was that? Why did it take root there in a way? As a foreign game, a foreign land, what is it about baseball that makes it grow in places like that?

Yeah, it's really unique because most of baseball in Europe, and not all of it, but most of it comes from America.

Most of baseball around the world in some ways comes from America.

It goes to Japan in the late 1860s and 1870s, first from American sailors, then from an American school teacher who starts to spread the game.

It goes to Cuba because of students who were in America in the 1860s going back to Cuba.

It finds its way largely to Germany and Italy post-World War II from American military bases, American service members.

Some of it was they were just playing baseball, and so the locals happened to say, this looks really cool, what's going on? And some of it literally was part of American foreign diplomacy, was baseball spreads democracy.

Are there methods that they can do to support them financially or with equipment or anything like that?

Nessun dorma, espresso, what is going on [laughs] there?

[laughs] Yeah.

So Team Italy is, uh, you know...

I- Italy has a long history of baseball, but Team Italy is, is largely a team of, of, of Italian Americans right now.

And, uh, they're all sort of em- em- embracing their culture and, and part of that was bringing an espresso machine into the dugout and, uh, every time you hit a home run, you get to have a shot of espresso.

Vinny Pasquantino hit three in one game, so that meant he had to take three shots of espresso.

Yesterday, uh, reporter Jen Mac Ro- Ramos, uh, asked if, uh, they could try the espresso, and they were told, "Well, you're gonna have to do something.

Why?

So I'm curious if there are, you know, sort of smaller stories that you're excited to track through the tournament, even if it doesn't end with, you know, that that team's pitcher staring down one of the best hitters on the planet.

Yeah, I mean, that's some of my absolute favorite stuff in sports.

That is why I really love this tournament, because you obviously have the big major leaguers, but we see guys who, whether they're career minor leaguers or they play in other leagues, or maybe they don't even play professional baseball, but they can have these incredible moments because...

They've dedicated themselves to the sport.

So obviously there's the Czech Republic, and we can dive into that, but I'll leave that for a minute.

Nicaragua is one I'm really excited about.

I've talked to some people down there, and Fernando Rayo is a phenomenal reporter there.

So tell us why they should be our Cinderella team to root for.

[laughs]

Yeah.

[laughs] It's, it's incredible.

So he's actually the, the, the first winner, uh, since Yamamoto.

Shugo Maki at second base, really more of a first baseman stretched at second base, but big power, great hitter, incredible clubhouse guy, funny guy, sings and dances.

He's pretty beloved.

And then in, in right field, uh, Kensuke Kondo is a, is an absolute favorite of mine.

So I'm, I'm curious if there are, you know, sort of smaller stories that you're excited to track through the tournament, even if it doesn't end with, you know, that, that team's pitcher staring down one of the best hitters on the planet.

So let's start with Team USA because you know us, we're Americans, we always insist on going first.

The goal for the USA is simple, win or go home.

GM Michael Hill and manager Mark DeRosa started by focusing on the rotation, which has obviously been the biggest weakness for the team in the past.

And now they have a four-headed monster of Paul Skeens, Tarek Skubal, Logan Webb, and Joe Ryan.

I mean, how do you beat that? That's a 100-win rotation in a major league season.

And now Clayton Kershaw is going to ride off into the sunset and end his Hall of Fame career by playing for the USA.

Meanwhile, the lineup is basically a shortlist for the MVP award with Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, a 60-home run catcher with Will Smith backing him up, and Bobby Witt Jr. all on the list.

And Mike, he's got them all.