Baseball is one of only three team competitions Japan will be contesting in Sydney (along with men's soccer and softball), and Japan has a good chance of taking a medal home just as it did in Barcelona (bronze) and Atlanta (silver). The question is, what color will it be this time?
At Sydney, baseball is open to pro players for the first time since it became an official medal sport in 1992. However, the formation of a "Dream Team" became a reality only for the South Koreans who will field a team of 23 pro players and one amateur, while suspending their domestic league in order to let the pros participate.
The United States put together an all-pro team, but the major league players were unavailable, since they are still in the final month of the regular season, and thus the U.S. will bring a team of journeymen and minor league players from the AA and AAA levels.