Oops--Thousands in Puerto Rico on wait list for Correa Baseball School

(MLB.com 11/29/08): ""The lack of players being developed in Puerto Rico is evident, not only playing baseball, but in

• the small number of children that desire to play baseball," said Lou Melendez, Major League Baseball's vice president of international baseball operations.

• "The kids in Puerto Rico are like those in the U.S and they have other activities to engage in, so the sport of baseball is competing.""

From the same MLB.com article, thousands of kids are on Correa Baseball Academy's waiting list:

• "The average graduating class at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School is between 55-70 students a year. There are thousands on the school's waiting list."

So, it's not true that kids aren't interested--they're very interested. It was MLB that wasn't interested--it's more expensive to develop players in Puerto Rico for example than the Dominican Republic.

• 12/29/07, Diane M Grassi: "Meanwhile, Puerto Rico, after 69 years went without its winter league operating this 2007-2008 off-season, due to budget shortfalls of its league development.

• MLB has yet to take a stance on the state of baseball in
• Puerto Rico which must adhere to the same rules of U.S. born players,

• having to finish high school and be 18 years of age to sign a minor league contract, attend a junior college or complete at least 3 years of a 4-year college

• and/or be 21 years of age if the 3rd year is not completed.

It hardly seems fair for a small Caribbean island, although a territory of the U.S, to not be able to compete on an even playing field

• with either Venezuela or the Dominican Republic. But without the funding to develop its young prospects, it appears

• Puerto Rico has become too costly an investment
• for MLB.

And Panama, literally a banana republic, once the home for Chiquita Bananas International, until it moved to Costa Rica where labor was cheaper, also has largely been ignored by MLB. Only 5 major leaguers from Panama remained on MLB rosters in 2007, most notably NY Yankees pitcher, Mariano Rivera, and Houston Astros outfielder, Carlos Lee. Hall of Famer, Rod Carew also hailed from Panama.

• But Panama development would require a long-term investment. And there too the national baseball federation is at odds
• with MLB....

What this all comes down to is not some noble attempt for MLB to spread baseball throughout the world, such as the U.S. government would like us to believe that globalization is about democratizing the rest of world.

• It is all about the dollar, no matter if young boys and men of the Dominican Republic are exploited, or whether Venezuelan's are threatened with the possibility of losing their now national pastime.

• And why MLB can negotiate with Communist China but does not see fit to redevelop baseball again

in its own territory of Puerto Rico, also deserves questioning."

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