Right now there is no a bigger news in the world of baseball. Neither the contract of Yulieski Gourriel in Japan – because it was something we saw coming, or the elbow injury of José Fernández- because that kind of event belongs to the calculations , or the violent beginning of campaign by Troy Tulowitzki. After all, the Rockies shortstop has always been an offensive phenomenon.
The news today on baseball pages is linked to Cuban outfielder Alfredo Despaigne who obviously has been playing in the Mexican League with a fake Dominican passport.
Despaigne, an undisputed star of the team Cuba, from the previous season saw plays with the Piratas de Campeche, for which he shows an overall .337 average (69 hits in 205 at-bats) with 13 homers and 38 RBIs in 51 games.
Great performance. However, it happens that the Mexican professional championship is affiliated with the National Association of Baseball America with the rank of Triple- A, and therefore it has to follow the regulations concerning the U.S. blockade against Cuba.
The story is kind of blurred and it looks hard it would get any clearer soon. According to ESPN.com, in an article written by well-known journalist Enrique Rojas, the league of that country has opened an investigation into the case after it was confirmed that the passport of the outfielder was made with data from two Dominican nationals and a fake ID.
Attention: other Cubans have played recently in in Mexico-in the previous year also Michel Enriquez and Yordanis Samon were there-, but it happens that the situation changed in 2014 due to the aforementioned Association warned that this time there would not signing of players who have a permanent residence on the island.
Information released by Rojas emphasized that Despaigne has no family in the Dominican Republic, and that the false document was issued on April 24, 2013, while he was playing as a reinforcement in Pinar del Rio in the National Series.
A source near Despaigne said the athlete was not aware he was registered under that nationality, and that he would not comment on the issue until he would have more information about what is happening.
Plinio Escalante, president of the Mexican League, was quick to reach the microphones. “At the moment we are opening an investigation to determine the legality of the Dominican passport used to enroll Despaigne in Campeche. If there is any irregularity, the baseball player will have to stop playing immediately and the team will face sanctions. ”
If the above is true, the shame will be present again in our baseball. That, because the U.S. blockade has no excuse, but neither violating for nothing is at all justified. I mean, unnecessarily. Eager to have Cuban players, the Japanese scenario is a hundred times better in terms of money and quality. Then, why so much ‘invention’?
Whoever came up with the unfortunate idea of faking his passport really didn’t make any sense. He is fit to play at any ball of this world, and there is no reason for farce somebody tried.
In the process of reintegration of the Cuban baseball player in the professional leagues in the world, the first thing we must keep is self-esteem. That is, we can aim much higher than the Campeche team, and the Mexican league.
They close the doors to us in the United States? Okay, we’re going to Japan.
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