By Amaury Pi-González

“I don’t think American culture would

collapse if baseball collapsed.”

– Don Fehr March 13, 1990

Same Donald Fehr that is leading the

players union(2002) into what could be

another baseball players strike.

But strike or no strike, baseball will

survive just because it is baseball and

baseball is more than a sport, it is

more than a game, it is an American

institution.

There is no other Sport with the history

of baseball, the relation between father

and son (playing catch)is unique

in baseball from generation to generation.

But strike or no strike by the “deadline”of

August 30, 2002, baseball will endure

because this is such a great game,

truly a kids game played today by

millionaires.

Baseball will survive a strike(if it happens)

because this is 2002 and not 1981. The

sport is played almost all over the

world today and has become much

more international than ever. Baseball

has proliferated faster than humans

had time to “screw it up” i.e. lockouts,

strikes and such.

A friend of mine who happens to be a

top executive in the Caribbean called

me and told me: “If there is a baseball

strike by August 30th and the season

ended on that day, come down here

and I will give you a job as a Play by

Play announcer with my team”. That

teams happened to be a professional

team in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

You see, if MLB decides to cancel the

Postseason and World Series, that

doesn’t include the Caribbean Professional

Leagues in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panamá,

Venezuela, Colombia and last but

certainly not least, the Dominican

Republic were baseball is also the

National Pastime and there is never

a strike.

Because, baseball in Latinamerica has

survived much more troublesome

problems than Management vs. Labor.

In Latinamerica baseball survives

with revolutions, coups, assasinations

all kinds of dictatorships (left wing or

right wing) . Look at Cuba, after 43

years of Castro’s dictatorship, baseball is

still the #1 sport in the country, the difference

in Cuba is that the best player might be

paid $50 a month. I don’t think Mr.Fehr

will ever visit Cuba and talk negotiations

with Fidel. I don’t think Mr.Selig will visit

Cuba soon and talk contraction with

Fidel. Baseball has been played in

Cuba since 1866 and during those

years it was so popular

with the Cuban youth that the Spanish

colonial rulers banned it, fearing that

the money that was collected with

the traditional ‘passing of the hat’

(pasar el sombrero)would be used to

support opponents of the Spanish

government…at the end, “béisbol”prevalied

in Cuba in 1902 when Cubans gained

their independence from colonial Spain.

The Dominican Republic was poor 50

years ago and still is one of the poorest

countries in Latin America today. But they

produce most of the talent that comes

from Latinamerica to the Major Leagues.

The Dominican Republic had to survive

the Trujillo dictatorship for many decades.

Baseball was established in Puerto Rico

long before the US Marines landed there

in early 1990s and as of today it remains

the “King of Sports”in that pretty island.

When you visit Panamá the three most

famous and recognizable things in that

Central American country are: 1-The

Panamá Canal, 2-Roberto Duran

and 3-Rod Carew, who won 7 batting

championships in the American League

and is in the Hall of Fame.

American railroad workers introduced

baseball to México in the 1800’s and they

have been playing ever since, during

the days of the revolution and Pancho

Villa to today’s new President Fox.

In Venezuela, baseball goes back to

1895, when a group of Venezuelan

students returned from studying in

the United States and Europe and

started the sport in Caracas (the capital

and biggest city) Venezuela. Since then

guys like Chico Carrasquel, Luis

Aparicio,Tony Armas, Andrés Galarraga

and Magglio Ordoñez have been playing

in Venezuela and here in the Major Leagues.

In Nicaragua, it was 1945 when the

Nicaraguan professional league was

established for winter baseball. Today

Vicente Padilla, Marvin Benard are in

the Major Leagues from Nicaragua. In the

past Dennis Martínez, the only Latino

pitcher to throw a Perfect Game in

MLB history and a man that won more

games than Juan Marichal. Also David Green,

Porfirio Altamirano,Tony Chévez and

Al Williams also from Nicaragua have

played in the Major Leagues.

So, do not worry. With a strike or without

a strike, baseball will prosper worldwide.

Soon, there will be men that will lead

this sport in the right direction here in

the United States (because it is only

natural, the sport originated here).

And it has to be here in the Capital

of Baseball -the US of A- that men

will someday straighten the big mess

we have in the Major Leagues.

Yes, we need less teams, a shorter

schedule and revenue sharing, with a

salary cap and of course a few new

more ballparks, starting with one in

Oakland. But with the “pea brains”in

Oakland’s political scene, that could

be even tougher to accomplish than

an eventual agreement that will keep

both sides of millionaires happy(players

and owners).

I have faith that the baseball problems will

be resolved. And I am sure that the

game will survive. It has survived

World Wars and Earthquakes and

it will survive this lack of leadership

among both sides, labor and management.

It will be sad for millions of baseball

fans accross the country. Both Western

Divisions have great races that could

reach a tremendous ending in September,

the A’S, Seattle and Anaheim might go

down to the wire or…..they all go home to

read the papers and fish in September.

The ONLY great rivalry on the West

Coast, the Giants and the Dodgers, could be

fighting for the wild-card spot in the

National League, since Bob Brenly’s

Arizona Diamondbacks are going to

walk away with the Western Division

title and I do mean “walk away”.

But….if things get really bad here,

if you can’t go to sleep without baseball

games and scores. I have a suggestion !

I recommend you travel to the Dominican

Republic and you will see on the same

team: Miguel Tejada, Vladimir Guerrero, and

Raul Mondesí playing against another

Dominican team with Felix Rodríguez,

Bartolo Colón and Manny Ramírez.

Or Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panamá, or

Colombia. Be careful if you go to Cuba

you need special permission from the

US State Department, plus no Major

Leaguers (from Cuba playing presently

today in the Major Leagues)will go back

there. Rafael Palmeiro, from Lawton,

Havana, Cuba, could not tape a Viagra

commercial in Cuba, because Viagra

is illegal in that country. More than that,

all commercials are illegal in Cuba.

The only “employer”in that communist

island is the government and if you

don’t work for the government in Cuba

and you are under 65 years of age you

are considered an “enemy of the

revolution”. That is a “heavier” penalty

than the one A’S pitcher Jim Mecir

just had when he received a three-game suspension.

Never a dull moment in baseball, like an

old Cuban play by play guy used to say

over the radio in Cuba in the 1950’s,

“The ball is round, but it comes in

a square box”.

Whatever that means, it makes much

more sense the Selig, Fehr and company.

————————————————————–

Amaury Pi-González is on its eight season as Spanish Radio Play by Play Announcer

for the San Francisco Giants over

KZSF 1370 AM Radio(La Caliente). Giants

are one of four teams in California to

broadcasts their games in Spanish.

The other teams are: Dodgers,Padres,

Angels.

Amaury is on the LBC (Latino Broadcasting

Co) a radio net with stations in the USA

and Latinamerica broadcasting ALCS

NLCS and World Series. Also, Amaury

does the Caribbean World Series Play

by Play in English for the Fox Sports

International.

Amaury, shares his endless love with

baseball as Vice President of the

Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum.

The only museum of its kind in the

country with an exhibit presently and

until September 3rd at CAL-EXPO(The

California State Fair- Sacramento)

You can also read Amaury on

www.latinobaseball.com as well as

on newspapers in Bay Area and

accross the country.