Buehrle>Wood Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Cuba team members protest anti-Castro sign ESPN.com news services SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Even on the baseball diamond, Cuba can't escape the politics of its No. 1 fan, Fidel Castro. AP Photo/Andres Leighton A spectator holds a sign that reads "Down with Fidel" during Cuba's 11-2 victory over The Netherlands. Members of the Cuban team at the World Baseball Classic complained about an anti-Castro sign displayed by a fan behind home plate during Cuba's 11-2 win over the Netherlands on Thursday night . The sign, in Spanish, read "down with Fidel." Cuba unsuccessfully tried to get the fan's sign removed, and in protest, the Cuban team did not participate in the post-game news conference. Cuba and Puerto Rico are scheduled to play Friday, and WBC organizers expect the Cuban team will play. Both teams have already qualified for the second round of the tournament. Pat Courtney, vice president of public relations for Major League Baseball, told ESPN "[The Cubans] feel they have done everything they can to play in the tournament, and they'd like this request [to remove the signs] honored, and it's upsetting to them ... but they have no recourse." The first political eruption surrounding Cuba's participation in the WBC came before a single pitch was thrown. The U.S. Treasury Department denied Major League Baseball's first application for a special permit allowing Cuba to play in mid-December. The permit was necessary because of laws governing financial transactions with Castro's communist government. But the baseball commissioner's office and the players' association reapplied Dec. 22 after Cuba said it would donate any profits it receives to victims of Hurricane Katrina -- a guarantee that the communist country would receive no financial profit from the event. Puerto Rico officials had threatened not to host the opening rounds of the tournament if Cuba was not allowed to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Keep the politics out of it and play ball. The signs should be removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 09:30 AM) Keep the politics out of it and play ball. The signs should be removed. It's a fan. As long as he's not preventing the fans around him from seeing the game, or taking any act which actually interferes with the play on the field, who cares? Do people get tossed out of games for heckling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 12:47 PM) It's a fan. As long as he's not preventing the fans around him from seeing the game, or taking any act which actually interferes with the play on the field, who cares? Do people get tossed out of games for heckling? I submit that is a distraction to the Cuban players in the field. They do noy have the luxury of blocking it out and focusing on the game because when they get back to Cuba they are possibly subject to 'intense questioning' by the government as to why they didn't take a stand for 'Fearless Leader'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangercal Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 right or wrong, would a "down with Bush" sign be removed? I think it would. I could be wrong. But leaders of all nations should be treated equally in this international baseball tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buehrle>Wood Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Signs have now been banned from the WBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 QUOTE(rangercal @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 01:28 PM) right or wrong, would a "down with Bush" sign be removed? I think it would. I could be wrong. But leaders of all nations should be treated equally in this international baseball tournament. No, it wouldn't be removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSH2005 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 (edited) The fan's message is correct though. Cuba would be a better place without Fidel. Hell, the U.S. even tried to assassinate him several times in the 1960's. Edited March 11, 2006 by SSH2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 06:54 PM) No, it wouldn't be removed. You sure? Everyone on ESPN was saying it would today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 06:13 PM) You sure? Everyone on ESPN was saying it would today. It's only my opinion, since all signs are now banned we'll never get to see if it would or would not be removed. And if we are going to make this fair it would not be a sign held up in Phoenix or Florida it would be held up in a different country like Puerto Rico. Considering how the sign was not displayed in Cuba I say this is fair. If a fan at a WBC game in Puerto Rico held up a sign behind home plate that said "down with Bush" the sign would not be removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rventura23 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 If a fan wants to hold up an anti-Castro, anti-Bush, or anti-whatever sign, he should be able to hold it up. I dont think its the right venue to make a political statement since its a distraction from hte game, but I certainly dont think he should be forced to take it down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 11:30 AM) Keep the politics out of it and play ball. The signs should be removed. You want the fans to keep politics out and play ball?! Seriously, the Cubans are only crying because they know that Castro would, I don't know, starve their families and rape their daughters if they didn't protest the protest. I'm not sure how many of them genuinely like him, but it's not that big a deal that some weirdo fan is holding up a sign. They're not in Cuba anymore, and people have a right to speak and hold up signs. Just like the Cubans have the right to stand up for themselves and say, "HEY WE LOVE CASTRO SHUT UP!" after the game or whine to the umpires. You know, why on Earth should people have to abide by Castro's rules or demands in other countries? It's