The whole baseball classic idea is stupid anyways
When the World Baseball Classic is contested in March 2006, Cuba likely won't be there.
The U.S. government informed event organizers Wednesday that Cuba has been denied permission to send a team to the major inaugural championship.
Major League Baseball was also told of the decision by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, according to Patrick Courtney, a spokesman for the commissioner's office.
A permit from OFAC is required because of U.S. laws governing commercial transactions with Cuba.
The decision doesn't sit well with two senior baseball officials. Paul Archey, the senior vice president of Major League Baseball International, and Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, issued a joint statement saying the organizers would try to reverse the decision.
"We are very disappointed with the government's decision to deny the participation of a team from Cuba in the World Baseball Classic," Archey and Orza said. "We will continue to work within appropriate channels in an attempt to address the government's concerns and will not announce a replacement unless and until that effort fails."
The commissioner's office and the union have jointly organized the 16-team tournament, which runs from March 3-20 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan.
Cuba was to begin its first round of play on March 8 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The communist island nation is one of the world's top baseball playing countries and was expected to contend for the title.
Organizers said the Cuban team likely would likely have included only players currently residing in Cuba and not defectors such as Jose Contreras, Orlando Hernandez and Livan Hernandez, who have become major league stars.
It's not clear how the decision will affect the tournament's schedule.
The U.S. government informed event organizers Wednesday that Cuba has been denied permission to send a team to the major inaugural championship.
Major League Baseball was also told of the decision by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, according to Patrick Courtney, a spokesman for the commissioner's office.
A permit from OFAC is required because of U.S. laws governing commercial transactions with Cuba.
The decision doesn't sit well with two senior baseball officials. Paul Archey, the senior vice president of Major League Baseball International, and Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, issued a joint statement saying the organizers would try to reverse the decision.
"We are very disappointed with the government's decision to deny the participation of a team from Cuba in the World Baseball Classic," Archey and Orza said. "We will continue to work within appropriate channels in an attempt to address the government's concerns and will not announce a replacement unless and until that effort fails."
The commissioner's office and the union have jointly organized the 16-team tournament, which runs from March 3-20 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan.
Cuba was to begin its first round of play on March 8 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The communist island nation is one of the world's top baseball playing countries and was expected to contend for the title.
Organizers said the Cuban team likely would likely have included only players currently residing in Cuba and not defectors such as Jose Contreras, Orlando Hernandez and Livan Hernandez, who have become major league stars.
It's not clear how the decision will affect the tournament's schedule.
Comment