Down the line: Ryan Braun, Ian Kinsler and Israel's WBC prospects No stars forTeam Israel? Ryan Braun and Ian Kinsler might never have to decide whether to play for Team USA or Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. The concept of a Jewish major league star or two playing for the Jewish homeland could spur baseball's popularity in Israel. Yet Israel could be out of the tournament before Braun or Kinsler could get in. Israel will play in a qualifying round in September, according to two people familiar with the WBC schedule but not authorized to discuss it. The four-team qualifier - Israel, France, Spain and South Africa - had been set for November but had to be moved up because of stadium logistics, one of the people said. The winner of the qualifying round advances to the 16-team championship field that plays next March. If Israel wins, the major leaguers would be invited to join. However, with the major leagues still in season in September, the Israeli qualifying roster would be limited to Jewish minor leaguers, retired players such as Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler and a handful of Israelis. The WBC is baseball's best global sales pitch. Without the chance for a Braun or a Kinsler to play for Israel, it's a wild pitch. Major market, major contract The notion that Andre Ethier took a hometown discount to stay with the Dodgers can be refuted thusly: Ethier got the same guarantee from the Dodgers that Jered Weaver did from the Angels - five years, $85 million. If you had to pick one for your team, you would take Weaver. Weaver is an ace, and one year younger than Ethier too. Whatever Cole Hamels gets this winter, subtract $85 million from that amount to determine the hometown discount Weaver gave the Angels. Ethier is an excellent complementary hitter, an outfielder who does his best work with a Matt Kemp or a Manny Ramirez in the lineup. Ethier got the market rate for similar players - $17 million per year for Ethier and Matt Holliday, $18 million per year for Torii Hunter and Jayson Werth. Good for Ethier for signing now - his career numbers are better in the first half than in the second - and good for the Dodgers for paying up rather than telling him to test the market first. The Boston lone star? Not to scare Fox, but we could be looking at an All-Star game in which the Boston Red Sox have one representative, same as the San Diego Padres. David Ortiz leads the voting at designated hitter, and the Red Sox have no other clearly deserving player. Kemp has the most votes of any National Leaguer, and he has vowed to play, but the Dodgers want him recovered from his hamstring injury and back in their lineup before he considers the All-Star game. "I'd hate to see that be his rehab game," Manager Don Mattingly said. In search of a magic touch Magic Johnson, referring to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, tweeted Thursday: "If I were Kobe, I'd be calling Jim Buss every day until the Lakers make some changes." Can't wait to see which Dodgers alumnus responds to a losing streak with this tweet: "If I were Kemp, I'd be calling Magic Johnson every day until the Dodgers make some changes." Bill Shaikin