OT: Cuba to allow its athletes to sign professionally abroad without defecting.
Cuba has announced that athletes from all sports soon will be able to sign contracts with foreign leagues. This is huge news, a move that will change the landscape of baseball.
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/09/27/cuba-will-let-athletes-sign-with-foreign-leagues/2885481/
September 27th, 2013 at 8:14 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 9:11 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 10:20 PM ^
Travel and economic restrictions between the US and Cuba go beyond Cuba's now defunct pro-sports policy.
September 28th, 2013 at 11:43 PM ^
The Cubans want to be able to take advantage of the income to be gained by athletes just as they have benefited from income and transfers from artists and other professionals. But this also pushes the envelope on the economic embargo.
September 27th, 2013 at 8:30 PM ^
"But we're probably going to defect anyway. Thanks."
~ Cuba
September 27th, 2013 at 9:27 PM ^
people who cussed this or that aspect of Cuban life but also talked about how the US had no health insurance, etc. Most just want some stuff changed there. Polls can't be completely trusted, but one after another for decades has shown that Cubans like their basic system but want more representation. It's really not the police state that some people imagine; we've got way more of our population in jail per capita than they do. The gap between rich and poor is miniscule compared to this country.
September 27th, 2013 at 9:54 PM ^
You say polls can't be trusted in that country, then go on to base your argument on those same polls :/
And we actually don't know how much of their population is in prison or not because they don't make public the records on the thousands of political prisoners.
September 27th, 2013 at 10:12 PM ^
If Cuba is such a great place, then why do people risk their lives crossing open water to get here?
September 27th, 2013 at 10:16 PM ^
Not hard when a country doesn't have much private wealth to speak of.
September 28th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 11:20 PM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 12:31 AM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
You do know any person in the US can go to an emergency room and get treatment, right? Whether that is cost effective and good for preventative care is another debate, but as someone that for a bit had no health care coverage, treatment in the US even for someone without coverage is much better than anyone in Cuba. And yes, in Venezuela people in rural areas who have never been to a doctor prefer having the cuban one to none, but to say their system is better than the US (or any other) is ridiculous...
September 28th, 2013 at 12:10 PM ^
A few statistics you should look at for the US and Cuba: average income; per capita spending on health care; WHO health care system rankings; and life expectancy. The US and Cuba are at opposite ends of the spectrum on the first two and about equal on the last two.
September 28th, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^
Statistics can tell us all kinds of things. North Korea is apparently one of the most egalitarian societies in the world (because everyone is poor), for instance.
I think this is the most meaningful statistic: net migration between the countries. For a half-century, far more Cubans have tried to immigrate to the U.S. in vastly larger numbers than Americans have tried to immigrate to Cuba, despite our country having 30 times as many people. Cubans are willing to risk their lives to come here. I've yet to met an American who would do the reverse.
September 28th, 2013 at 1:56 PM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^
I am talking about people who defected recently, not 50 years ago
September 28th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^
It's not that I disagree with what you're saying, but your argument is the mother of all sampling biases.
September 28th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^
True, but I was just providing the other side of the coin to the original poster to whom I was replying who started that people in Cuba think life is good there because of what they told a tourist. Sadly knowing exhiled Cubans that live in Venezuela and Miami and who still have family there, I believe is a more accurate sample that what the original poster used in his argument.
September 28th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
to Cubans in Cuba? You cannot be serious.
September 28th, 2013 at 2:43 PM ^
You do know what happens to people in Cuba that speak out against the govt right? Now do you undertsand why the statement from someone there is to be doubted? But I guess you'll believe whatever you want to believe.
September 28th, 2013 at 6:10 AM ^
Did you speak to Cuban exiles in Florida? No?
I have relatives who lived in Eastern Europe under communism and to a one they HATED the govts. they lived under.
September 28th, 2013 at 6:49 AM ^
That is perhaps the best predictor of what could happen. When the borders opened over 20 years ago, many people left to see the West then returned home. Personally, I don't see much incentive for a professinal athlete to return to Cuba but you never know...
September 28th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
Actually, there has been a pretty steady migration of Eastern Europeans to Western Europe (and the U.S., Canada and elsewhere) since the end of communism. There are now over 500,000 Polish-born people living in the UK, for example. When people have moved back, it's usually been because the economy in their new country was faltering and jobs weren't there anymore.
