I have been reading lately in few websites and I have noticed almost
everybody is in favor Cuba should play.

Enclosed link to my own column: http://www.lasgrandesligas.com/bll/id308.htm

I also think Cuba should play. Leave politics aside.

Also, even though I think Alex Rodríguez should have been great to be seen
in the Dominican Republic uniform, it must be respect it his decision if he
wants to play for the USA. Afterall he was born in the United States,


>From: Alberto Rondon <titorondon2002@...>
>Reply-To: latinobaseball@yahoogroups.com
>To: latinobaseball@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [latinobaseball] World Baseball Classic
>Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 16:17:38 -0800 (PST)
>
>If the US does not allow Cuba to play:
>1) IBAF would not sanction the event.
>2) The individual federations no longer would have
>anything to do with their national teams.
>3) This, in turn, would not allow players who are not
>active in pro ball to play, and many who do would not
>participate.
>4) Which in turn means that only countries with enough
>pro players would participate: the US, Japan, Korea,
>Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico,
>Canada. Maybe Panama would participate with lots of
>Rookie League players (Canada uses lots of Indy
>Leaguers). Venezuela would boycott, I don't know if
>enough players would defy Hugo Chavez. Panama also
>would boycott, but they could still make it.
>Nicaragua, which is supposed to substitute for Cuba,
>would lose most of its team, and would have to use
>rookie leaguers, as the non pros need to play year
>around, and the national federation controls the
>Summer league. Maybe South Africa, Holland and Italy
>would declare their leagues professional, but would
>remain weakened for international competition for
>years to come; and maybe they would not want to pay
>the price. Red China would probably boycott, but they
>could participate as they have enough pros (even one
>playing in Japan).
>5) The USBF might pay a price, and the US Olympic
>Committee for sure.
>6) A strong possibility is that the MLB-Players' Union
>board in charge would postpone the event, waiting for
>a more auspicious year...
>By the way, I believe that Cubans are right in
>fighting to get rid of Communism in their country by
>all means available except terrorism (see article by
>Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria), so Diaz-Balart and the
>other congresspeople did the right thing in trying to
>exclude Cuba. But I also believe that the US should
>respect international sports law and allow Cuba to
>play. Jurisprudence for this comes from the ancient
>Olympic Games and from God's Truce in the Middle Ages.
>Sports is not the right arena for politics nor war.
>
>--- Anthony Salazar <salazar8017@...> wrote:
>
> > Does anyone have a sense of what would really happen
> > if Cuba does not play, and what would happen if the
> > IBAF does not sanction the World Baseball Classic
> > with
> > a missing Cuban team?
>
>
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