Atlanta Braves Morning Chop Special: Baseball’s Error in Cuba

Open Celebrations of Baseball in Havana Today Belie and Ignore the Underlying Suppression of Freedom Still Very Much in Force

This is my theme today as the Tampa Bay Rays get set to play an exhibition game in Havana, Cuba against a bad assortment of Cuban players.  Make no mistake about it:  this visit from the Rays and our President is a celebration of the Cuban Government – with baseball as a sideshow.

Last week, there was a sweep of opposition leaders and members – some 180 arrests have been reported.  Many have since been released – but not all – in a clear move by the government to take control of any protests before they even started.

It is a totalitarian system:  one that came to power amidst brutal theft of property, wealth, and lives.  Even now, those who can leave the island do so via any means available.  This is not a panacea of health care and education that many portray.  Not at all – unless you’re part of the few favored by the regime.  It is a communist dictatorship that demands conformity and obedience.

The Atlanta Braves currently have two players on its roster who hail from Cuba, plus a manager who was born in Holguín, Cuba.  Fredi Gonzalez‘ parents were among those who successfully escaped to Miami in 1966 with his family on a “freedom flight”.  His parents still harbor resentment toward the Castros and their takeover of the island nation, and that was reiterated when the possibility was raised that the Braves could end up being selected for today’s trip.  They were afraid of their son being kidnapped or imprisoned, but figured there might be enough safety for him being part of an MLB delegation.

Hector Olivera didn’t get a plane ride out of Cuba.  He was smuggled out, most likely in exchange for several million of his Dodgers’ signing bonus.  Adonis Garcia hasn’t talked much about the details of his journey, but has told interviewers that it’s hard having the “fear of leaving behind everything and everyone you’ve ever known for an uncertain future.”  He, like others, left his family behind.  Most say that they couldn’t even dare tell their families that there was an escape plan in place.  They simply disappeared without a word for days and weeks.

Does that tell you anything about how badly these players want to get out of that country?

There was another Garcia – Onelki Garcia (a Dodgers draftee) – who described a harrowing tale in his efforts to get to the United States.  There are many others as well.

My opinion:  Major League Baseball should not be involved in this state visit at all – not until the Cuban people are truly free.  Today’s game isn’t about baseball – it’s about the control of a Cuban Government that still hasn’t changed for over 55 years.  If America’s freedoms can be symbolized by baseball, then we should do so all the more… by withholding our sport from those denied that freedom.

Next: Speaking of Hector... He's Thriving Here

Many still believe this is the land of the free.  Certainly it is now the home of many who have been very brave.