Congratulations to Team Canada, which qualified for the Athens Olympics next summer. Our home and native land took part in 1988 when baseball was a demonstration sport in Seoul, but this will be our first chance at a medal. I hope their major league teams allow some of our key players to participate next summer. In the Sun this morning, Bob Elliott has a game report; pitcher Mike Johnson was backed by four home runs to an 11-1 win over Mexico. Twins prospect Justin Morneau of B.C. had five of Canada's 17 homers in the tournament.

There has been considerable recent discussion of international baseball in our Big Games? They're All Big Games thread, including the news from Jabonoso that MLB is planning the first World Cup of baseball in 2005. I'd also like to thank our Panamanian correspondent Evair Montenegro for live reports on the key games from the qualifying tournament.

The reaction in the U.S. to the American team's failure to advance is interesting -- "baseball's homeland does not regard Olympic baseball as much of a priority, or any priority at all," says Mike Bauman on MLB.com, which hasn't bothered to post a report about Canada and Cuba earning Olympic berths. For them, the tournament seems to have ended with Mexico's upset victory on Friday.