MLB & Venezuela: No Mas?

There's an article on ESPN.com now about how Venezuela is beginning to make it harder for MLB to conduct business there. They're talking about, among other things, teams paying the government 10% of a player's signing bonus and making players register with the government for a professional athlete's license. Teams are starting to throw up their hands in defeat. The Padres have already given up completely, having packed up and left the country.

I don't know why, but this makes me think of Ugueth Urbina, languishing in a Venezuelan prison. I believe he's serving a 14-year sentence for beating and burning his field hands. I remember that most people believed the sentence was much too harsh. Urbina's troubles along with these new developments really make me wonder: Does Venezuela hate its baseball players? Probably not. The players are just scapegoats. The country is buried in problems. Sticking it to MLB players is easier than tackling the real issues facing Venezuela.

The Lady

First Israel, Now Ghana

Did you know they play baseball in Ghana? MLB.com has a story up now about some determined young men in Tema, Ghana who play baseball without shoes, on a soccer field using old steal cushions as bases. Apparently they're attracting some attention, because they were visited recently by an MLB delegation, which included New York Mets manager Omar Minaya.

Their aspirations seem to be realistic: college or Single-A, with college seeming to be more important to most of them. Their most promising player is an 18 year-old named Kofi Frimpong, an infielder on the national team. He hopes to attend the University of Miami, if he can secure a visa. He's very aware of baseball history including what Ted Williams, Connie Mack and Cal Ripkin have accomplished. His favorite active player is the Mets' Jose Reyes.

Nice story. Best wishes to all of them.

The Lady

[Photo: Stephen Ellsesser for MLB.com]