Comments on: Political Game? or Political Ploy? http://umpbump.com/press/2006/11/25/political-game-or-political-ploy/ In-your-face baseball commentary Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:44:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: umpbump.com http://umpbump.com/press/2006/11/25/political-game-or-political-ploy/comment-page-1/#comment-52057 umpbump.com Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:14:30 +0000 http://www.umpbump.com/press/?p=543#comment-52057 [...] Well, I consider my old post the rant post, while this one is the less incensed update. [...] [...] Well, I consider my old post the rant post, while this one is the less incensed update. [...]

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]]> By: Dirty Carl Sports » Blog Archive » Blogdome: Figuring Out All Those Damned Bowls http://umpbump.com/press/2006/11/25/political-game-or-political-ploy/comment-page-1/#comment-1189 Dirty Carl Sports » Blog Archive » Blogdome: Figuring Out All Those Damned Bowls Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:23:05 +0000 http://www.umpbump.com/press/?p=543#comment-1189 [...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...] [...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...]

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]]> By: Alejandro http://umpbump.com/press/2006/11/25/political-game-or-political-ploy/comment-page-1/#comment-52056 Alejandro Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:09:01 +0000 http://www.umpbump.com/press/?p=543#comment-52056 Well, that's precisely what's so bizarre about the story. I can't think of any particular reason why Chavez would close up baseball in Venezuela. I mean, from an anti-imperialist stance, Chavez could argue that "Our Venezuelan talent must stay within our country" and so on, but in that case, he would *need* a good league to have the players compete in. Unless he simply wants them to play pick-up games in his palace or something. What Chavez may be able to do is restrict the activity of foreign academies (MLB Teams) and their ability to send players directly to their farm systems in the U.S. But again, if Chavez were to forbid MLB teams from signing players from their academies AND cancel the domestic league, where would they go? I guess this is where the speculation about closing baseball comes into play, but I honestly think that's just far-fetched. The Cuba allusion is simply that players aren't allowed to travel abroad to earn salaries that are not sanctioned or sponsored by the Cuban government. There is a Cuban baseball league and players compete in international events representing their country, but they have to defect in order to play (work legally) in the U.S. You'll find that a good number of Cuban players have citizenship from some other country in Latin America. This is what one of the sources in the Times story is hinting at; that Venezuelans will have to get on a boat and smuggle themselves into the U.S. Now, unlike what Mr. Rizzi is quoted as saying in the article, Chavez isn't necessarily anti-U.S. He's anti-Bush, but he did manage to provide cheap oil for poor families in New York City and offered it to people in Alaska (who promptly refused it). But before we get off topic; I think the point of this article is simply to cook-up a reality where Chavez becomes the Fidel of the 21st century and that's somehow inherently bad for baseball fans. Talk about apples and oranges. Fidel WASN'T bad for baseball. He freaking allowed the Orioles to play in Cuba AND he allowed the Cuban national team to play in the WBC. That he doesn't allow players to work abroad is another issue. I'm not an expert in Latin American baseball; but the article in the Times is more hearsay than fact. Well, that’s precisely what’s so bizarre about the story. I can’t think of any particular reason why Chavez would close up baseball in Venezuela. I mean, from an anti-imperialist stance, Chavez could argue that “Our Venezuelan talent must stay within our country” and so on, but in that case, he would *need* a good league to have the players compete in. Unless he simply wants them to play pick-up games in his palace or something.

What Chavez may be able to do is restrict the activity of foreign academies (MLB Teams) and their ability to send players directly to their farm systems in the U.S. But again, if Chavez were to forbid MLB teams from signing players from their academies AND cancel the domestic league, where would they go? I guess this is where the speculation about closing baseball comes into play, but I honestly think that’s just far-fetched.

The Cuba allusion is simply that players aren’t allowed to travel abroad to earn salaries that are not sanctioned or sponsored by the Cuban government. There is a Cuban baseball league and players compete in international events representing their country, but they have to defect in order to play (work legally) in the U.S. You’ll find that a good number of Cuban players have citizenship from some other country in Latin America. This is what one of the sources in the Times story is hinting at; that Venezuelans will have to get on a boat and smuggle themselves into the U.S.

Now, unlike what Mr. Rizzi is quoted as saying in the article, Chavez isn’t necessarily anti-U.S. He’s anti-Bush, but he did manage to provide cheap oil for poor families in New York City and offered it to people in Alaska (who promptly refused it).

But before we get off topic; I think the point of this article is simply to cook-up a reality where Chavez becomes the Fidel of the 21st century and that’s somehow inherently bad for baseball fans. Talk about apples and oranges. Fidel WASN’T bad for baseball. He freaking allowed the Orioles to play in Cuba AND he allowed the Cuban national team to play in the WBC. That he doesn’t allow players to work abroad is another issue.

I’m not an expert in Latin American baseball; but the article in the Times is more hearsay than fact.

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]]> By: Sarah Green http://umpbump.com/press/2006/11/25/political-game-or-political-ploy/comment-page-1/#comment-52055 Sarah Green Sun, 26 Nov 2006 02:34:15 +0000 http://www.umpbump.com/press/?p=543#comment-52055 Alejandro, this is a good find and a good post, but I am a little confused by the Times story. So, I'll be the first to admit I know practically nothing about baseball outside of the US. But let's say for a second that Chavez *did* close the domestic professional league. Would he do that to prevent players from leaving for the US? Would there still be baseball in Venezuela? And in that case, wouldn't that be cutting off his nose to spite his face? How does Cuba do it? I suppose I could go look this up for myself, but I am very lazy. Alejandro, this is a good find and a good post, but I am a little confused by the Times story. So, I’ll be the first to admit I know practically nothing about baseball outside of the US. But let’s say for a second that Chavez *did* close the domestic professional league. Would he do that to prevent players from leaving for the US? Would there still be baseball in Venezuela? And in that case, wouldn’t that be cutting off his nose to spite his face? How does Cuba do it? I suppose I could go look this up for myself, but I am very lazy.

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