U.S. denies Cuban team place in World Baseball Classic

[Sean Mota]

U.S. denies Cuban team place in World Baseball Classic

BY KEVIN BAXTER AND FRANCES ROBLES

Miami Herald

<!-- begin body-content -->MIAMI - Cuba's hopes of playing in the World Baseball Classic next spring have been dashed - the U.S. Department of Treasury denied Major League Baseball the license required for the island's team to participate.
The move came after Cuban-American members of Congress urged Treasury to veto the license application and asked Major League Baseball to drop the Cuban team from the tournament.
"We are very disappointed with the government's decision to deny the participation of a team from Cuba in the World Baseball Classic," Major League Baseball and the Players Association said in a statement Wednesday. "We will continue to work within appropriate channels in an attempt to address the government's concerns, and will not announce a replacement unless and until that effort fails."

 

[BobMurdoch]

This is stupid. The US didn't have any problem letting Cuba play on American soil for the Olympics.

This just perpetuates the arrogant Ugly American persona we should be trying to eliminate. Sports should be kept out of it (Didn't our 1980 boycott of the Olympics teach us anything? The Cuban people should not be punished for their leaders actions. How would we feel if countries stopped allowing us to visit their countries because of what OUR leaders have done recently?

 

[riffjim4069]

I agree. If you're going to play politics, keep it out of the sporting arenas.

 

[Sean Mota]

The move came after Cuban-American members of Congress

These are the one to blame. Not the entire American people. To think that this small group of people can have such an influence in National decisions to me is just stupid.

 

[baya]

Okay, I hope the Cuban Sport Authority, and the Cuban Soccer Authority file a complain to FiFA, and The Olimpic Connision so they can tell to the local US sport federation what to do. I am not an expert in Baseball Rules. However, I am a expert in FIFA rules. What the US government agency has done is the worst crime in FIFA internal regulation. An government agency has no power once so ever to dictate anything when it come to that sport. Here again it only applys to soccer. Baseball does not have an International Body. The international Olympic commeettee could get involved but I doubt that.
You could see more countries refusing to come to the competition as a form of solidarity. May be even have another country run the competition. Knowing Commdant Chavez from Venezuela he may rebuff the US agency make an International stinking deal out of it and bring a second competion to Venezuela. They just had the Bolivarianos games. They had 12 nations in it. So they have the infrastructure for this kind of competition.
I am affraid that this is political already. Very little we can do to avoid the mess coming up. I was looking foward to see this and see really where in the world the best baseball is play.
Oh well!!! Keep this in mind for next election.

 

[vurbano]

Its ridiculous.

 

[BobMurdoch]

These are the one to blame. Not the entire American people.

So basically you are saying that we should not make the people suffer for something their leaders have done. My point exactly!

We are just handing another victory to Castro as we come off looking like jerks and he gets sympathy from the rest of the free world. If they ignored the situation, they would lose to Venezuela or whomever else they play with decent major league talent in the first round and be gone......

 

[cdru]

This is stupid. The US didn't have any problem letting Cuba play on American soil for the Olympics.

Devil's advocate: Cuba didn't have a chance of "winning" the Olympics.

 

[BobMurdoch]

And with no Major League players Cuba has no chance of winning this either. They are good enough to beat the Netherlands maybe with who they have.....

 

[vurbano]

Devil's advocate: Cuba didn't have a chance of "winning" the Olympics.

Your right, and the whole thing makes us look juvenile.

 

[BlackHitachi]

And with no Major League players Cuba has no chance of winning this either. They are good enough to beat the Netherlands maybe with who they have.....

Jose Contreras(CHISOX) just to name one. One was with the giants one with Florida is they did not trade him yet?? They have good ball players but don't or can't leave there family's afraid of what Castro would do.. Contreras did not see his wife and children for a few YEARS!! Very sad but the Caribbean players are some of the BEST in the world!!

 

[RtpiFan]

You cannot balme the US alone those that fleed from Cuba i have such hatred for anything cuban because of how Castro and others treated them that any little will serve as pretext to punish a whole country for the errors of a few.
An goverment needing an excuse to allow Cuba goes with it.
RtpiFan

 

[BrettTRay]

Damn those Cubans make good cigars though!!!!

 

[BrettTRay]

What I don't understand is: We have a trade imbargo on Cuba. We do stuff along with many other things that make us look stupid. Why?? Because they have a dumb ass leader and because their communist, but we have free trade with many communist countries (Russia, Korea, Vietnam, etc.) and many countries around the world that have dictators. Whats the deal here? Lift the trade imbargo and let me smoke my damn cuban cigars instead of imports from domincan republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua!!!!