From March 3-20, 16 nations from around the globe will compete in the first-ever World Baseball Classic, and several players who have spent time with the Curve were chosen to represent their respective countries

Earlier this month, each nation announced its provisional 60-man roster, which will be narrowed down to 30 prior to the start of the tournament

Among the Curve alumni selected:-
Adam Boeve (‘05) and Yurendell DeCaster (‘04) will represent the Netherlands
Jose Castillo (‘03) will play for Venezuela
Humberto Cota (‘00) for Mexico
Ronny Paulino ('03-'05) for the Dominican Republic and
Brett Roneberg (’03) for his native Australia
In addition, Tim Leiper, the newly appointed manager of the Curve, will be the third-base coach for the Canadian team

These Curve alums will join some of the biggest names in baseball like Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Dontrelle Willis, and Derek Jeter among others, in this historic tournament that is more than just an All-Star game

“People are still a little skeptical about this tournament, but having been part of International baseball before I can guarantee that fans are going to be surprised with the intensity on the field and in the stands” said Tim Leiper
“It’s going to be like game seven of the World Series every night, and these guys are going to go all out every game
There are few things that drum up as much pride as representing your country, and that will show in the play on the field”

There are 16 players affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates who will play in the WBC for eight different teams, including Jason Bay with Canada and Oliver Perez with Mexico

Below are the six former Curve players who will be playing in the inaugural World Baseball Classic

First-round action will be played at four sites:-
Pool A, consisting of Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and China, will meet at the Tokyo Dome, March 3-5, with the other three pools all on March 7-10
Pool B, featuring the U.S, Canada, Mexico and South Africa will play at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Scottsdale Stadium, Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants
Pool C includes Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands, and will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, and
Pool D, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy will play at the spring home of the Atlanta Braves near Orlando

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, which takes place March 12-16 back at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and March 12-17 at Angel Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Angels

Again the top two teams in the four-team second-round brackets will each move on to the single-elimination semifinals and finals to be held at PETCO Park, the home of the San Diego Padres, on March 18-20