[Marxism] Fidel Castro: The moral importance of the world baseball classic

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

commentary by Cuba's Commander-in-Chief, explaining the
economic underpinnings of the World Baseball Classic and what the
prospects are for the Cuban team. Explains where there even IS a
World Baseball Classic and what that signifies politically as well
as economically. This discussion should be circulated far and wide.)
__________________________________________________________

GRANMA INTERNATIONAL
Havana. March 18, 2009

Reflections of Fidel
The moral importance of the Classic
(Taken from Cubadebate)

AT the beginning of the Revolution the Olympics were an event for amateurs.

When the concepts of developed capitalism managed to penetrate the Olympic
Games, athletic activity ceased being an issue of health and education, its
objectives throughout history.

The only country in the world where that character was preserved was Cuba
which, over many years, attained the highest per capita rate of gold medals
in terms of its population.

Our finest and most worthy athletes, those who have not become corrupt, have
not sold themselves, nor betrayed their people and their homeland, are the
ones who represent us with honor in international competitions.

Those countries in which new revolutionary processes have emerged, such as
Venezuela, and which consider sports a sacred right of the people, are now
unable to participate in highly prestigious events with their professional
athletes, given it requires the authorization of the private companies which
have acquired rights over those athletes. Athletes are bought and sold like
any other commodity. Many of them are serious people who love the country in
which they were born, but who cannot decide for themselves.

Leonel Fernández, president of the Dominican Republic, has bitterly
complained about that situation and his team has been eliminated from the
Classic. Chávez talks about members of the Venezuelan team with enthusiasm
and fondness, while complaining bitterly that his Venezuelan star pitchers
and batters in the Major Leagues are not allowed to play under the
Venezuelan flag.

Cuba has an excellent national team, made up of players from all parts of
the island, where every province feels proud of its contribution to the
Cuban selection. Individually, their rivals may be equal to or even better
than many of our players, given the economic and technical resources of the
United States, Canada, Japan and others. What distinguishes the Cuban
athletes is their strong motivation on account of the values that they
represent.

The team selected is doubtless the best to have represented our country,
given the track records, qualities and merits of each player. Opinion polls
demonstrate that, given the degree of satisfaction expressed for the
selection throughout the country, with a few exceptions.

Now we have to address real facts:

The Classic was organized by those who run the exploitation of sports in the
United States, people who, moreover, are astute, intelligent and also as
diplomatic as they need to be. However, they cannot do without our country
in those Classics.

They placed the three best teams from the (first) Classic and the Olympics ?
Japan, Korea and Cuba ? in the same group, so that they would eliminate each
other. Last time, they placed us in the Latin American group, this time in
the Asian group.

For that reason, between today and tomorrow in San Diego, one of the three
will be irremissibly eliminated without having previously competed against
the team of the United States, the country of the "Major Leagues." This
means that, in the next stage, two of the three will be knocked out. We are
thus obliged to wage our battle and draw up strategies in the midst of those
vicissitudes.

Japan?s team beat us on the 15th because we undoubtedly committed errors of
management at that point, thousands of kilometers away, where it is
virtually impossible for Cuba to influence the management of its team.

Currently, the views of our population are divided, but an ample majority is
of the opinion that the most convenient result would be a win for Korea
against Japan. They understand that the team from that great Asian country
is like a precision watch. Of its 28 members, 23 play in the Japanese
league. Each one of them is programmed and they have analyzed the
characteristics of our players one by one.

Like all Asians, they possess a large dose of sangfroid. Thus they have
beaten us twice: in the final game that decided the last Classic and in the
first game between the two in this event.

On the other hand, Korea has invested major resources in facilities and
technology. One the eve of the last Olympics, in which we had to adapt to a
totally opposite time change, they were splendid with us and offered us
their facilities free of charge, but at the same time, they exhaustively
studied each and every one of our athletes, shooting film and footage of
them. They know all of our pitches and the response of each one of our
batters to pitches. They constitute the principal adversary, because they
are likewise methodical and bat with more strength than the Japanese.

Despite the adverse circumstances noted, neither of the two is invulnerable
to our team. A number of Cuban players are new. We have worked more on the
weak points of our star players. There is one principle that cannot be
violated: whichever is the adversary tomorrow, Wednesday, none of the
habitual well-worn paths can be followed.

We possess a lineup of strong batters, almost all of whom can hit a home run
? and they have demonstrated that ? as well as a lineup of light, rapid and
safe batters, who when combined with the strong batters can wreak
considerable damage, like they did yesterday against Mexico.

Almost all the pitchers are liberated for Wednesday. We have to start from
the characteristics of each one of them, their degree of control and
domination of pitches in each and any of the concrete situations that could
arise. One of the inviolable principles is that there can be no vacillation
whatsoever when a pitcher has to be substituted immediately, if they show a
tendency to lose control facing the Japanese or Koreans.

Our experts of profound experience who advise the INDER should indicate
beforehand the priority order in which a lefthander or right-hander should
take charge of the mound. There could be an opening pitcher, or a number of
them who can play the role of an excellent opening pitcher, for which we
have the necessary raw material.

There is one thing that every player should internalize. Not to feel
discouraged for a single instant. Not to try to desperately hit every ball,
as was the case with some of our batters in the last encounter with Japan.

In our country, unfortunately, we have the unhealthy habit of waiting for
the first strike, an old custom inculcated in Cuban baseball players, a
habit of which opposing pitchers are aware, calmly throwing the first strike
straight over home. We have to force a hard task on them from the very first
moment.

We have a model to follow in our team: the incredible serenity and security
of Cepeda, to whom I wish to pay tribute in this Reflection, for his
prowess. He has not in the least varied in his sports efficiency since his
first time at bat in the Classic. Yesterday, when we had five runs against
Mexico, he had batted in four of them. That game demonstrated that we can
beat an adversary.

I greet all the members of the excellent team representing us in San Diego.

Patria o Muerte

¡Venceremos!

Fidel Castro Ruz
March 17, 2009
7:21 p.m.

Translated by Granma International 

=========================================
WALTER LIPPMANN
Havana, Cuba
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo"
=========================================



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