Dominican Baseball Players

i have little idea about their backgrounds (i know sammy is from spm), but am sure they help their compatriots in some form or other.

i do believe that it's not the players who should be obliged to help with poverty here or any other place in the world, but the people who are actually paying them in the first place.
there is something wrong that sports personalities, who are doing something they want to do anyway, are paid pot loads of money by fat cats. the fat cats sit back smoking their cigars, while pressure is put on the players on how to spend their money.

woudn't it be great if the fat cats had to pay the equivalent of each and every players' salary to a charity of the player's choice.
in the d.r., though, you would suddenly see a lot more new charities and a lot more new avenues for corruption.

anyway, that said, sammy "solido" sosa has a house just round the corner from me, it's supposed to be loaded with different cars and jeepetas. i'm sure he gives shoe shine boys the occasional 'bola'.
- hey, it's their money, their conscience. let them do what they like with both.

Pedro has...

...done quite a bit for his home town Managuayabo (sp?). He's built a church, put together some businesses. I'm short on details but I've read quite a bit in the past.

I was just riding by Sammy's pile of cement on Anacoana on Sunday and I was wondering the same as you Larry.

I read about a statue of a 'limpiobota' in SPM to signify his rise from boot cleaner to ball smasher. Perhaps a restaurant too? My memory is failing me, but he doesn't live there so that should tell you something.

I would think a statue with a syringe full of steroids stabbed into his ass would be more applicable.

What strikes me is that he has built that block house (block as in city block - of cement) and can't spend more than 3 months a year there. Not much of a retirement home either. That doesn't make any sense to me.

That being said, it's his money, he can do whatever he wants with it. All the power to him.

In general, all baseball players come from poverty. It's not a sport played by the "upper" classes, so to speak.

getonwithit said:

\
woudn't it be great if the fat cats had to pay the equivalent of each and every players' salary to a charity of the player's choice.
in the d.r., though, you would suddenly see a lot more new charities and a lot more new avenues for corruption.

Click to expand...

I really hate it when people spout off with their "Holier than Thou" ideas and attitudeds without thinking even once to investigate.

Do you know of even one professional sports team owner that does not give to charity or has some active role in the community?

Its easy to hate the rich when you are probobly never going to be one!

When Mondesi played for Toronto, he donated fire trucks to somewhere in the DR. I can't recall how many or where, but remember seeing it on the news several years ago.

Also a friend of mine originally from SPM (now living in NYC) often tells stories of what baseball players from there do for that community. I'm sure they all give back in one way or another. A lot of it probably goes on without the publicity.

In my experiences with Dominicans, they are very generous and even the non-famous, ordinary folks who live abroad usually do what they can to help out people from their hometown when they return for a visit.

Tony C said:

I really hate it when people spout off with their "Holier than Thou" ideas and attitudeds without thinking even once to investigate.

Do you know of even one professional sports team owner that does not give to charity or has some active role in the community?

Click to expand...

hey. i know what a 'holier than thou' attitude is, but i don't claim to be holier than anyone.
i did say that i am sure the players help their countrymen. do you want me to investigate that?

most people would admit that the money sports players are being paid is ludicrous, and i'm not talking about just dominicans or baseball. michael schumacher and david beckham earn much more money than they could ever hope to spend. i just suggested it would be more justifiable to divert some of these excessive amounts to people who really need it.
- if that makes me holier than everyone else then i am flattered. thanks tony.

you are right - i don't know even one professional sports team owner - full stop (period).

larry - the pressure i meant was moral as opposed to financial.

Tony C said:

Its easy to hate the rich when you are probobly never going to be one!

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- oh, yes. a very erudite statement. i know i write some daft things, but i'm glad i didn't write that.

Every pro Athelete I have met(yes I have met many) have some form of Charitable fondation set up. So do all of the owners I know.
I am not hear to say if it is done out of the goodness of their hearts or for Tax reason. That is for you to decide.

Now as for a player or owner giving back to where they came from.....Ever think that maybe they don't like the place. maybe they treated him or her bad there and now they are comming up to them kissing their ass for a Handout. You cannot imagine the amount of requests these guys get for money or assistance from charities, political causes and individuals. Some Legit many Not.

I still get letters, phone calls and even face to face requests from the Catholic Elementary school I went to as a child asking for money and support. When I turn them down they look at me as if I was some evil, cheap, scumbag. I have my reasons why I will never give them I dime of my money. Does that make me a bad person? In their eyes it does Even though I am very active in many other community Charities.

Turning down requests from a charity you are not keen on does not make you a bad person. There are many charities I would never give a penny to and I am a wishy-washy liberal. I am glad to hear you are active in many community charities, Tony. In fact, who would have thought that our Tone is such a touchy feely fellow!

