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The Daily Verdict

December 15, 2005

 

Somebody send a note to the bureaucrats in Washington and let them know the Cold War is over.  The Treasury Department informed Major League Baseball that Cuba would not be allowed to play in the World Baseball Classic due to the standing embargo against our communist island neighbors.  Representatives from Major League Baseball seemed to think the problem would be worked out in time to allow Cuba to participate in the Classic, which is to run March 3-20, 2006.  But whether or not the Cuban team is allowed to participate, the situation illustrates how ridiculous and obsolete our government’s position on Cuba is.

 

The Cold War has been over for some time, and without his pals in the Soviet bloc (which also came to end some time ago, in case the Beltway Boys haven’t been paying attention), Fidel Castro is as much El Solo as El Presidente.  This just in…the need for an embargo on trade with Cuba no longer exists.  And what really, do we hope to accomplish by continuing it?  Castro will die before he stoops to kiss Uncle Sam’s rear end; he has made that perfectly clear over the last forty-plus years.  Our embargo has never given him a moment’s pause, and we have merely cost ourselves a trade partner while denying the Cuban people the chance for better lives.  It hasn’t been much of a business plan…and it hardly ranks as brilliant political strategy.  So let’s cut bait on that particular issue.  What’s the worst thing that can come of it?  That Castro gets to put one in the win column?  I think we can live with that…

 

That is easy for me to say, however.  Especially in light of the feelings of Cuban-Americans who have lost family, fortune, and a homeland to Castro’s Communist regime.  Many in that community cannot stomach the thought of Fidel’s Team Cuba participating in the Classic.  They would rather see a Cuban team made up of defectors, led by El Duque and Livan Hernandez and Jose Contreras.  That won’t happen, of course, and in all honesty, Team Cuba deserves the chance to compete against the best of the best.  The Cubans have long had the best amateur team in the world, and it is only fair that they get the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s greatest pros.  As Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY) said, “Let’s leave the politics out of this.  The World Baseball Classic should not be tainted by our grudge against Cuba’s government.  Cuba produces some of the best baseball talent in the world and they deserve to participate.”

 

Everybody was able to put aside their political difference to arrange a home and home series between the Baltimore Orioles and Havana a few years back…surely we can get things done again.  And while they are at it, the boys in D.C. might want to think about this long-standing embargo and realize that it no longer serves its original purpose, if any at all.  Regardless of our feelings about Castro and his government, there is no reason to penalize the Cuban people for being under his rule.  We have found a way to open trade with Communist China as we have continued you this policy of spite against Castro.  And what is the difference, other than geographic proximity?  And what do we hope to gain at this point?  Getting the last word?  That is hardly appropriate behavior for the greatest power on the planet.

 

As they chanted in the Astrodome at the end of the second Bad News Bears movie…LET THEM PLAY!!!

 

Speaking of Cuban baseball, the aforementioned El Duque was swapped along with reliever Luis Vizcaino and minor league outfielder Chris Young from the Chicago White Sox to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed starter Javier Vazquez.  Even if Kenny Williams doesn’t get anything else done this winter, the GM of the defending champs has done a heck of a job retooling and upgrading his ballclub.  I am still a little concerned about Jim Thome’s health (and Aaron Rowand, the gifted center fielder swapped to the Phillies for Thome will be missed), but after adding Thome to the re-signed Paul Konerko, Williams has given the ChiSox a middle of the order to be feared.  And with the addition of Vazquez (who could be a number two starter on some staffs), Williams has managed to upgrade the strength of his ballclub.

 

Vazquez joins the rotation of Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland.  Vazquez will likely bump a very talented youngster, Brandon McCarty from the Pale Hose’s 2006 rotation.  Despite his nightmarish second half in 2004 for the Yankees, Vazquez is a solid starting pitcher that was coveted by several clubs.  And don’t underestimate the value of a seemingly minor deal that Williams pulled off earlier, acquiring utilityman Rob Mackowiak for erratic lefty reliever Damaso Marte in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Mackowiak provides the Sox with tremendous versatility and a potent left-hand bat.  The work Williams has done thus far is enough to make me believe these Sox will do something the Sawx couldn’t…make a strong run at defending their title.

 

They are struggling to get to .500.  They probably won’t make the playoffs.  But the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets have been one of the best early season stories in the NBA.  A year ago, Byron Scott’s team was one of the very worst in basketball, winning only 18 games.  But amidst the tumult of the disaster in New Orleans, and while making their home in Oklahoma City, the Hornets have found a way to fight to a 10-12 mark in a very deep Western Conference.  The Hornets get great leadership from veteran forward P.J Brown, but it has been youth that has made the difference.  Chris Paul is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year (currently leading all rookies in scoring, assists, steals, and minutes, and his backcourt partner, J.R. Smith is a dangerous three-point shooter and scorer despite being in just his second season out of high school.  The Hornets are also beginning to get fabulous play from former Xavier star David West, who teams with Brown to form a rugged frontcourt.

 

The positive news for the Hornets franchise is the polar opposite of what has occurred for their Big Easy neighbors, the NFL’s Saints.  The Saints continue to suffer through a miserable season, and the football on Sundays has been the least of their worries.  Forced to shuttle between San Antonio (where they are headquartered) and Baton Rouge (where they have played some home games), the Saints have had problems just trying to find a place to practice.  Jim Haslett has no idea about his future with the team (you can bet he has none) and Tom Benson has been unable to hide his flirtation with San Antonio as a permanent home for his team.  Paul Tagliabue has said the Saints will remain in New Orleans, but that issue is almost certainly far from over, even in light of news that the Saints might be able to return to the Superdome in November of 2006.  Tagliabue has also come under fire in recent weeks (most notably by quarterback Aaron Brooks) for the NFL’s apparent abandonment of the Saints.  In fairness to Tagliabue, his job in re-locating the Saints was much more difficult that Stern’s, simply based on the timing of the disaster and the beginning of the respective seasons.  Tagliabue’s hands were almost tied, as the league had to scramble just to see that the Saints were in position to begin the season on time.  Stern had an easier time frame to work with, but it is appropriate to remember that Stern is regarded as the model for all commissioners.  While I understand how difficult the circumstances were for Tags and the NFL, it is also easy to understand the feelings of the Saints players.  Like most of their hometown, the Saints season went underwater months ago…

 

 

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