Cuba:
Peter C. Bjarkman reports on Monday that the Cuban Baseball Federation has named Higinio Velez manager of Team Cuba at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Velez last headed the coaching staff of Cuba at the 2006 WBC, leading the squad to a second-place finish behind Japan. He succeeds Antonio Pacheco, who was the skipper Cuba’s at the Beijing Olympics last August. He was criticized in his home country for “only” winning the silver medal behind South Korea. Velez worked as President of the Cuban Baseball Federation and National Series League Commissioner the past one and a half years. Cuba is scheduled to start into the WBC on March 8th in Mexico City against South Africa. The 43-man provisional roster will start training camp today.
Venezuela:
Starting pitcher Johan Santana plans to skip the World Baseball Classic at the request of official of his employer New York Mets. The southpaw, who is currently working out at the Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, underwent arthroscopy surgery on his left knee during the offseason to repair torn meniscus cartilage.
Dominican Republic:
Third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees admitted on Monday in an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons that he took performance enhancing drugs (PED) during his stint with the Texas Rangers between 2001 and 2003. Last weekend Sports Illustrated had reported that he was tested positive on testosterone and Primobolan in a survey test in 2003. In the interview Rodriguez couldn’t say what exactly he took. He also apologized for taking the banned substance.
“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons in an exclusive interview in Miami Beach, Fla.
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“Back then, [baseball] was a different culture,” Rodriguez said. “It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.
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“I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful.”
He also said that he stopped using PEDs after an injury during the 2003 Spring Training. Before the 2004 season he was traded to the Yankees and claims the years in New York are clean. According to him he was tested between eight and ten times since then and never was tested positive again. He also was tested (including blood tests) during the 2006 World Baseball Classic by the WADA.
Rodriguez still expects to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 WBC. They will open the tournament against the Netherlands on March 7th in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The complete interview: