-breaker as runs allowed divided number of defensive innings in the field in games between the teams tied.
Going into tonight's game between Mexico and Canada the runs and innings in the field look like this:
- Mexico has allowed two runs in eight innings (.250).
- Team USA has allowed eight runs in 18 innings (.444).
- Canada has allowed six runs in nine innings (.667).
NASH SIGHTING
Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash, of Victoria, B.C. was in the crowd.
Walt Burrows, the Major League Scouting Bureau scouting director, tells the story of when he was hired by then scouting director Tom Valcke. Valcke asked who the best baseball player was in the province and Valcke answered Steve Nash.
"I told Steve he should stick to baseball, years later after playing in college, I saw him in the airport and he was off to the NBA draft," Burrows said. "He reminded me of it."
STERN WORDS
A Boston writer asked Adam Stern at the post-game news conference whether he was now a Canadian celebrity. "I'm not a celebrity," Stern said. "I can never take any credit like that. That's not the way I am. I'm excited but I'm a team guy.
Stern did say he would be making some phone calls to Boston Red Sox teammates who told him he'd be back in Fort Myers within days.
"They were joking, they don't think we play baseball up there," Stern said.
