Canada’s Whitt says Votto will be on Classic roster

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Team Canada will open the World Baseball Classic on March 9 in Pool C, which means it will play the defending champion Dominican Republic, the United States and Colombia at Marlins Park.

“I guess I lost the coin flip,” joked Ernie Whitt, who has managed every Classic game Canada has played, during the first day of the Winter Meetings.

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Making it to the final round, which will be held at Dodger Stadium from March 20-22, won’t be easy. But Whitt certainly isn’t conceding anything, either.

“It’s going to be difficult, but you know what? You still have to play these teams,” Whitt said. “There are 16 countries that are outstanding, and you’ve got to go on the field, and that’s why you play the game. You play the game, and anything can happen. That’s the beauty of the international game. Everyone has a chance because it’s one game.”

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Before you dismiss that as the standard pep talk that every underdog team gets, remember that Whitt was there during the inaugural Classic in 2006 when Canada upset the heavily favored United States.

“After almost losing to …

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