all moot now, of course, because they've banned signs, but in principle I think the WBC officials have made a mistake. QUOTE(rventura23 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 09:08 PM) If a fan wants to hold up an anti-Castro, anti-Bush, or anti-whatever sign, he should be able to hold it up. I dont think its the right venue to make a political statement since its a distraction from hte game, but I certainly dont think he should be forced to take it down Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. Although I think it's such a b**** move to ban signs, frankly. Are we Cuba now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 08:49 PM) You know, why on Earth should people have to abide by Castro's rules or demands in other countries? Because it's put the Cuban ballplayers in a position to where they have to worry about what happens when they get home instead of concentrating on baseball. Castro is a dictator and if the don't handle these situations correctly, or something backfires on them, they'll have hell to pay. Part of the intrigue for me in this 'classic' is just how good are these Cubans? I'd like to find out while they are just focusing on baseball and not worrying about Castro's reactions to some needless BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 10:07 AM) Because it's put the Cuban ballplayers in a position to where they have to worry about what happens when they get home instead of concentrating on baseball. Castro is a dictator and if the don't handle these situations correctly, or something backfires on them, they'll have hell to pay. Part of the intrigue for me in this 'classic' is just how good are these Cubans? I'd like to find out while they are just focusing on baseball and not worrying about Castro's reactions to some needless BS. Well hell, the Cubans lost to the Puerto Ricans. Maybe we should just throw the tournament because Castro might become pissed off with them for losing that game? And if they get eliminated, maybe we should've dropped the games against them because, hey, Castro might not like it? Castro's not going to be nice to them if they lose, you know. I just don't buy your argument. I think it's appeasement of an unneeded kind and, worse, they're bound to be abused for losses, methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phuck the Cubs Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The fan's message is correct though. Cuba would be a better place without Fidel. Hell, the U.S. even tried to assassinate him several times in the 1960's. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, we've unsuccesfully tried to kill him 645 times since he came to power. Just goes to show how bad our government is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 10:55 AM) Well hell, the Cubans lost to the Puerto Ricans. Maybe we should just throw the tournament because Castro might become pissed off with them for losing that game? And if they get eliminated, maybe we should've dropped the games against them because, hey, Castro might not like it? Castro's not going to be nice to them if they lose, you know. I just don't buy your argument. I think it's appeasement of an unneeded kind and, worse, they're bound to be abused for losses, methinks. You are entitled to your opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 (edited) QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 12:22 PM) You are entitled to your opinion. And so are you. It's well that we agree on that! QUOTE(Cuck the Fubs @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 11:50 AM) Actually, we've unsuccesfully tried to kill him 645 times since he came to power. Just goes to show how bad our government is. That can't be true. In fact, I'm absolutely sure that it's not true or that it's grossly exaggerated and an example of "lying with statistics." Not that I'm accusing you of lying, per se. It's like George Bush who says we've broken up twenty terrorist plots, but a bunch of them had merely been thrown out as ideas rather than have been real plots, and so I'd like to see where you get "645" from. Edited March 12, 2006 by Gregory Pratt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phuck the Cubs Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 That can't be true. In fact, I'm absolutely sure that it's not true or that it's grossly exaggerated and an example of "lying with statistics." Not that I'm accusing you of lying, per se. It's like George Bush who says we've broken up twenty terrorist plots, but a bunch of them had merely been thrown out as ideas rather than have been real plots, and so I'd like to see where you get "645" from. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Some guy in my poli sci class was doing a debate on the issue of assissaniting the head of state and brought up this, that we've tried to kill him 645 times. We put explosives in his cigars: Problem: He realized it was odd when it wieghed 2 pounds. We put explosives in one of his 400 pairs of shoes. He never wore that pair, and he sold them. We've tried numerous other things and failed miserably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 QUOTE(Cuck the Fubs @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 08:48 PM) Some guy in my poli sci class was doing a debate on the issue of assissaniting the head of state and brought up this, that we've tried to kill him 645 times. We put explosives in his cigars: Problem: He realized it was odd when it wieghed 2 pounds. We put explosives in one of his 400 pairs of shoes. He never wore that pair, and he sold them. We've tried numerous other things and failed miserably. Oh, I know about a couple of plots with cigars and the like, and I do know that we tried to kill him in the 1960s, but I'm not sure and I truly doubt that it's happened very recently or that it was such a high number. But, to round out my point, at least your source is of the highest class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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