Venezuela Sports Minister calls Ordonez dissenters "VENEZUELAN WORMS"

Caracas, AP: "(Magglio) Ordonez, who went 0-for-3, said he felt “ashamed” by the way Venezuelans in the crowd reacted every time he stepped to the plate. Fans cheered loudly when he struck out in the fourth inning.

• The crowd applauded when Venezuela manager Luis Sojo took Ordonez out of the game after the seventh inning.

• Most Venezuelans in South Florida despise the left-leaning (dictator Hugo) Chavez.

Ordonez, one of Venezuela’s biggest baseball stars, appeared in a television ad last month supporting a proposal by Chavez to eliminate term limits for the president and other elected officials through a constitutional amendment. Voters approved the proposal in a Feb. 15 referendum.

• The outfielder also joined the socialist (Chavez) for a friendly

• softball game ahead of the vote,

but denied Sunday that the match—billed on state television as “The Amendment Cup”—was a political event....

• Sports Minister Victoria Mata also condemned the incident in a news report titled

• “Venezuelan worms in Miami”

• that was carried by YVKE Mundial, a state-run radio network."...

Original AP story, 3/14/09, "Fans Jeer Magglio Ordonez for Pro-Chavez Ad"

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