Cuba blames U.S. for no Olympic baseball

[kskiska]

HAVANA -- Cuba blamed the major leagues Friday for the sport being dropped from the 2012 Olympics.

Cuba has won three of the four gold medals since baseball was first played at the Olympics - in 1992, 1996 and 2004. The United States won the gold in 2000, with Cuba getting the silver.

"Those who bear most of the blame are the owners of the professional leagues who refuse to free up their ballplayers to compete," Cuban Baseball Federation president Carlos Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

"It's a shame because this decision will disappoint millions of young people who practice and love this sport," Rodriguez added.

more…
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/olympics/apolympics_story.asp?category=2090&slug=OLY%20Sports%20Dropped%20Cuba

[BattyDem]

1. Why does our team have to be made up of professionals?

And ... if we don't have a team, why can't other countries compete in baseball? :shrug:

[tritsofme]

3. I would imagine

That a good portion MLB players play on their home country's team in the olympics.

Maybe that's what they're talking about?

[alfredo]

2. Our pro players would not have passed the drug tests anyway.

[fishnfla]

4. thats a bunch of crap, Cuba

a majority of countries on the IOC did not vote to keep baseball and softball, maybe because they dont have teams

but the alternative replacement sports arent much better, I'd guess.

polo, golf, rugby and one other I forget

[BrotherBuzz]

5. Roller Derby! I vote for Roller Dreby as an alternative!

:)

[manic expression]

6. Slamball! n/t

[jmowreader]

32. Or that most un-politically-correctly-named game...

Smear the Queer!

Which is a terrible name but a wonderful game. Perfect for solving international disputes.

In Idaho, we only played this during the winter months for reasons which will soon become far too obvious. We used a football; you impolitic Easterners supposedly used volleyballs so you could play it all year round.

Now, to play STQ, you rounded up all the kids that were stupid enough to want to play this game and divided them into two teams. You then stomped out two goal lines really far apart. Next, you grabbed another kid and had him throw the ball up into the air. Someone would either catch the damn thing or pick it up...and when you got the ball, you were the "queer." Your job was to run like hell toward one of the goal lines. It didn't matter which one. The other fifty kids on the field had the job of running you down and stomping you into mush. If you got caught, the ball was dead where you got your ass kicked, and you had to grab another kid to throw the ball into the mass of players.

Okay, you're saying, I want to play this wonderful game of STQ. But maybe I don't want my ass kicked every time I try to score one for my team. Fine. Be that way. You can pass the ball, you know; you throw it either (1) to a member of your team who runs faster and can take it across the goal line or (2) to a kid on the other team who needs his ass kicked. This won't prevent you from getting the shit beat out of you anyway; remember, this is a game that has no officials and, for that matter, not all that many rules either. But sometimes they'll stop chasing you and just go after the ball carrier--that is, if they don't split down the middle--half after him, half after you.

Olympic STQ would probably have five guys designated "runners"--real fast guys who pass the ball between them to attempt to score--and twenty guys designated "stompers" whose job it is to murder runners with their bare hands but who could be redesignated runners if they're thrown the ball. (About the only rules you'd need: if someone throws the ball at you, you have to catch it; you're not allowed to stop moving; and you're not allowed to actually kill anyone.) Your officials would include a field judge, six litter bearers, two coroners and about a hundred cops.

Now, this would be a fun game to watch!

[TankLV]

33. Bowling! I'm amazed that this one is overlooked!

And you get to eat fries and drink beer, too!

Not to mention all those superb athletic body types!

Same with darts, altho I don't play!

[lapfog_1]

18. Poker!

I can see it now... Greg Raymer up on the pedestal, with a gold
medal around his neck.

[jmowreader]

21. Dude, you're NOT being funny!

And the reason you're not being funny is because Bridge is already an Olympic sport.

Bridge is a card game.

Poker would be a HELL of a lot better Olympic sport than Bridge. There are probably 20 poker players in the world for every bridge player.

Casino would be a REALLY cool Olympic sport. It would be like a decathlon contested in tuxedos and floor-length gowns. Pick ten casino games...oh, let me see...

poker in three disciplines: draw poker, stud poker and hold-em poker
craps
roulette
baccarat
blackjack
boules
two-up
slot machine...

Give each athlete $100,000 worth of casino chips. Make the games no-limit and the event three days long. Lose all your money, you're out of the event. The first night, everyone plays hold-em, craps and two-up. One hour per game. On night two, everyone who still has money plays slots, boules and draw poker. On night three, everyone who still has money plays roulette, stud and blackjack. If you've got money after all nine games, you play baccarat for three hours. At the end of the baccarat session, you cash out. The person with the most money takes home the gold.

The piss test for Olympic gamblers could be entertaining: "You have no cigar smoke or martinis in your system? You fail."

[lapfog_1]

27. It's my only chance of competing in the Olympics

unless I move to Minnesota and take up curling.