It's not a perfect analogy anyway, though, because the Eastern European countries repudiated communism while the Cuban government is probably not ready to do that.
September 28th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
the mixed market economy that is Cuba's. Cuba's biggest trading partners are Canada and Israel. And private ownership of property has been allowed since the 1950s, when Cuba's small farmers fought a war against Castro, won, and became his biggest supporters. Ignorance is so rife in this country. . . I'm not defending Castro, but the thoughtless blockhead memes really need to go. Cuba had a crazed torturing Mafioso dictator before Castro, and the people who went to Miami were his supporters. They controlled the conversation for fifty years; not anymore. Castro has tortured his enemies--about ten of them to Batista's tens of thousands; Amnesty Int'l asserts that we torture, too. We absolutely have a higher percentage of Americans in prison than Cuba does Cubans. Just. . . some. . . sense of proportion is all one asks, from M grad's fergodsakes. I learned to challenge the MSM BS in the RC; I don't give it up now.
September 28th, 2013 at 1:08 PM ^
I am shocked - shocked! - that MGlobules would inject politics into this discussion. Dude, you are obsessed.
Anyway, I doubt the average Cuban baseball player cares about income inequalities and such.
September 28th, 2013 at 11:46 PM ^
I've traveled to Cuba at different points since 1979 (when I was at Michigan and it was completely legal to travel there under Carter.) I did a lot of work setting up exchange projects etc in the late 90s-early 00s, and I have a lot of friends on the island or from it. I think what you say is pretty spot on.
September 27th, 2013 at 8:52 PM ^
Wait does this mean the cigars are legal now?
September 27th, 2013 at 9:03 PM ^
the logic behind this is bringing more revenue in?... Idk. I'll enjoy seeing a bigger Cuban influence in the MLB
September 27th, 2013 at 9:04 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 9:42 PM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 1:03 AM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
I just want your half.
/They might be giants'd
September 27th, 2013 at 9:12 PM ^
Cuba has the most baseball talent out of all the countries in the world. The rate they were able to produce quality MLB players in such a small country is very impressive. Two Cubans, Yasiel Puig and Jose Fernandez, are competing for the NL ROY this year with Jose Fernandez is in contention for the Cy Young award
September 28th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
Don't forget one of the major contenders for the AL ROY as well.
Nevertheless, I think the Dominicans would have something to say about your assertion.
September 28th, 2013 at 7:09 PM ^
Dominicans love to juice.
September 27th, 2013 at 9:22 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^
So much talent in Cuba. Next is restoring relations with the US, which will be followed by all the cigars! And taking a trip to Havana and the Cuban resorts is high my list. My Canadien friends have all gone and they say its an amazing place. Very cheap and still stuck in the 50s.
September 28th, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^
The Administration isn't enforcing the travel restrictions.
September 27th, 2013 at 9:39 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 9:41 PM ^
because they have a ton of young talents on the team and at the minor league system. They're going to be a really, really good within 2 years with Fernandez, Stanton, Yelich, etc. on the team.
September 27th, 2013 at 9:59 PM ^
Loria just fired Beinfest and Fleming. He's going to ruin that franchise. For about the 3rd time. By the time Fernandez, Stanton and Yelich are arbitration-eligible, they'll be traded. I put it 50-50 that Stanton gets moved this winter.
I don't think the Marlins can be saved, as long as they're owned by an arrogant art dealer that thinks he knows baseball better than baseball people. He's not Steinbrenner.
September 28th, 2013 at 12:10 AM ^
Dickerson and Price were talking about the firings today and how odd it was that they didn't even wait the 3 games til the season was over to make it official. They were speculating that there might have been some, "fireworks" at a meeting last night and they just decided to part ways.
That said you are correct and that franchise might be stuck in the cellar for quite some time, at least when you look at the Astros you see a team that's building through the drafts and a plethora of decent trades, so they could be a decent team in about 3 or 4 years.
September 28th, 2013 at 8:15 AM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 9:59 PM ^
September 27th, 2013 at 10:00 PM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 12:23 AM ^
this is going to be awesome for baseball.
September 28th, 2013 at 5:57 AM ^
September 28th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
I say come one, come all. If Iglesias is any indication, the future of MLB is rosy!