SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Oh, it's time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, and Italy is perking. Selection Sunday for March Madness. Sports reporter Michele Steele joins us. Michele, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: Great to be here, Scott.
SIMON: The U.S. beat Canada 5-3. WORLD Baseball Classic last night - moves on to the semifinals. Dominican Republic is next. This is a U.S. team led by Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, but they haven't exactly cleaned up so far, have they?
STEELE: No, they haven't. But let me just say that Cal Raleigh - the Big Dumper is my favorite nickname in baseball, Scott - that voluminous posterior.
SIMON: And it means a lot to him too, but, yeah.
STEELE: (Laughter) Yeah. All sides of him. But you know what? You're right. The World Baseball Classic has this funny way of humbling even the most stacked lineups, like the United States. They've looked a little uneven, just a few too many runners left on base, a few too many...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Moments where you're thinking, come on, guys. But they did get the job done against Canada. They're through to the semis, and we have an amazing matchup with the DR on deck. It'll be Paul Skenes getting the start against...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...The Dominican Republic's plot no power, Scott. But they want - they need to bring it here. They need to bring their A game because they don't want another upset, like the 8-to-6 loss to Italy we saw this week.
SIMON: Speaking of which, Italy, later this afternoon, faces Puerto Rico for a spot in the semifinals.
(Singing) When the ball hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's Italia.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: (Singing) When another run scores, the espresso is poured for Team Italia.
STEELE: (Laughter) That needs to be your ring tone, Scott.
SIMON: Oh, is that possible? I'll ask our daughters. Listen, a well-caffeinated team - they have espresso machine in the dugout, if people didn't know. How do you see their chances of advancing?
STEELE: Gosh, they have been the feel-good story of this entire tournament. They're having so much fun out there. They're loose, and guess what? They're undefeated. Maybe that espresso machine isn't a joke. As a power coffee drinker, I respect it...
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: ...Deeply. But Puerto Rico is no pushover. They got plenty of talent. But, honestly, don't count out Italy. Something magical...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Is happening over there right now.
SIMON: Absolutely. Listen, NCAA basketball tournament begins Tuesday. Tomorrow's Selection Sunday. Clear-cut top three with Duke, Arizona and Michigan. What other teams do you have your eye on?
STEELE: Yeah. The team I keep coming back to is San Diego State. They just won a massive game last night in Las Vegas against New Mexico. They may actually need to win their conference tournament today to truly feel safe. VCU out of Richmond, really impressive all season, but they've only beaten two top-tier opponents - committee's going to really look at that. And then there's the storyline that, you know, Scott, I just can't stop thinking about - Auburn. The Tigers...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Have 16 losses. No team has ever gotten an at-large bid with that many losses ever. But their schedule has been really brutal. The bubble is really weak this year, so they might just pull it off. I'm going to be locked in on Selection Sunday tomorrow.
SIMON: FIFA World Cup begins in the U.S. in three months. This week, President Trump said Iran's team is welcome to come, but, quote, "I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there for their own life and safety." Isn't the World Cup supposed to promote sportsmanship across political divisions?
STEELE: That's kind of the whole point of it, right? I've watched every World Cup for as long as I can remember. I cannot think of a single time where the president of a host nation has publicly questioned whether a qualified team should even show up. That just doesn't happen. The host country's job is to welcome the world. That's the whole deal. You put on the tournament. You open the doors. You let the sport do what the sport is supposed to do, bring people together across the divides that politics creates. And honestly, as a sports fan, it's a little exhausting to see all this.
SIMON: Our sports expert Michele Steele. Michele, thanks so much for speaking with you. Talk to you again soon.
STEELE: You bet, Scott.
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