Comments on Cuba's Team at the WBC, BME-Day

From my Baseball chat group on Yahoo!

Dec. 16: I was thinking someone might have commented on the Cuba aspect of the World Baseball Classic, but no, that would be too "political". I am simply amazed that any set of circumstances could possibly arise such that Peter Angelos gets to become a hero.

How blockheaded can the U.S. government be? I've heard that the responsible agency is part of the Treasury Department. Yes, that makes sense; allowing Cuba will certainly cause debasement to our currency. Not to mention our precious bodily fluids--no doubt Treasury's got a firm grip on those jewels!

Suddenly I care about a stupid little exhibition series.

Dec. 23: And I think the International Baseball Committee should withdraw anyrecognition of the spurious World Baseball Classic until Cuba isadmitted (the team should be composed of both Cuban residents andexpatriates, so they can prove they're morally superior to ourstupid Cuban-American representatives who run things here).

P.S. That seems to have happened. This one from my "annual pre-Christmas bah Humbug Crank rant", the overall focus being on the New York Crankbiters.

Jan. 11: I have to commend the NYTimes' Vecsey for getting all over the case of those dingleberries who have blocked the Cuban team's visit forthe "Classic". His opinion is that the titular Bushite is the one who can fix it. I would agree that if you want someone to say, "Forget about the law--just do it," he'd be the guy.

My view is, put the Cubans on a boat (a nice one, this time), bring them to the shore, tell the media when they are arriving at the port in Miami and dare the authorities to stop them. The players can even promise not to stay, or to stay, whichever we want from an immigration/baseball/Castro regime change point of view.

Here's the reference, though it's not a free article to the Times Select-less: http://select.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/sports/baseball/18vecsey.html

Now, today (Jan. 20), comes word that the government has allowed the Cubans' application to enter the country. A revised application made clear that the Cubans' prize money, already promised to go to Katrina hurricane victims, will not pass through those filthy Communist currency-debasing hands before being given to our compatriots. The story today suggests that Vecsey was right and the eponymous Bushite is due credit for getting involved and working out the deal.

There was some grumbling over the compromise from anti-Castro Cuban-American political leaders, but they basically got shouted down.

Doubtlessly coincidentally, today marks exactly three years until Dubya can legally slough off the duties of his elected office and go to the job he covets, the one Slug is keeping warm.

The third pre-anniversary of BME-Day.

As they used to say on "Hee-Haw": Crawford, Texas, population 143. Salute!

Final comment, Jan. 25:
That's "Bushite Misrule Ends Day". January 20, 2009. It's not time to celebrate yet, but like the New Year's Day was the year before the new millennium (i.e., Jan. 1, 2000), maybe we could pre-celebrate the approach of the post-Bushite era next year. Then it would already be a tradition in 2008, and a national holiday in 2009. Like "V-E" day was, for quite a while. It's time to move past the postwar mental framework still derived basically from World War II and its stepson, the Cold War.
The reference to "Slug" was insider-speak of our baseball chat group, referring to current baseball commissioner (and, apparently no longer Milwaukee Brewer owner, but who really believes what the owners say about such things?), Bud Selig.