This whole World Baseball Classic is starting to grow on The Ford. The games have been pretty good. (or, probably more accurately, the competition has been fairly even, if you're willing to ignore those ugly 10-1, 17-0 games that pop up now and again.)

But more than that, you get to discover fun things like, say ...

The Korean team has six guys named Lee starting.

Which might explain what he overheard a little later...

Abbott: Well Costello, I'm going to Seoul with you. You know the Koreans gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team.
Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players.
Abbott: I certainly do.
Costello: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team.
Abbott: Oh, I'll tell you their names, but you know it seems to me they give these ball players now-a-days very peculiar names.
Costello: You mean funny names?
...
Abbott: Let's see, we have on the bags, Lee's on first, Lee's on second, I Don't Know is on third...
Costello: That's what I want to find out.
Abbott: I say Lee's on first, Lee's on second, I Don't Know's on third.
Costello: Are you the manager?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: You gonna be the coach too?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names?
Abbott: Well I should.
Costello: Well then Lee's on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow's name.
Abbott: Lee.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Lee.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Lee.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Lee is on first!
Costello: I'm asking YOU Lee's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's Lee's name ...

And, with that failed joke ringing in your ears, it's link time:
Normally The Ford isn't crazy about Linking to The Official Competition of The Official Newspaper of The Official Blog of The Ford. (Mostly because that's a lot of "The Official"s to type out at once. The Ford, is at heart, a lazy blogger.)

But this article in the Sunday biz section caught his eye, in the way that all articles featuring hot 24-year-old women with design skills will, even if said design skills are automotive, and not newspapery.

The Ford is perplexed, since he'd like to believe that good design is good design, regardless of what you culturally bring to the table. Good designers look beyond their own culture for ideas. (And now The Ford's rant about designing head-to-head with foreign papers in the SND competition are sounding a bit goofy.)

Then again, you've got your FUBU. You've got your Chrysler 300C. And you've got your, um, OB tampon, "designed for women, by a woman."

Of course, by this logic, I should've been a better designer in Washington than I was in Colorado or Michigan, since I had a special understanding of the needs of my constituency there than here.

Which is really just too depressing to think about.