• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 09 / 18 / 2010

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The Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported that Cuba is now in Group B along with Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Dutch Antilles and Argentina. While Group A includes Puerto Rico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia and Aruba. The new groups were announced by the event organizer MB Sports.

It was also announced that the first round will be held in the Puerto Rican cities of Mayagüez, Ponce and Carolina.

The two top teams from each group in the first round will advance to the medal round. Teams will cross over in the semifinals, the top teams playing against the second place teams in the other group. The two winners of the crossover games will meet in the best of three games final. Third and fourth place in each group will cross over to determine the last two tickets to the 2011 World Cup and the Guadalajara Pan-American Games.

There are six tickets available to the World Cup and seven to the Pan-American games. Mexico’s ticket to the Pan-Americans is guaranteed as host.

In national baseball news, the Cuban squad to compete at the Pre-World Championships was reduced to 33 players over the weekend. Eliminated from the roster were catcher Yenier Bello, starting pitcher Yunier Mendoza, infielder Alexander Guerrero, outfielder Ariel Sánchez and pitchers Maikel Folch and Miguel Lahera.

Team manager Eduardo Martín said that the final lineup will be announced at the last moment. “We are training to play in 12 or 13 games. This year’s competition system is set up differently with fewer games, but it is still not final; therefore we are going to wait before making the decision to take 10 or 11 pitchers, and 2 or 3 catchers.”

The coaching and training staff includes: Rodolfo Puente, Benito Camacho, Germán Mesa, Eduardo Martín, Esteban Lombillo, José Elosegui, Orestes Kindelán, Omar Linares, Julio Romero, Luis Jova, José Barrizonte, Javier Gálvez, Wilfredo Acosta and Juan Ramón Alvarado.

The 16th Pan American Games are to take place in October 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. It will be the largest multi-sport event held in Mexico outside the capital. The Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national baseball teams from around the world compete. It is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it is one of two active tournaments considered by the IBAF to be a major world championship. (The baseball tournament at the Summer Olympic Games was also considered a major world championship, but baseball is no longer an Olympic sport.)

The president of the Cuban Baseball Federatiuon, Higinio Vélez, confirmed that Cuba will play five friendly matches against Nicaragua from September 22 to 26.

The 33 players that made the cut are: Catchers Ariel Pestano, Frank Camilo Morejón, Yulexis La Rosa and Yosvani Alarcón; Infielders: José Dariel Abreu, Alexander Malleta, Héctor Olivera, Yoilán Cerce, Michel Enríquez, Yuliesky Gourriel, Aledmis Díaz and Yorbis Borroto; outfielders: Frederich Cepeda, Alfredo Despaigne, Yoenis Céspedes, Alexei Bell, Giorvis Duvergel and Yoandry Urgellés; pitchers: Pedro Luis Lazo, Miguel Alfredo González, Yadier Pedroso, Yulieski González, Jonder Martínez, Odrisamer Despaigne, Norge Luis Vera, Ismel Jiménez, Norberto González, Alexander Rodríguez, Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Dalier Hinojosa, Robelio Carrillo, Vladimir García and Arleys Sánchez.

The El Nuevo Dia newspaper also reported that a reduced group of players reported for training for Puerto Rico at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan including former major league players Ramón Vázquez, Armando Ríos, Luis «Wicho» Figueroa, Jorge Padilla and Andy González; along with Miguel Abreu, Hiram Burgos, Carlos Corporán and Chris Amador.

Mako Oliveras was in charge of the training session, replacing manager Eduardo Pérez, who had other professional commitments.

Other major league players that have been called up to play for Puerto Rico include, Carlos Delgado, Juan «Igor» González, Saúl «Monaguillo» Rivera, Fernando Cabrera, Enrique Calero, Rubén Gotay, Robert Andino and Hiram Bocachicca. The Puerto Ricans will play all their games at prime time at 7 p.m.

After several changes, only time will tell if this is the definitive version of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Cuban team is taking a few days off before continuing with their training.

Source: JR