There was a game, to end the 2003 home season, in which Roy Halladay beat Cleveland to win his 22nd game and clinch the Cy Young Award. The place was packed that day and rocking, so it might be the Blue Jays' biggest moment since Mitch Williams left town. But this one is larger because this isn't only Blue Jays. This WBC is an idea that deserves to grow and prosper and games such as this one certainly will make it happen.

"Usually when it's like this there's a lot of Yankee fans," said Derek Jeter, who has been coming to Toronto for years. "It was mainly Canadians today, but I thought the atmosphere was great."

"It was unbelievable. That was definitely the loudest crowd I've ever pitched in front of," said reliever J.J. Putz, who popped up Jason Bay to end the game with the tying run at second base. "I haven't pitched in the playoffs, but this is what I would think playoff Baseball is like. It was awesome.

"Before I went out to the bullpen, (U.S. starter Jake) Peavy came in (to the clubhouse) and said, 'When you get out there, take a deep breath, because this is nothing like anything you've been a part of."'

Like nothing seen by Baseball fans before in this town, for sure, and given the quality of the opening act, plus the Netherlands already upsetting the powerful Dominicans down in San Juan, what fan isn't looking forward to the rest of this competition?

Remember, Baseball has been turfed out of the Olympics and it's not coming back. (When it comes to the pro sports, the International Olympic Committee wants LeBron James and Rafael Nadal and Alexander Ovechkin to show to its marketing partners. If it can't get A-Roid and Ichiro and the gang, which it will never get in the middle of the major-league season, it doesn't want Baseball.)

So this is as good as it will get, internationally, and given Baseball's worldwide allure - its impact stretches far wider than the relative handful of countries that play, say, hockey - all parties have a serious stake in spreading the gospel here. Look how basketball has gone worldwide; the arrival of the NBA stars in China was the biggest pre-Games buzz at last summer's Olympics by a large margin and don't think the vast Asian market, which loves roundball, isn't a great ace in the hole for David Stern these days. In a worldwide economy gone pffft, expanding of markets and revenue sources is going to be a vital priority in all North American sports, Baseball included.

Canada, the Asian countries and most of the Latin entries seem to have bought in to the concept. The Americans, as usual, are lagging and it's hard to know what will help this event's future more, the U.S. getting waxed again, or clobbering everybody.

"Maybe if the U.S. wins," mused Jimmy Rollins, who was on the losing U.S. side three years ago. "That (losing) has already happened. If the U.S. wins we become everybody's public enemy."

Kind of like Canada when it comes to hockey.