Quiet bats keep Canada off baseball podium

Pitcher Chris Begg and his teammates with the Canadian baseball team were feeling pretty good about themselves after their opening game at the Beijing Olympics.

Begg and relievers Tim Burton and Rheal Cormier combined on an eight-hitter while first baseman Scott Thorman homered and drove in three runs in a 10-0 pasting of host China.

"We have good hitters," Canadian manager and former major league outfielder Terry Puhl said afterwards. "If they continue to have quality at-bats, we're going to score some runs."

Problem is, any of the few quality at-bats that followed didn't seem to come at a time when Canada required them most.

The Canadian squad, considered a medal contender, lost by one run in five of its final six games and was outscored 20-19, failing to qualify for the medal round along the way.

Fittingly, Canada's final appearance at Wukesong Baseball Field ended in a 6-5 setback to Chinese Taipai in 12 innings.

Canada finished with a 2-5 record and a fifth-place standing after finishing fourth at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.

"From game one to game seven, we played some really good baseball, but it just didn't work out," said Puhl. "I can never say anything negative about the effort that these players have given, not only for this team but for this country."

Starting pitching stands out

Among the positives for the Canadian team was the starting rotation, which was dealt a blow before the Games when ace Scott Richmond was recalled by the Toronto Blue Jays on July 28, three days before Olympic rosters had to be finalized.

Brooks McNiven one-hit the Netherlands for six shutout innings, while Mike Johnson and Begg were spectacular in a pair of 1-0 defeats to South Korea and Japan.

"This was the deepest Olympic tournament, talent wise, ever," said veteran Canadian second baseman Stubby Clapp. "These guys know that they can compete with the best in the world and win.

"When you really look back at it, we were one hit away from going to the medal round, literally. It speaks volumes of this program and of these guys on this team."

The Koreans were the story of the Beijing baseball tournament, going a perfect 9-0 to win a gold medal in their first-ever appearance in the Olympic final.

A thrilling 3-2 win over the defending Olympic champions from Cuba meant 14 members of the team won't have to report for two years of military duty.

Koreans outscore opponents 45-23

Korea served notice early in Beijing with a come-from-behind 8-7 victory over the United States in its first game. What followed was a 1-0 win over Canada, highlighted by Ryu Hyunjin's complete-game, five-hit shutout.

Korea went on to win seven more times and outscored the opposition 45-23 overall, but won't defend its title for at least eight years.

The International Olympic Committee has lifted baseball from the Summer Games program for 2012 in London. However, the sport is eligible for readmission in 2016.

Cuba didn't go down without a fight en route to its fifth consecutive medal performance in baseball, putting the winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth inning against Korea.

The United States earned bronze with an 8-4 doubling of Japan after failing to qualify for Athens.