03-29-06,8:55am

The announcement arrived firm and in the voice of the leader of the Cuban Revolution. The money that the Cuban National Baseball Team will receive for finishing second in the World Baseball Classic will be donated to the victims of hurricane Katrina in the United States, exactly as was said by the Cuban authorities before the departure of the team two weeks earlier.

“That multiplies the moral of our athletes,” Fidel assured. He also informed that an equivalent amount of money, be it half a million, a million or more, will be assigned to improving for baseball in Cuba, without leaving aside other sports.

After having ended his speech at the celebration to honor the runners ups of the Classic, Fidel returned to the podium to comment about ideas, that he said are strictly sports related, because “I don’t want to mix politics with this historical event for baseball in the world,” he underscored.

Fidel also stated that he didn’t want to turn his words into an instrument to criticize professional baseball players or the Major Leagues. “Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama and the Dominican Republic behaved generously with Cuba, even when four Cubans tried to place some signs,” the leader of the Revolution reminded the audience.

When pointing to the fact that his greatest admiration for the team was for its firmness and serenity so as not to let themselves be provoked by such individuals in an event of a different nature, where a high degree of security was assured by the organizers, including the United States. “The shot backfired on them once again,” Fidel stated.

The second topic that he dealt with after returning to the microphones was related to the renovation and construction of new sports training schools, where facilities will be created for the practice of 22 different sports.

Fidel assured that the program is going well, and that soon news will be available in relation to what’s being done. Likewise, he reaffirmed that all athletes that have brought glory to this nation will have what they need to enjoy a dignified and wonderful life during their retirement.

The powerful empire stands informed that the ninth inning was already played, that we have runs to our advantage, and that we are the home club. On no field can they beat Cuba, the leader of the Cuban Revolution concluded.