Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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It's Cuba's problem not the USA


The 2006 World Baseball Classic is scheduled
to have a total of 16 teams, 39 games and
over 400 superstars representing their
countries from the USA to Italy, but
Cuba might not be there. This is a problem
for Cuba more than for anybody else.

By Amaury Pi-GonzálezBefore everybody jumps to conclusions and
blames the United States of America for denying
Visas to the Cuban players to come to the USA
and represent their country during the first
World Baseball Classic in 2006 let’s all take
a chill pill and have a reality check.

The current Fidel Castro government has been
ruling Cuba for 46 years with no elections. It
was not the United States that prohibited Cuban
citizens to travel freely in and out of Cuba, it
was the Castro government that did that decades
ago.

Fidel Castro has outlived 9 US Presidents and
none of the US Presidents and administrations
including the current one of President George
Bush or the previous administration of Bill Clinton
decided to end the US blockade of Cuba.

The US is a Democracy and I do not think is going to change in the near future. Cuba is the only
communist totalitarian-system of government left
in the Western world, although Venezuela’s
Hugo Chávez (Castro’s buddy) is following in
Castros footsteps.

There are enough Cuban born players in the United States major and minor leagues to easily make
a team that could represent Cuba in the 2006
World Baseball Classic.

If the Cuban team from Cuba is not permitted to
play in the USA. This is a problem for Cuba not
for the US. Why ? Very simple, the United States
still has the best baseball in the world, all free
men that want to play in the best league in the
world they come to the USA to play, the Major
Leagues is it. Cuba was the first country to learn
baseball after the US. When American merchant
mariners working in the Matanzas port in Cuba
taught Cuban dock workers back in 1865, since
then Cuba promulgated the game all over Latinamerica. Until 1961 Cubans led the Major Leagues as far a Hispanic players, but after
Diplomatic relations were discontinued between
the two countries the only way that Cuban players
can leave Cuba to play baseball in the USA is
escaping in small home-made crafts and making
the treacherous journey accross the Florida straights.

As a Cuban-born, USA Naturalized American citizen
(Vietnam Veteran) I believe that there is no problem here for the WBC tournament and a team
of Cuban players (presently living in the USA and
other countries outside of Cuba)can easily field a team that would compete with the likes of the Unites States, Japan, Dominican Republic Italy and others. Yes, Italy who’s star would be Mike Piazza,
born in…the USA.

The Cuban government probably knew this was going to happen and they (like they do very well)will play this against the whole world with the
same propaganda they always use. Fidel Castro would make another 5 hour speech, which actually not even his family can stand and tell the whole world: “look what the Imperialist Americans are
doing to our nice little country, preventing us from participating in the WBC tournament, this is all
the fault of the Bush administration and the Imperialist Yankees”. But he will not tell you how many thousands and thousands of Cubans are in prison in the island because they have opposed his
system of government.

The ‘powers to be’ will try to change this Visa
problem but even if the Cuban team from Cuba
comes to play here, there will be some that will
ask for Political exile, because in Cuba if you are a baseball star the Cuban government owns you, there are no Free Agents, Players Unions,
there is only one guy in Cuba that tells a Cuban player what he can or cannot do; Fidel Castro.

Fidel Castro wants the USA to keep its blockade
against his country, because 1-It has not work he still in power and 2-He can use it as propaganda
of how the world superpower a nation of 300 million people can keep the politics of isolation
against a little poor country of 11 million people.

Fidel will play the same tune that he has been playing for over 40 years of dictatorship, yes in a country where all the people can write and read and have free school and free medical and free everything. Yes indeed, in Cuba the government gives you everytyhing but you lack the most
important part of all, there is one thing they do not
give the Cuban citizen or the Cuban baseball players and that is (in my humble opinion)the most important and lacking thing in Cuba. Freedom !

Adios.

0 comments

1 Anonymous { 12.16.05 at 1:08 am }

Amaury,
You’ve said yourself you don’t agree with the sanctions that US has on Cuba. So then why blame it all on Fidel, especially when Bush is doing the best he can in being an imperialist? Telling countries that they need to democratize when he is undermining it at home and letting the world see how he really defines the concept with his corporate occupation of Iraq. Bullying other countries around the world is not how a democratic country should act.
-Mike

2 Anonymous { 12.16.05 at 12:10 pm }

Mike,
Yes, but please remember one thing(and I experienced that since I was born and lived there)
FIDEL CASTRO IS THE BIGGEST BULLY IN CUBA.
Merry Chritsmas ! IKt the blockade were lifted and capitalism went inside Cuba, you cannot put the tooth-paste back in the tube, Castro will be done,
Castro likes the blockade, ironically it keeps in in power. Check Amnesty International and they (not a right wing organization) will tell you all the people in Cuba in jails because they jsut opposed Fidel.
Saludos,
Amaury

3 Anonymous { 12.16.05 at 12:15 pm }

The great Bill Clinton also never established diplomatic relations with Cuba, Castro accussed
Clinton of being an Imperialist pig.
Bob F.

4 Anonymous { 12.18.05 at 2:32 am }

Exactly Amaury,

Castro takes every chance he can get to blame the Blockade and if it was to be removed, Cubans would be able to see the freedoms that Americans have.

But I have to disagree with the US not allowing Cuba to play in the WBC; the US has allowed them to play against the Orioles and in the ’96 Olympics.

This is just another case of a political catering by the Republicans to the Florda Cuban vote.

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