|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
Sen. Martinez Disapproves of Bush Baseball Move
Not everyone is happy that Cuba will be allowed to participate in Major League Baseball’s upcoming World Baseball Classic. With international teams set to begin play in March, the Bush Administration – which had initially banned Cuba’s participation in the event - today gave the green light for Cuba to participate after the Communist country promised to donate any profits it may receive from the tournament to U.S. victims of Hurricane Katrina. Yet, Cuban-born U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., still finds fault with the decision. "This is a disappointing reversal. Even though this decision allows the Cuban government to field a team, that team will not be wholly representative of Cuba,” said Sen. Martinez. "The Cuban government has already announced that Cuban players who defected to the U.S. to play in Major League Baseball will not be allowed to play for Cuba.”
Story Continues Below Martinez said if it Major League Baseball hopes to remove politics from the World Baseball Classic, and focus on the athletic competition and pride of the countries involved, it should insist that Cuban-born players have a chance to play for Cuba. ""Just like other Major Leaguers can play for their home-countries like David Ortiz and Miguel Olivo of the Dominican Republic or Johan Santana and Miguel Cabrera of Venezuela, so too should Orlando and Livan Hernandez and Jose Contreras and any other Cubans in the Majors be allowed to play for Cuba,” said the senator. "I call on Major League Baseball to insist they play ... They are Cuban; they have a right to represent Cuba if they so choose and that right ought to be respected.”
Editor's note:
Inside Cover Stories
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Print Page 
Forward Page 
|
| All Rights Reserved © 2012 NewsMax.Com |