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Friday, January 20, 2006
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Cuba gets to play ball
The Associated Press reports that Cuba will be allowed to participate in the World Baseball Classic: The Bush administration is letting Cuba play ball.One slightly bizarre aspect to this was the reasoning the Bush administration gave for rejecting the first application back in December: "The president wanted to see it resolved in a positive way," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Our concerns were centered on making sure that no money was going to the Castro regime and that the World Baseball Classic would not be misused by the regime for spying. We believe the concerns have been addressed."I understand the concern about profit. But spying? Even if there are Cuban spies, what are they going to find in Puerto Rico? I, for one, welcome Cuban participation -- because I want to see them get whipped by the capitalist teams. Scanning the team rosters and the schedule of games, I'm fairly confident that if they're very, very lucky, the Cubans will get creamed in the semifinals by the Dominican team. posted by Dan on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PMComments: it is funny that you think baseball is a game of skill and not luck. Being from michigan, i remember watching the mud hens destroying the tigers year after year. Just because the MLB players use steroids doesn't mean they can win. 1 bad pitch can be enough to lose a game. I bet the cubans beat the americans, if not win the whole deal. even in a game that takes skill and athletic ability, like basketball, the american all-star team lost in the olympics to a bunch of euro-trash. in baseball, all that it means if you are an all-star is that you drive a better car. posted by: bill on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Even if there are Cuban spies, what are they going to find in Puerto Rico? Thousands of American soldiers, for one. Army base Fort Buchanan is in San Juan. When I was overseas in the Marines, we were always warned that foreign spies might befriend us at bars to gather information. The average grunt doesn't know much more "intel" than how to get to the chow hall, but there are officers, I suppose, who might know something valuable. posted by: b. phillips on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Don't they play zone D in the Olympics, whereas the NBA is man-on-man because it's better for the cameras? If you don't play zone defense you'll be destroyed by a team that does. Luck certainly plays a larger role in lower-scoring sports like soccer and baseball than basketball, but a larger role than skill? Was the Great One just lucky over his whole career? John, Over hundreds of games, skill does win out. But when dealing with a small sample size, random variation has a HUGE role in success. In the book Moneyball, this is dealt with at length. It shows that statistically, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will win a 7 game series to the New York Yankees 30% of the time (2002 data). Now in the World Baseball Classic, when there will be significantly fewer games, the role for random variation will loom even larger. posted by: Rick Latshaw on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Good luck Cuba! posted by: news lady on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Whew! For a moment I thought he might make the case that free and open trade might promote democracy in Cuba. Glad to see there is none of that nonsense here ;-). I'm surprised the Cuban team got held up at all -- the Bush administration should be happy to showcase Cuba's whuppin'. Silly rhetoric and anecdotes aside, MLB is a higher playing field, and the Cubans who get there don't look back. With the wacky rules determining national eligibility for the tournament, I'd be shocked if they manage to beat the Netherlands. posted by: Angry Sam on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Well, yeah, it's worked *so well* in China... Anyway, I'm surprised the Cuban team got held up at all -- the Bush administration should be happy to showcase Cuba's whuppin'. Silly rhetoric and anecdotes aside, MLB is a higher playing field, and the Cubans who get there don't look back. With the wacky rules determining national eligibility for the tournament, I'd be shocked if they manage to beat the Netherlands. posted by: Angry Sam on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Cuba would need a baseball event to get spies into Puerto Rico? Riiiiiggghhhht. posted by: Barry on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]The NBA legalised the zone defence a few years ago. Cuba sends spies into Puerto Rico. They find sensitive information and then...? Invade? Sell in to religious luantics who hate communism? Sit around with Chavez and Morales and throw spitballs at the American flag? - Josh posted by: Wild Pegasus on 01.20.06 at 08:46 PM [permalink]Post a Comment: |
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