[TankLV]

34. Bridge?! Really?!

Oh, my god, I had no idea!

OK, how about model train running?

Oh, how about those motorized model cars/planes/boats? That would be kool! - plus you get to barbeque, too!

[manic expression]

7. They actually blamed the Major Leagues, not the US

so that's a stupid headline.

And the Major Leagues aren't compensating for the Olympics, so that charge is pretty valid.

[TankLV]

35. And exactly what comprises the "major leagues" may I ask?

It sure ain't the Lower Hibrides or Yap Island!

That's like saying cuba has nothing to do with fidel - no, wait - somebody has alread said that here!

[Dirk39]

8. It wasn't the U.S., it was the major leagues...

The U.S. of cause will pretty soon do to healthcare what the major leagues did to baseball...
Hello from Germany,
Dirk

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. The major league players are for shit anyway.

This was a bad decision.

[rayofreason]

10. Who's on first?

Softball got dropped too, and Karate and Squash did not get added.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/olympics/07/08/sports.dropped.ap/

[geek tragedy]

11. Want some cheese to go with that whine, Fidel? eom

[drdtroit]

13. Huh? n/t

[geek tragedy]

14. Fidel's whining, and I'm making fun of him because of it. eom

[Judi Lynn]

15. Maybe you could point out where Fidel Castro's name appears

in the article.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/olympics/apolympics_story.asp?category=2090&slug=OLY%20Sports%20Dropped%20Cuba

[geek tragedy]

16. I generally equate a dictator with his government. Given Fidel's

obsession with baseball, one can assume that this was a personal issue for him.

[Judi Lynn]

17. Good thinking.

[TankLV]

36. Actually, it's "good linking"!!

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, ...

But then again some persons choose to ignore the elephant in the middle of the room.

[K-W]

24. Castro can speak for himself.

And does so all the time.

[Mika]

28. Given your obsession w/Castro..

on any topic relating to Cuba, it is to be expected.


((((Yawn))))

Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that
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[drdtroit]

23. Excuse me, I don't think you read the article

It specifically stated that the person 'whining' was a Senor Carlos Rodriguez.

[Adrian Luca]

12. Finally

So, we've gotten rid of baseball and softball. How they ever got into the Olympics in the first place is beyond me. Now, hopefully, we can defeat badminton.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. What do you have against badminton?

It's a popular sport, played across the world, playable by individuals - or a team of two - and doesn't have rich professionals whose employers argue whether they're allowed to play in the Olympics. It's an ideal Olympic sport.

[ckramer]

22. It's not your kind of "badminton? anyone"'s back yard badminton.

Sounds like you have never watched a professional badminton game before.

[TankLV]

37. Not to mention a quiet game of ping pong.

My heart doc won't let me play that either without sufficient conditioning!

But I used to love playing badmitton after smoking pot when I was younger! Talk about an endless game! Never laughed so hard in my life!

[Endangered Specie]

26. Maybe we should get rid of...

whatever Olympic sports you like :mad:

[Garfield Goose]

20. It shouldn't stop women's baseball

Or is that the U.S.'s fault too, Fidel? Oh, forgot, everything is the U.S.'s fault, because we're the center of the universe.

[democracyindanger]

29. Didn't blame the US

Blamed MLB. Pretty clear if you read beyond the inaccurate headline.

[Judi Lynn]

30. Maybe this will help, from the snippet provided by kskiska:

"Those who bear most of the blame are the owners of the professional leagues who refuse to free up their ballplayers to compete," Cuban Baseball Federation president Carlos Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

[nolabels]

25. The Olympic Games are a victim of their own commercial success

It's all so un-imaginative and top heavy

[Judi Lynn]

31. Re;ated article: "Latin America livid over baseball"

Latin America livid over baseball
Posted: Friday July 8, 2005 12:18PM; Updated: Friday July 8, 2005 6:36PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- For many, baseball is life in the Caribbean and Latin America, a source of national pride in international competition. For the 2012 Olympics, they will have to live without their favorite sport.

The IOC decision to drop baseball and softball from the London Games left a trail of sadness, anger and resolution, extending from Puerto Rico to Cuba, from the Dominican Republic to Panama, where baseball reigns and is considered a ticket to Olympic competition.

"It was a shock," Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras, who played Cuba in the 2000 Olympic Games, said through a translator. "Not having the Olympics will be a big hit in Cuba and for the fans in Cuba."

"That's the biggest stage they play on, they prepare for four years to play in one tournament. And that's like the World Series for people here," he said before Friday night's game against Oakland.
(snip)

Former Texas Rangers pitcher Edwin Correa, president of Puerto Rico's Baseball Academy, said baseball "unites" Latin American and the Caribbean, and its exclusion from the Olympics leaves a void in places with a long tradition in the game.
(snip/...)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/olympics/07/08/bc.oly.sportsdropped.cu.ap/