Venezuela won't send a team if Cuba is banned from BWC!

[Cubano100%]

The Venezuelan Baseball President said: "if Cuba is not allowed to compete in the BWC, Venezuela won't send a team in solidarity."
I said before this was coming.

The link is from a Venezuelan newspaper. The article also said that Panama would like to replace Puerto Rico as a host. However, if Panama hosts the first and second rounds, what would happen if Cuba goes to the finals?

http://deportes.eluniversal.com/2005...t_26302D.shtml


First, Puerto Rico withdrew from being a BWC host site. Now you have Venezuelan baseball officials saying they won't send a team.

Looks like we may have an alternate BWC.

How about a BWC with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, England, Russia, Czek Republic, Spain and any other teams that defects from the current BWC?

[Dravecky43]

I can't believe this! Why would you give up the chance to show off your baseball superiority? This is the wrong choice!

[Perseas]

I think Bauman put his finger right on the point with an article of his on mlb.com: "When you start introducing politics into a sporting event, pretty soon you will not have a sporting event" ... Maybe those were not his exact words but that was the point he was trying to make....

[plask_stirlac]

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The fans at Venezuelan BASEBALL games: "Endy, yes! Hugo, no!"

They should just have DR vs. US, best of 3.

[west coast orange and black]

"Hours after U.S. baseball officials reapplied for a permit that would allow Cuba to join next year's inaugural World Baseball Classic, the island's communist government said Thursday night it would donate any money received at the tournament to hurricane victims."

- anne-marie garcia, associated press writer, thursday, 22 december 22 2005

here's the entire article (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/12/22/sports/s193535S81.DTL&type=printable)

[Agente Libre]

Okay, so what happens if the U.S. gov't says Cuba can play but then Cuba doesn't show up? Does P.R. suddenly become a host again? Does Venezuela still boycott?

What a bunch of idiots. Israel Roldan = Hall of Fame Idiot for starting all this nonsense.

[west coast orange and black]

Because of the measures of the Treasury Department's office of foreign assets control of the United States, I think that the United Dtates messed up before anyone else did by banning Cuba.

[Agente Libre]

For about the 20th time, Cuba was not banned from competing. They were simply banned from profiting.

[Cubano100%]

Okay, so what happens if the U.S. gov't says Cuba can play but then Cuba doesn't show up? Does P.R. suddenly become a host again? Does Venezuela still boycott?

What a bunch of idiots. Israel Roldan = Hall of Fame Idiot for starting all this nonsense.


Puerto Rican Israel Roldan sent a letter to the IBAF president Aldo Notari to withdraw Puerto Rico from being a host. MLB is organizing this tournament and the IBAF just gave its approval. This begs the question:

Why didn' t Roldan send a letter to MLB instead?

Give Panama the right to host the games. Though Panama also has a lefty president.

[Dravecky43]

I think Bauman put his finger right on the point with an article of his on mlb.com: "When you start introducing politics into a sporting event, pretty soon you will not have a sporting event" ... Maybe those were not his exact words but that was the point he was trying to make....
And when you start bringing politics into sports talk you get stuff that not many people want to read. Please keep politics out of this baseball discussion.

[Mattingly]

The Venezuelan Baseball President said: "if Cuba is not allowed to compete in the BWC, Venezuela won't send a team in solidarity."
I said before this was coming.

The link is from a Venezuelan newspaper. The article also said that Panama would like to replace Puerto Rico as a host. However, if Panama hosts the first and second rounds, what would happen if Cuba goes to the finals?

http://deportes.eluniversal.com/2005...t_26302D.shtml

First, Puerto Rico withdrew from being a BWC host site. Now you have Venezuelan baseball officials saying they won't send a team.

Looks like we may have an alternate BWC.
How about a BWC with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, England, Russia, Czek Republic, Spain and any other teams that defects from the current BWC?
Is it called the "Baseball World Classic" in the Spanish-speaking nations or island countries? I always thought that it was the "World Baseball Classic".

[west coast orange and black]

"obra clásica del béisbol del mundo", dos-tres.

"world baseball classic", two-three.

[Mattingly]

Thanks, wcoab.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060106&content_id=1292293&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
IBAF might revoke WBC sanction
MLB optimistic Cuba will be allowed to participate
The International Baseball Federation has sent a letter to Major League Baseball, the Players Association and the 16 countries or territories involved in the World Baseball Classic that the organization will revoke its sanction of the March tournament if the U.S. government doesn't approve Cuba's participation in it.

MLB spokesman Rich Levin confirmed on Friday that baseball was in receipt of the letter that was faxed and signed by Aldo Notari, the IBAF president. The story first appeared in the Toronto Sun on Thursday.

In the case that Cuba is not allowed to play, the tournament, scheduled for March 3-20 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan, would be in serious jeopardy because all of the other participants would be under threat to bow out without IBAF sanction.

MLB reapplied to the U.S. Treasury Dept. on Dec. 22 for a license so Cuba can play. Baseball officials are still waiting for word and Bob DuPuy, MLB's president and chief operating officer, said this week that he's "guardedly optimistic" that the department will reverse its initial decision.

[Licey Fan]

Is it called the "Baseball World Classic" in the Spanish-speaking nations or island countries? I always thought that it was the "World Baseball Classic".

its called "clasico mundial de beisbol" (that's world baseball classic)

even though people usually call it "el mundial" (the world cup) even though it isnt

[webmaster]

Those who frequent this thread will certainly notice that some of the threads in this post were removed this morning. To say we ventured a bit outside of baseball would be understatement. The test for whether a post is appropriate for Baseball Fever is: "Does this message discuss our national pastime in an interesting manner?" This thread most certainly discusses our national pastime in an interesting manner and I personally am looking forward to the WBC. It did venture into the discussion of politics, political opinions, political intent, and other items about various leaders from various countries. These items are best left to those political forums that are out there and I hope everyone understands.

I heard yesterday that Alex Rodriguez (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=rodrial01) has now agreed to play in the WBC? I did not get the details why the change of opinion. Didn't he have an actual press conference to announce he would not play and now he will? Was their "politics" involved in his decision change?