And why do you think Japan should win "for the sake of the game"?
I agree that a really loud heckler can get annoying at a game, but would prefer that to the air horns and car alarms you hear at the Mexican games. (I don't remember the beer bottle incident)
I don't think many in the USA follow the Classic, unless you have ties to other countries that are playing. Baseball does not fit well with a short playoff type format, IMO.

This is about baseball and the love of the game. Just like the USA, country trumps everything and if your life or career is going nowhere, this could be 'the only game in town'.

For the purpose of making money for the owners, petty rivalries are encouraged. It keeps you financially engaged for 162 games and gives the players a 'script' for the money they make.

Japanese baseball is polite. North American baseball is not. Japanese fans are into every pitch while our TV commentators babble endlessly about everything EXCEPT the game. They(the Japanese) could teach us a few things....



.

and I've heard/read that the Puerto Rican team is strong.

I did watch the game between the U.S. and Venezuela last night and, as expected, the U.S. roster is like a dream team. What I didn't expect was for the Venezuelan line up to be so impressive. I recognized every one of their hitters, just didn't realize all of them came from the same country! Their pitching, particularly the bullpen, isn't as deep as the Americans, so that was their downfall.