Archive for the ‘baseball’ Category

Cuba puts the “cage” in batting cages…

Posted: March 18, 2009 by datechguy in baseball, opinion/news
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…and very few people notice. However babau blog is one of them:

Cuba is one of the few countries in the world that prohibits its citizens from leaving without government permission, a violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Because Cuba’s athletic teams compete internationally the participants are constantly shadowed by members of Cuba’s state security apparatus. The primary objective of Cuban state security is to prevent defections which embarrass the Castro regime and deplete the country of athletic talent. In Democratic countries like the United States this presents a perverse situation where Cuban athletes are basically deprived of their rights to move freely. If an athlete does manage to defect his family is not permitted to leave Cuba as a form of punishment. Often Cuban defectors must then pay human smugglers to extract their families from the island.

Unfortunately this has been a good tourney for the dictator teams. A Cuba vs Venezuela final would be a propaganda boon for two of the worst western hemisphere.

I can’t understand how our friends on the left can ignore this while decrying Gitmo. I also can’t see why our government is allowing the restrictions on movement. These guys only get legitimacy when we allow ourselves to follow their rules.

I would so much love to see the team defect en masse but I suspect that with this administration they would be handed back a-la Elian Gonzales.

Update check out the factsheet some Gems:

“The option not to play in the [World Baseball Classic] tournament, which has been exercised by the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui among others, is not available to Cuban players – if the government tells them to play, they must. On the other hand, the regime can suspend a player from ‘Team Fidel,’ as the national team is often called, simply out of suspicion that he might defect. This happened to Orlando Hernández, before he managed to escape in a boat and eventually find fame with the Yankees.”

According to baseball agent Joe Kehoskie, the Castro regime has been using a bonus system to keep Cuban players from defecting. Players are awarded varying sums based on team performance but the awards are only given if the entire team returns to Cuba without any defections. In this way the regime creates peer pressure among team members to discourage any from exercising their right to defect.

If this administration could stand up it would make a huge difference.

WBC Roundup Cepeda Cepeda Cepeda

Posted: March 17, 2009 by datechguy in baseball
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If Cuba was a free country watching this Cepeda might be as well known as his HOF namesake. As it is he will have to settle for picking up the Cuban team and putting it on his back.

Cuba used his key hitting to knock out Mexico 7-4. I frankly don’t see it being enough to take them past either Korea or Japan but in a single game anything can happen.

It remained a good day for dictator’s teams as Venezuela edged Puerto Rico 2-0 on outstanding pitching. Hugo’s team will be cheering for Korea today big time today.

Due to the injuries to the US team I have to give the PR team the edge against the US in the elimination game.

Korea and Japan is a wash today. I have to think Japan is the better team but a Korean win wouldn’t surprise me.

If you might be intested in joining a table top baseball league in Massachuestts

Posted: March 16, 2009 by datechguy in baseball, Sable Baseball
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We want to hear from you.

We currently play a 78 game season 3 games a week for 26 weeks using Dynasty Baseball. There is an all star game at the half.

Games are played on Saturday’s at 3 p.m. in Lunenburg Mass. right on the Fitchburg Leominster border.

This is our 22nd year so we are very well established. Dues are $50 per year which can be paid in two $25 payments if needed.

If you think you would have been a great manager if only you had the chance this is the game for you!

For more info contact our league commissioner Mike Kennedy e-mail Mowing1 at***—Verizon dotttttttt Net (without the at***—-or extra t’s to avoid spambots).

…And if you are in the area of Orange Mass. Think of Mike’s mowing.

WBC Roundup

Posted: March 16, 2009 by datechguy in baseball
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US 9 Dutch 3.

You don’t normally see a brushback thrown at a team when it is down 8-2 in the top of the 8th. I think it was strictly bush league on the part of the US, but a win is a win. Once again the Dutch shows some offense but couldn’t get the hits with runners in scoring position.

The US however did the one thing that no other team was able to do with the dutch and that is getting hits with runners in scoring position.

So tomorrow they will face either Puerto Rico or Venezuela, both are going to be tough.

Japan 6 Cuba 0

Japan showed why they are the champs and Dice-K brought smiles to the face of any Red Sox fan with 6 incredible innings as Cuba was spanked by Japan. It seemed to me that the entire game the Cubans were trying too hard, lot of young players trying to push things rather that take what was offered.

Ichrio was 0-4 despite being talked about every 3rd word. I’ve never seen a game with back to back pickoffs at first. If it hadn’t been for that then they might have mercyed them.

So it’s Mexico or Cuba out. If the Cuban team gets bounced by Mexico they could consider defecting en-masse. Oh and I loved when they said the “cultural differences” line that was used. I suspect they were contractually obligated not to hit them but it was done well.

I fell asleep with Mexico up last night and woke up to find that the Koreans’ came back to crush them. This sets up yet another Japan Korea meeting. They are the Yankees/Red Sox of this tourney. I don’t know how they do the final seeding but there is every possibility that they could meet in the finals.

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