Puerto Rico tries to bring a winning image to the World Classic despite off-field controversies

By David Colón

THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC THE EVENT OF THE YEAR 2023, HAS NOT been free of controversy, since 2022 and in recent days, with the permits denied to several players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela so that they can participate next month in El Clásico World Cup in the city of Miami.

While for the two time world runner-up, Puerto Rico, will try to present an optimistic image with just a little more than a month before the start of the “Baseball Sports Event of the Year”, the almost sepulchral silence “to give some information about Team Rubio”. This has been the order of the day, joining the now “incredulous” news coming from the sister countries of Quisqueya (DR) and South America that in an inexplicable and difficult to believe way, at this point, highlights the “bad news” that some MLB teams allegedly “do not want to give permission to some of their players to participate in the World Baseball Cup, which has taken about two years to be held due to the” controversial covid pandemic.

Since the beginnings of the (WBC) in 2006, 2009, 2013 and up to 2017, the odd news of controversy has emerged, but never, as many together as the recent ones with so many countries, except for the host country, the USA, which apparently, they are so and so united that everything seems “to order”, achieving all the permits for each player and without apparent problems of jealousy or communication, as have happened to other countries, especially those of Latinos, and to what extent Cuba has joined the controversy.

To give more flavor to the unfortunate controversy prior to the World Classic that begins on the 11th in Miami and on the 8th in the other Asian regions, The Caribbean Series, which in itself, was like the beginning of preparation and barometer to measure how the respective countries are directed, the vast majority of PR players, more than 90%, are not available for this small Latin American world series of baseball that would have been ideal, with the record participation of the 8 teams that will participate.

When conducting the El Expresso survey on a reaction to this matter, some of those consulted expressed “incredulous” and others, surprised and others, trusted that this Caribbean Classic “shocks, coincides by not stating “conflicts” with the next date of ” Spring Training” of the Major League teams, just two (2) days apart.

The Caribbean Series is scheduled from February 2 to 10 in Venezuela, while spring training begins on February 12.

Puerto Rico, which will be represented by Los Indios de Mayaguez-Puerto Rico, is managed by Mako Oliveras, the most winning manager in PR baseball history and the oldest to win a championship at 76 years of age, and “the great challenge” of leading a combined team of youngsters and summers without many active names in the Majors. If there is someone who can handle that, it is Mako who since the 80s, and his “famous rascals”, named after to win “without having many famous names”, as on this occasion, “we go with faith, the help of father God and a lot of encouragement,” said Mako Oliveras.

Stay tuned as we will be providing information on our boys and teams.