Cinderella's slipper falls.

It was a nice run for the Canadian entry at the World Baseball Classic, but like all good things it had to come to an end. A little early for the players and before the country could get fully on the bandwagon.

Canada's collection of major and minor leaguers gave it their best shot, and with a surprise win over Team USA, many Canadians began to wonder the what if's. In the end, the Mexicans decided to put their own stamp on the tournament, shellacking Jeff Francis in the first two innings on their way to an 9-1 thrashing of a Canadian team that just couldn't get it's act together in time to claw their way back.

With a come from behind win over South Africa and the shocking win over the Americans, Canada entered the game with a 2-0 record all they needed was a win over Mexico and they would advance. But, the Mexicans had other ideas, hitting doubles, singles, triples and home runs on the way to total domination. By the time Canada received its only run, the game was well beyond reach as were Canada's hopes to continue on in the Classic.

Canada needed a South African surprise today to have any hope at all of advancing, by the time the fifth inning of the game had arrived, the Americans led by Roger Clemons had already scored the necessary fifteen runs to trip the mercy rule. They won the game 17-0, ending Canada's faint hopes for further play.

It was an interesting experience for the Canadians, who gave it their best shot but couldn't get the one win they needed when they needed it. For the bulk of the roster it's off to their major or minor league training camps and preparation for the season to come. For the fans who joined late and now leave early it's a bandwagon that never really got to roll, which is too bad as it would have been a fun ride.