Venezuelan Winter League Cancelled
It was bound to happen.
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball
League has decided to cancel the
remainder of the 2002-2003 season
after more than a month of suspended
games due to the national strike
aimed at forcing the resignation
of President Hugo Chávez.
By Amaury Pi-GonzálezThis is the second part of my report
on the current situation in Venezuela,
were the people of that country
are revolting against Hugo Chávez
their President asking for his resignation
and/or a call for elections.
It was back on December 2, when the
strike paralized very important sectors
of Venezuela. Now, the league in a
Press Release the Venezuelan
Professional Winter League informed
that the decision of cancelling the
remainder of the season was taken
because of the security to fans
as well as players.
“Team and League officials have
made a considerable effort to
make the season possible, in
extremely adverse circunstances.
That is why we have tried to save it.
But respect to Venezuelan fans,
our players and our commercial
sponsors and friends forces us
to act responsiblu(of reassuming
play)until the end. And with that
same responsability we announce
today that is not possible to go
back to the field, as it has been
our intention”.
The League also informed they
are considering the possibility
of sending a team made up
of invited players to the Caribbean
World Series in Puerto Rico this
February 2. However, rules
state that it is a tournament
for champion or runner-up teams
participating countries leagues.
Most Venezuelan players have
returned to the United State as
they will soon report to their
clubs in Spring Training.
The United States of America
embassy will stop providing
Visas to Venezuelan citizens
on January 20th.
The situation in Venezuela is
not getting better and Mr Chávez
doesn’t seem to understand that
the people do not want him.
Recently banks accross the
country also went on strike just
about paralizing that nation.
A General Strike was also
called in Venezuela. Their #1
industry Oil has been paralized
and most of the Venezuelan
super-tankers sit on Maracaibo
and other ports not going anywhere,
that more than anything else is
making this economy a complete
disaster.
Cuba is the only country that
has officially offered help to
Hugo Chávez and his unpopular
regime of government. That
was to be expected (see my
previous column on Venezuelan
Baseball)since Fidel Castro,
dictator of Cuba is Hugo Chávez
best friend in all of Latinamerica.
A sad sad situation in the land
of Luis Aparicio,Tony Armas,
Chico Carrasquel,Dave Concepción,
Ozzie Guillen,Omar Vizquel,Magglio
Ordoñez,Ramón Hernández,
Yorbit Torrealba, Andrés
Galarraga and World
Series rookie phemon Francisco
RodrÃÂÂguez, among many others.
In Puerto Rico the Caribbean World
Series is scheduled to begin on February
2nd and conclude on Feb 8.
It will remain to be seen if
it will be played among only
three teams: Puerto Rico, México
and Dominican Republic or
the “regular four”with the
participation of a selection of
players from the now cancelled
Venezuelan League.
For the record, last year’s
Caribbean World Series
champion was México in
a Series that took place
in an already turbulent
country of Venezuela.
Hasta la vista muchachos !
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