U.S.A. vs. The Netherlands in baseball

Strange feeling to cover a baseball game in Beijing. Our lineup is make of a bunch of guys I don't know, several minor leaguers on the fast track to the Major Leagues, and a bunch of guys who are AAAA players. This slang for those who are great at minor league AAA-level, but not quite good enough to stick in the Majors. For hitters, it's usually because they can't hit a curve ball or have an obvious hole in their swing. For pitchers, it means they can't throw strikes consistently or that they don't a second or third pitch to compliment their best pitch. Anyway, a few familiar faces were John Gall, who was a big-time power hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and Brian Barden who is currently a Cardinals prospect. Matt LaPorta is the starting left fielder and is a "can't miss" prospect recently traded from Milwaukee to Cleveland in the big C.C. Sabathia deal. Funny note about LaPorta . . . a couple of Japanese fans had a hard time saying "LaPorta," so they simply cheered for "Laptop."