WBC IGT: Dominican Republic v. Cuba (3/13, 2:00 p.m. ET)

[Guest Rotblatt]

I'm just tuning in now .

Paulino at the plate, Odelin pitching.

Paulino works the count full, then draws a walk. It's the second base runner for the Dominican Republic.

CF Taveras at the plate now.

Pujols was hit by a pitch, but so far, neither team has a hit.

on edit: got everything wrong here.

[Guest Rotblatt]

It's Odelin pitching for Cuba, Odalis Perez for DR.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Top half of the 3rd inning.

Not sure what's going on, but the DR just got a 2-0 lead on a Miguel Tejada 2B.

Odelin is getting yanked.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Pedroso in for Cuba to face Pujols.

Pedroso's only 20 years old, and already a star in Cuba, with what statistically looks like some pretty good stuff.

For the WBC, he's allowed 2 runs in 3 innings.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Pujols got on base, then a deep fly out for Ortiz. Tejada advances to third.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Ugh. Enriquez gets a grounder and launches it over the head of the first baseman, allowing 2 more runs to score.

4-0 DR.

[Guest Rotblatt]

It was Alou who reached on the error. He advances to second with a balk.

Beltre hit by a pitch.

Cuba's falling apart.

Tommy Lasorda, by the way, makes a terrible color guy. He's talking nonstop and the play-by-play guys can't get a word in edgewise.

He hates pitch counts, but thinks they make sense in the WBC.

He thinks Team USA is a bunch of pussies and they're not playing hard enough. He was unhappy with yesterday's game--apparently because they let Japan--who "want to win"--in the game.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Tabares reaches. Paret with a long fly ball out in RF.

Michel Enrique at the plate.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Enrique grounds into a double play. Tejada fields the grounder, touches second and tosses to Pujols.

Inning over.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Ortiz with a mammoth home run to give the DR a 6-0 lead.

The announcers think that the ball cleared the park.

[nymr83]

Down with Fidel!

[Guest KC]

I've always found it fascinating that Cuba still exists the way it does right
under our noses and sandwiched in between all those lovely other islands.

If anyone has some strong opinions or knowledge of the subject, it would
make a good thread. I can't start it, don't know enough, but I'd be an interested
reader and question asker.

[Frayed Knot]

This is what, Cuba's 5th game of the tourney? ... and I'll bet their pitchers have plunked at least a dozen batters so far. I know they hit 5 or 6 in one game in the 1st round.
I betting that it's not all due to a lack of control.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

As I understand it, when the US was at the height of its imperialism, there was a chance to make Cuba a US territory and possible future state. I'm not sure why Cuba didn't end up as a US property as Puerto Rico and Hawaii did. If Cuba had become a state in the early 20th Century it would surely have saved JFK and his administration a lot of grief.

It irks me that it's illegal for me to go to Cuba. It would be one thing if Cuba didn't want to admit Americans, but it's another thing that they're willing but it's the US government that keeps us out. The explanation is that they don't want us spending money there, which would help bolster the oppressive Castro regime. But as far as I know, we're not prohibited from visiting other dictatorships.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Gourriel hit a HR to make it 7-1.

I know little to nothing of Cuba.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Congress recognized Cuban independence in 1896, so while their may have been imperialist designs on some islands, and US foreign policy was increasingly influenced by Alfred T. Mahan' The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1600-1783, US policy for the liberation of Cuba was in place. Cessation of the Phillipines, Guam, and Puerto Rico was pretty good booty anyhow.