With a few notable exceptions, baseball has never really caught on with the rest of the world.

The Olympics has already kissed the sport goodbye, and here's why: While the game's international federation claims 120 countries spread over five continents, the number that take it seriously is more like a dozen. And once you leave the Americas behind, there's Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and maybe Australia, and that's it.

Instead of getting mad, most U.S. fans have decided to get even by ignoring the World Baseball Classic. That could change this time around.