SWOPblogger

karlos says: No, this story isn't about King George. Well, not really anyway...

U.S. dropped ball by banning Cuba from first WBC
by Frank Deford
Sports Illustrated
December 21, 2005

American dictators

In the midst of Old Havana, a couple of blocks away from El Floridita, where
the daiquiri was introduced to a thirsty world, is Parque Central. It's not
like New York's Central Park, more just a plaza, but most days Parque
Central is distinguished by a group of noisy and animated men, doing nothing
but sitting there and arguing about baseball. Such passion -- why, you've
never even seen its likes in Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. Oh, would I love
to be in Parque Central this March when the 16 most prominent nations of the
diamond play in the first World Baseball Classic.

Only, of course, now our government has decreed that whereas Cuba can
compete on U.S. soil in the Olympics, the World Cup and other international
sports tournaments, we won't let them play in the inaugural World Baseball
Classic. Some Americans simply cannot accept the notion that somewhere,
somehow Cuba might make a couple lousy Yankee dollars.

Now, I am not one of those who subscribes to the fantasy that simply by
playing games among countries, all politics fade away, that sport
automatically produces peace, love and brotherhood. But the fact is,
international sport usually has some benefits. And sometimes it really does
demonstratively work for good. Remember the initial ping-pong diplomacy with
Communist China? By all but forcing his way into South Africa's tennis open,
Arthur Ashe first cracked the apartheid curtain, and it never could be fully
closed again.

But in a declaration that is at once both petty and ham-handed, the Treasury
Department has decreed that it must apply the same U.S. policy that hasn't
worked for almost half-a-century, and refuse to allow Cuba to play against
the other baseball nations of the world. In a way, this posture is even more
distasteful than when those anti-Semitic countries refuse to play Israel. At
least those nations have the strength of their convictions sufficient to
take themselves out of the games. We're just being a bully. No, it's our bat
and our ball, and you can't play.

Ironically, too, if we simply let Cuba into the Classic, we might even win
some political points, because then Fidel Castro might be afraid to let his
team go to Puerto Rico, where Cuba's first games were scheduled, for fear
that some of his players would defect. How would the gentlemen of Parque
Central like it if their own friendly dictator refused to let Cuba play
baseball?

But no, the way it is now, once again, we'll be the villains before the
world. Is there no sensitivity left in Washington, no sense of proportion
whatsoever? These are games.

If our dim, short-sighted government maintains this stance, there is only
one reasonable alternative. All of the players in the tournament, from China
to Venezuela, from the Netherlands to Australia, from Canada to the
Dominican Republic . . . and yes from wherever our own players come from in
these United States of America -- all of these athletes must stand together
in support of their baseball brethren of Cuba and tell the United States
government: we're out. Everybody plays baseball or nobody plays baseball.

World Baseball Classic called on account of American hubris and stupidity.

# posted by karlos @ 8:47 AM