01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Pitcher Koji Uehara formed his champagne-soaked hair into a mohawk and chanted "Ichiro! Ichiro!" through Japan's victorious clubhouse. His teammates howled, even Ichiro Suzuki himself.

For a night, every player with Japan on his jersey earned equal star status, and not one wasted the chance to celebrate like a World Series winner. And the typically serious Suzuki revealed an emotional side rarely seen by those around him with the Seattle Mariners.

Japan won the true world championship, capturing the inaugural World Baseball Classic, 10-6, on Monday night in San Diego against a gutsy Cuban squad with no big-leaguers.

In the Japanese players' eyes, a trophy from this tournament meant as much or more than the thought of getting a ring in late October.

"We really wanted to win this championship today, and I didn't even think about the upcoming regular season of 2006," Suzuki said. "It's not an ideal thing for a player to think, but I really didn't care if I would get injured in this game -- that's how much I really wanted to win this one. That's how we were driven to this championship. Gambatte, Nippon! -- "Let's go, Japan!"

Suzuki doubled, singled and drove in a run. He also scored three times, including in a four-run first, when Cuba needed three pitchers to get through the inning.

Major League Baseball's big experiment became an instant success -- Monday night's game drew 42,696 fans and the entire tournament attendance was 737,112 --and commissioner Bud Selig has raved about the ratings. Japan boasted just two major-leaguers on its roster.

For Cuba, there was plenty of reason to celebrate, too. The team almost didn't get to participate because of the communist Caribbean nation's touchy political relationship with the United States.

"What Cuba has shown to the world is not only that we could play up to par with other major-leaguers," outfielder Frederich Cepeda said. "We are not professional; we are amateur. We don't get paid for doing this. We deserve a high place in baseball because we do this with sacrifice, with human value and courage and sportsmanship."

ROUNDUP

BONDS DELAYED: Barry Bonds was excused from the Giants' exhibition game yesterday against the Athletics, and is expected back in the lineup tonight. Bonds traveled to his home in the Los Angeles area to spend time with his family during the Giants' off-day Monday. A team spokesman said the San Francisco left fielder wasn't able to get back in time to join the team for batting practice before the Giants hosted the A's at Scottsdale Stadium. Bonds cleared his possible absence with manager Felipe Alou beforehand. "The possibility was open for him to be here during the game," Alou said. "It all depended on something he had to do." The Giants host the Angels tonight, and Alou said Bonds would play. Bonds, who will turn 42 in July, generally has avoided night games in the spring because of the cold's effect on his achy legs.

SORIANO SITUATION ON HOLD: Alfonso Soriano and the Nationals were stuck in a holding pattern yesterday. The team had a day off, and no one seems to know whether Soriano will agree to move from second base to left field. Texas traded Soriano to Washington during the offseason, and he was to make his first appearance in a Nationals uniform Monday night in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. He was listed on a lineup sheet in left field -- the spot Washington wants him to play -- but he refused to go into the game. Another big moment comes today, when the Nationals travel to Jupiter, Fla., for an exhibition game against the Cardinals. Soriano is expected to be penciled into the lineup in left field again. "The next step is to write his name in the lineup for tomorrow's game and see whether he will show up in Jupiter and go out and play the outfield," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said after Monday's 11-5 loss to Los Angeles.

CLASSIC TV RATINGS: Japan's victory over Cuba in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic drew a 1.8 rating, bumping up ESPN's average rating for the 12 games it aired to 1.1. The household audience for Monday night's final game of the inaugural international tournament was 1.6 million. On average, each game of the tournament was watched by 980,000 households. The highest-rated game of the tournament was the United States' 2-1 loss to Mexico in the second round, which eliminated the Americans. That game got a 2.1 rating last Thursday night.