DR's chances drop at WBC
Despite the DR having what is arguably the best baseball talent on the planet, whether the country will be able to put together the best baseball team come March is another story, as reported in Hoy. With only a month left before the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the final squad for the tournament is still undecided. Part of the problem is that some of the players on the team, including Carlos Pena, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols are recovering from injuries that hampered them during last season. Another issue is whether Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez and even Sammy Sosa will play on the team because of steroid talk. Though Rodriguez and Tejada have both been linked to performance enhancing drugs, sending shocks through baseball, Sosa's guilt by association and the thought that no one wants to take on an aging player have kept him out of baseball for a year. Vladimir Guerrero and Alfonso Soriano, who would have shored up weaknesses in the outfield and at the plate, will not be allowed to play because of contractual obligations that limit the amount of baseball they play. Jose Guillen has supposedly declined to play because of a feud with manager Felipe Alou. Ronny Paulino opted out so that he could ensure himself a roster spot with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fausto Carmona, who would have been the anchor on the pitching staff, has declined an invitation to play, and now aging pitcher Pedro Martinez will lead the young, unproven rotation.
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