XM MLB Chat: K-rod gets a call from Hugo Chavez

Chavez made his remarks on Venezuelan television:

NY Times, 8/18: "Chávez, who views himself as a pillar of populism, told Rodriguez to tame his behavior but said that the nation was still very proud of him.

“The day before yesterday I called El Kid Rodriguez because he got into a problem over there,” Chávez said in Spanish on Tuesday at an economic meeting at the Palacio de Miraflores, his official office. Chávez’s remarks were broadcast on Venezuelan television.

“It appears that he hit his father-in-law,” Chávez continued. “I don’t know, they were arguing, and they put him in jail for a few hours. I called him and said, ‘Kid, what happened to you?’ He said, ‘I’m here, President, heading to the stadium.’ He was entering the stadium.’

“We love you, Kid,” Chávez continued. “Control your impulses. The Kid Rodriguez. The pride of all of us. Young man of this nation. Of course, over there in a difficult world. Difficult.”

Chávez is an avid baseball fan, and in 1999 he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Shea Stadium before a Mets game. He is close to several Venezuelan major leaguers, including Rodriguez, who appeared with Chávez at a charity event in Venezuela earlier this year."...