World Cup of Baseball

Here's my team

I think that there is a huge possibility for this to really happen, in which case I'm almost sure that USA will have the best chances to win. Anyway, we will have serious chances in a couple of years, when we get experience and take a more resposable approach on it. Here's my team for the next year, some of the players don't appear in their usual position.

c. Miguel Olivo
1b. David Ortiz
2b. Luis Castillo
3b. Albert Pujols
ss. Alex Rodriguez (yes, he was born on NY, but I'm possitive he will most likely play for a DR team)
lf. Manny Ramirez
cf. Vladimir Guerrero
rf. Sammy Sosa
dh. Alfonso Soriano
bn. Miguel Tejada
bn. Adrian Beltr?
bn. Rafael Furcal
bn.Raul Mondes?
bn.Moises Alou
bn. Angel Berroa
rhp. Pedro Martinez
rhp. Bartolo Colon
lhp. Odalis Perez
rhp. Miguel Batista
rp. Jos? Lima
rp. Jos? Mesa
rp. Octavio Dotel
rp. Guillermo Mota
rp. Rafael Soriano
cp. Armando Benitez

I even have my managers and coaches staff.
Manager: Felipe Rojas Alou
Pitching Coach: --
Batting Coach: Julio Franco (active player, good hitter, but too old for lineup)
Bench Coach: Tony Pe?a
1b Coach: Juan Samuel
3b Coach: Felix Fermin

If you take a close look at this team, you will find: three MVP award winners, one three-times Cy Young winner, three Rookie of the year, and two Manager of the Year.

This would more than likely be the most logical and potent lineup:


1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Alfonso Soriano
3B - Aramis Ramirez
SS - Miguel Tejada
OF - Manny Ramirez
OF - Sammy Sosa
OF - Vladimir Guerrero
C - Miguel Olivo
DH - David Ortiz

SP - Pedro Martinez
SP - Ramon Ortiz
SP - Bartolo Colon
SP - Odalis Perez

RP - Octavio Dotel
RP - Felix Rodriguez


The Cup is considering using International Rules, which would not allow ARod to play for the Dominican team.

What about Jose Guillen? He's also a definite consideration for field. Pretty tight squeeze against the other 3 though. Vladimir just doesn't seem to be fielding as good this year, but he's sure on the bats.

No, Arod was born in NYC and moved to Miami as a child.


Trina your scenario applies to Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols and Carlos Pena, give or take a few years.

NY1 said:

No, Arod was born in NYC and moved to Miami as a child.


Trina your scenario applies to Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols and Carlos Pena, give or take a few years.

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Sorry, I realized my error and erased my original post. Thought I'd just delete it since I was wrong. I do believe though that Arod moved back to the DR when he was about 9, and that's when he started to take an interest in sports.

Two very good lineups above, though I think I'd leave Soriano out and put Arod in SS, leaving 2nd base for Tejada or Castillo. I firmly believe AR would play for the DR if he is allowed.

Yes Trina, they went back, for a few years:


Alex Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975, in New York City to Victor and Lourdes Navarro Rodriguez. His father ran a shoe store in Manhattan, then moved the family to his native country of the Dominican Republic when his son was four. There, his father was a catcher for a Dominican pro team. When Alex Rodriguez was in fourth grade, they returned to the United States to live in Miami. A year later, his parents separated, and his mother raised her children--Alex Rodriguez and his two older siblings, Joe and Susy--on her own. In order to send her son to private school, she worked days as a secretary at an immigration office and waited tables at night.

Here's the scoop

trina said:

Sorry, I realized my error and erased my original post. Thought I'd just delete it since I was wrong. I do believe though that Arod moved back to the DR when he was about 9, and that's when he started to take an interest in sports.

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This is what I found:

Alex Rodriguez Growing Up
Alex Emanuel Rodriguez was born in New York City on July 27, 1975. He stayed in NYC until he was four, when his family moved back to his parents' native land - the Dominican Republic. It was there that Alex Rodriguez first learned to play baseball. Four years later, his family moved back to the United States and settled in Miami, Florida. Not long after that, Alex's parents got divorced and his father left town. His mother took two jobs to support Alex, his brother Joe and his sister, Suzy. Seeing his mom struggle to work two jobs made Alex Rodriguez determined to become a professional baseball player and make a lot of money.

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NY1 said:

Yes Trina, they went back, for a few years:


Alex Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975, in New York City to Victor and Lourdes Navarro Rodriguez. His father ran a shoe store in Manhattan, then moved the family to his native country of the Dominican Republic when his son was four. There, his father was a catcher for a Dominican pro team. When Alex Rodriguez was in fourth grade, they returned to the United States to live in Miami. A year later, his parents separated, and his mother raised her children--Alex Rodriguez and his two older siblings, Joe and Susy--on her own. In order to send her son to private school, she worked days as a secretary at an immigration office and waited tables at night.

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Sorry, we must've been posting at the same time. You know your baseball well!

International rules?

what are this rules? The rules allowing dominican born tenis player Mary Joe Fernandez to play olimpics representing US of A? The rules that doesn't matter that another tennis player, monica seles, althought born on germany, played always as american? Remember that A rod played for the Leones del Escogido one season (well, some games) and even thought he sworn then not to play again for a professional team here, I think this would be diferent. Arod is so proud of his dominican roots that I'm sure he won't play on a WS if it's not on a DR team.

Mary Jo Fernandez and Monica Seles are both Naturalized Citizens of the USA, that's why they played for the US team.

Hakeem Olajuwon had to wait to become a citizen before he played for the Dream Team in the Olympics.

Playing for a Winter League team in DR, does not mean anything, lots of Americans play in DR, and PR, and Mexico during the Winter Leagues.


As a proud Dominican American myself, I would love to see Arod play for the Dominican team, but if they are going by the rules established for International competition, he would not be allowed to.

NY1 said:

As a proud Dominican American myself, I would love to see Arod play for the Dominican team, but if they are going by the rules established for International competition, he would not be allowed to.

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He has been heard saying that if he can't play for the Dominican team, he wouldn't play. I wonder if he has dual citizenship? He did live in the DR for a brief stint, and loves his Dominican roots. I guess time will tell.

I don't believe the US allows dual citizenships for people born in the USA, I could be wrong but...

I think if he refuses to play, it would be bad for him with the fans in the US. They will see him as ungrateful to be an American. On the other hand, the Dominican fans may do the same if he does play for the US. He definitely is stuck between a rock and a hard place in this situation.

NY1 said:

I don't believe the US allows dual citizenships for people born in the USA, I could be wrong but...

I think if he refuses to play, it would be bad for him with the fans in the US. They will see him as ungrateful to be an American. On the other hand, the Dominican fans may do the same if he does play for the US. He definitely is stuck between a rock and a hard place in this situation.

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I couldn't agree more. I was just daydreaming and imagining him running out to the field for the first time in a DR uniform, while the American fans booed. Not pretty. I would hope DR fans would be a little less harsh.

I don't think, in the end, he'd refuse to play, he's too smart for that. But there'd be a lot of good PR work on his end to soften the blow to DR fans if he couldn't play for their team. Likewise, he'd do a lot of PR work to the US fans if he played for the DR team.