IT MAY NOT be the biggest deal in the world. It will not end the Cold War in the Straits of Florida. But the game set for the Orioles to play in Havana on March 28, with a return visit by the Cuban national team at a later date, is a good thing and a reward for Orioles' owner Peter Angelos' persistence.
Most fans in Baltimore seem to agree. Many Cuban-Americans near the Orioles spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and others who disagree should keep in mind that baseball is only a game. Its purpose is not foreign policy. Those nine innings are a relief from the cares of the world, not a vehicle for curing them.
The Johns Hopkins University baseball team went to Cuba in 1986. The games they played did not greatly change the world, Cuba or the university. But they were a fine experience for the young men on both sides.
The Orioles' negotiations were completed after President Clinton relaxed restrictions marginally to improve people-to-people contact with Cubans. Fidel Castro's government responded with crackdowns against dissidents and journalists, as if desperately to reaffirm its authority.
Mr. Castro's tyranny thrives on Cold War from Uncle Sam, and might not long withstand a thaw. More warming from Washington is in order. In this climate, something might still derail the games, which would be a pity.
The Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) in Florida does not agree. But it does not speak for all Cuban-Americans. And CANF should not dictate U.S. policy in the interest of a few well-off and hard-headed emigres. U.S. policy should be designed in the U.S. national interest.
Cuba is baseball country. If its government allowed, dozens of Cubans would be playing in this country, a few of them for very big bucks which they could remit to families back home.
In a shrinking world, with globalization of business and communications, more international exhibitions are going to take place.
It should not be terribly important to the U.S. government that the Baltimore Orioles are going to Havana. What remains important is that the U.S. government not stand in the Orioles' way. The games should be fun.
Pub Date: 3/09/99