Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez went viral on Thursday night for saying that he would rather win a World Baseball Classic title with the Dominican Republic than the World Series with the M's. 

He made the comments to Foul Territory TV as the Dominican Republic was preparing for the quarterfinal round of the tournament, which is Friday afternoon against Korea (3:30 p.m. PT). The Dominicans are 4-0 and look like the favorite to win the entire thing for the first time since 2013.

Julio Rodríguez: "I love the Mariners. They know I give my best for them every single time I step on the field, but winning the World Baseball Classic is at the top of the list."

If you look up and down at the comments, you will see a number of fans that actually respect Rodriguez's honesty and position, but you will also see a handful of fans that are disappointed.

Let me break this down as best - and as simply - as I can.

Let me take you back to childhood. How many of you played two sports? How many of you were asked by someone what your favorite sport was?

I was asked all the time. Nine months of the year, I said baseball was my favorite sport. The three months that it was basketball season though? I usually said basketball. 

Often times, people are very present and in the moment. Rodriguez is literally playing for a World Baseball Classic title right now. This is the thing that is directly in front of him and that he's actively doing. If the Mariners are in the World Series in October, don't you think he'll be talking about how special it would be to win that too? 

And if they actually do, don't you think he'll be talking about how incredible the experience was? I know he will. What you're doing at the moment often dictates your priorities.

He may ultimately value the World Baseball Classic more than a World Series, but if he's actually in the World Series? He'll be valuing that plenty. And he'll want it plenty bad.

I have to be honest. I dislike the question in general. By asking Rodriguez this question, you're just looking for a "got ya" moment. Either he insults the Mariners fan base or he insults his home nation. That's a no-win position, and the people who ask questions like this have to know that. They do it anyways.

I did daily radio for 10 years. I did that radio in the Northeast, so I've had an opportunity to talk with a handful of hockey players over the years. I've asked a lot of them if they would rather win an Olympic gold medal or a Stanley Cup championship.

As I recall, just about every single Canadian player I spoke to said they would rather win a gold medal. The American players said they'd rather win the Stanley Cup.

For reference, the players I asked were no longer playing, so they didn't have pressure to answer one way or the other. They could just be honest. Cultural difference matters here.

Canadian players grew up watching their country win the gold medal and clearly idolized those teams and those moments, and there was inherent importance placed on the accomplishment within the country. A Canadian team hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1993, so Canadian kids did not grow up seeing their favorite teams win that title. The emphasis was put on the gold medal.

Contradict that to the American kids. Those players never saw the US win a gold medal, but they always saw an American team win a Stanley Cup. The emphasis was clearly put on professional achievement. The NHL is seen as the pinnacle, not international success.

Now, I don't want to speak exactly to Rodriguez's upbringing in the Dominican Republic, but based upon his prior comments, his area of Loma de Cabrera is extremely remote. I can't imagine he saw a lot of Major League Baseball games growing up, so the exposure to the World Series and its importance was likely limited. However, the exposure to national pride? That is something everyone can relate to.

I would venture to say that players from several nations who are not readily exposed to Major League Baseball would value a WBC title over a World Series championship. These comments indicate nothing negative about Rodriguez or his baseball priorities.

The question was a "got ya" question, and some people have fallen for it, unfortunately.

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