TONY ANDERSON: Now, let's dig into Team USA
a bit more, who are looking to defend their title
after winning it all in 2017.
As a whole, what makes this team so great?
JON MOROSI: It's a great question because I really
think it's the balance of the roster and the way
that they've all bought in.
I think you've got some returning
players from the 2017 group, like Nolan
Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt.
You've got Mookie Betts, Mike Trout.
I love the way that they have taken
very team-focused at-bats.
And by that, I mean they'll hit the ball to the right side.
They'll move a runner up.
Mookie's base running has been sublime,
the way that he runs the bases, takes the extra base.
His baseball intellect is as great as anybody's
in the sport.
And so when you combine that smarts
with that level of skill, it's really something to watch.
I just think that you've seen a real collective resolve.
They are really enjoying the experience
of being around each other.
It almost feels as though they don't
want to let this ride end.
It's almost like this is their high school team.
They've become very close in a very short amount of time
to where they don't want to say goodbye to their friends
and go off to summer camp.
They want to stay together as long as they can.
And it's pretty profound when you've got the brightest stars
in our game, multimillionaires who have won championships
and achieved at the highest levels, who
feel this way about losing their outside identity of however--
however much they're making and whoever
they're playing for later, they stay right here in the moment.
And it's a pretty cool thing to see
the diversity and the real-- the collective feel of this roster.
It's a very, very powerful thing.
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