World Baseball Classic

The Caracas Daily Journal tells us that former MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth is calling on the Bush Administration to reverse its shortsighted decision banning Cuba from participating in next spring's inaugural World Baseball Classic.

Ueberroth, a former U.S. Major League Baseball commissioner and head of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said last week's decision by the Treasury Department to deny Cuba a permit to play in the 16-team event will damage American efforts to host the Olympics in the future. Olympic host countries must guarantee all nations can participate.

Cuba is set to play against Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands in Puerto Rico - a U.S. territory - in the first round.

"It is important to any future bid city from the United States that this be reversed," Ueberroth said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It's disappointing. This will impact IOC members negatively. This may be the only example of a country prohibiting competition on an international scale."

The same website also reports that Venezuela is considering a boycott of the WBC if Cuba is denied permission to play, although that story is hidden behind a firewall,and i'm not prepared to shell out $200 for a subscription. If Venezuela opts out, they could join Puerto Rico on the sidelines of the event. Such a move would probably cripple the WBC, and set back efforts to stage baseball's World Cup by a generation or more.

More on this story, including the idiocies of Rep. Diaz-Balart, in future installments.