It’s no secret that this Thursday and Friday afternoon thousands of area employees will “run errands,” sneak off to the office TV lounge, or otherwise alt-tab their way through the day as NCAA conference tournament play blesses us all with daytime television that doesn’t suck. March Madness isn’t the only productivity killer available this week, however.

The World Baseball Classic, which began last week with Pool A games featuring China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, comes today to the Western Hemisphere and brings with it the most compelling matchups in the event, so far. At 1 p.m. today, Latin American powerhouses Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, either of which could walk away winners of the Classic, take to the field. That game is immediately followed, at 4 p.m., with the first American tilt, a clash between the U.S. and rival Mexico that will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, a decidedly neutral site given the teams involved. Jake Peavy will pitch for the Yanks, and Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez will take the mound for the Mexican side. The intensity of the soccer rivalry between the two nations has made their every matchup a joy to watch; it will be interesting to see how the dynamic plays out on the diamond.

And our question to you is this: is the WBC a sufficient excuse to clock out a bit early today? Will office phones go unanswered from 4 o’clock on? The games are televised on ESPN, which means every bar with a television will have it on. So let us know, who’ll be watching, and where are you going to do it?

Picture taken by Olivia Leigh.