Take Your Ball and Go Home

The Treasury Department is trying to ensure that no more major league baseball players lose their jobs to Cuban immigrants:

Called out at home, Editorial, LA Times: It has always seemed puzzling that Major League Baseball could have the chutzpah to call its annual tournament the World Series, given that nearly all its teams play in U.S. cities. Now, the league's effort to broaden its global reach has hit a roadblock put up ... by the Treasury Department. Shortly after Olympics officials decided to boot baseball from the Games after 2008, Major League Baseball announced it would start a global springtime tournament to be held every four years. Called the World Baseball Classic, it would pit American stars against the best players from other baseball-loving nations. It's a great idea ... if not for the United States' hysterical policies on Cuba — one of 16 nations selected for the March 2006 tournament.

Because a four-decade-old trade embargo prohibits Americans from entering into contracts by which Cuba may profit, Treasury officials have ruled that Cuba, which would earn at least 1% of the proceeds from the tournament, cannot participate. A proposal stipulating that the Cuban team would receive nothing more than free room and board is pending. Washington should accept it rather than hand Cuban leader Fidel Castro a propaganda victory.

Were the Cuban team to join the tournament, Castro would have more to fear than the U.S. After playing the Baltimore Orioles in an exhibition series six years ago, the Cuban team suffered a wave of defections. Castro was hesitant to let a team enter the tournament for fear that the players he uses as propaganda tools would follow suit. Now Washington has offered him a convenient excuse to pull out, and ... vilify the United States.

Treasury's decision seems particularly counterproductive given that Cuba plays U.S. teams in a number of international sporting events — the Olympics and the Pan American Games... — and that it's not difficult to prevent the Cuban government from profiting. During the Baltimore exhibition series, all proceeds went to American and Cuban charities that promote athletics. But the decision is in keeping with President Bush's Cuba policy, which has departed from the slight detente between the countries since the 1990s by severely tightening travel restrictions...

Let them play.

Comments

[Emmanuel]

That's a real shame as Cuba has won the last 2 out of 3 gold medals in baseball during the Olympics. Having a "World Baseball Classic" without Cuba is like having the World Cup without Brazil. What's next, are they going to kick Venezuela out?

This is ridiculous.

[save_the_rustbelt]

Let them play, but only if they smuggle a lot of cigars.

We Republicans are willing to violate the law occasionally for a good cause.

[calmo]

I'm surprised. We republicans? Which ones savetherest, so I can get a bead on where you're coming from?
All the best to you and yours in the new year.
Same for all the other posters here and to our fine host Mark.

[Bruce Webb]

"I'm surprised."

I'm not. But to be true Mark is a fine (and astonishing tolerant) host and this has become my favorite place in the blogosphere.

Happy New Years to Calmo and Anne and Mark and too many others to mention.

[calmo]

All the best to you too Bruce.
Seriously (continuingly so), I am interested in savetherest's pov (and his astonishing intolerance for PK) and generally curious about what brings him to the site. And what/who keeps bringing him back for more.
It ain't you, Bruce.
Ok, maybe it's not me either.
Must be the good natured Anne and her variety pack of sometimes tangential (maybe only for me) info and frequent sightings.
Maybe that's it: savetherest is hooked on the birds. Me too.