On the question of wealthy 'peloteros', I think that if anyone in any sphere of life is lucky enough to be paid so much money, they ought to put something back in some way. But it is absolutely up to them to decide how much to donate and who to.

Chiri

Mondesi and SPM

debs said:

When Mondesi played for Toronto, he donated fire trucks to somewhere in the DR. I can't recall how many or where, but remember seeing it on the news several years ago.

Also a friend of mine originally from SPM (now living in NYC) often tells stories of what baseball players from there do for that community. I'm sure they all give back in one way or another. A lot of it probably goes on without the publicity.

In my experiences with Dominicans, they are very generous and even the non-famous, ordinary folks who live abroad usually do what they can to help out people from their hometown when they return for a visit.

Click to expand...

Mondesi, I'm assuming, probably did the fire trucks in San Christobal, where I believe he is from (however, I've never seen cement burn).

I'm certain that most of what they do goes on without much media publicity. If your intention is to get publicity from it anyway, there's probably a big snake in the grass, so to speak.

I would think SPM would likely have the most to show in the way of returning something to the community as they seem to have produced the most in the way of baseball players in the past decade or so. That's not fact, just what I've gleaned. In addition, I believe Stanley Javier is from that area and he's quite a stand-up person and has been a great example for the younger ball players coming up.

I can understand how anyone would be hesitant to extend themselves too much, as other examples predicate that the masses will steal, lie and cheat you out of every centavo and good intention you may have. There are very few model examples to the contrary, if any.

Re: Mondesi and SPM

Cleef said:

I believe Stanley Javier is from that area and he's quite a stand-up person and has been a great example for the younger ball players coming up..

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Stanley is actually from San Francisco de Macor?s - SFM. His dad is Julian Javier, former star 2nd baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. Julian and I became friends in the mid-60's but I haven't seen him in a few years. I've been told that Stanley is the current owner of the SFM baseball team.

Swede

this is a copy/paste from an earlier thread. i did not write this but agree fully with what has been said. the full thread is here.


"Eternal defender of Capitalism
The best thing a Dominican could do for the Dominican Republic is to invest in economic multipliers. For example, if a Dominican comes to the D.R. and builds a building that he then rents he has done far more than if he gave money to say, an event. The building has increased the net property value in the D.R. and CREATED wealth in the country as opposed to moving it around. Investing in the Bolsa de Valores and also in Dominican bank accounts helps as that makes capital available for domestic investment.

The concept of "giving back to the community" is an interesting one. It implies that one has extracted something from a community within the parameters of a social construct, creating a "social debt." Chew on this for a minute: Bill Gates sells you Microsoft Windows for roughly $100 bucks. In exchange for your $100 he gives you software which you agree is worth $100 otherwise you would not have paid the money. (Complaining doesnt count...you paid voluntarily) Now, in the strict sense, he has already given you and the community what he owes, namely the product you are paying for. He doesn't owe you anything additional by virtue of his having sold a bunch of product. If Sammy Sosa makes a zillion bucks, he owes only the people who pay him, unless he has entered into a contract with someone else (A patron as in the case of artists, for example.) They pay him to perform well in baseball.

Now, does he owe the community of San Pedro de Macor?s for his success? In unemotional terms, probably not, as he has not extracted any more from his community than anyone else. Hopefully he will do good works and embark upon charitable endeavors but the concept of "giving something back" implies debt. His social debt is equal to that of his countrymen, no more...UNLESS you say "to each according to his needs and from each according to his means." Now if you are willing to accept this premise, are you also willing to admit you are a Marxist? many of you will, but some of you will be uncomfortable with the label though that's what it means. "?tienes los cojones?"

AM I SAYING that people are not under a moral obligation to charity or to invest in their communities? Not at all. However "giving something" and "giving something back" are quite different concepts. Unless you were a recipient of charity during previous times, when you contribute, you are "giving" not "giving back" which if anything, is more noble not less, so please don't misunderstand my point."



larry, i spent 7 years working with the blue jays organization. i can't speak for all players but of the ones that i worked with they all contribute.

mob

mob, that is thought-provoking stuff. I wrote 'putting something back' but meant to say 'giving' in the way that you express it.

In no way do I see this as a cost/balance sheet where one is obliged to pay back the community they come from. We may not feel we owe anything to that community, but may wish to support someone or something in another country that has treated us well (as in the case of many who have chosen the DR as their home).

Personally I see life as something more as a process where we 'eat, consume, die' and that if it is going to have any sort of meaning for me at all I have to feel that I am contributing something as well. When I didn't have much money to spare I used to give my time to the causes I believed in. Once I was earning an OK salary but did not have so much free time I would donate a small percentage of my income to these causes. I would like to believe that if I were to become fabulously rich one day I would make some generous donations to the individuals and organisations I admire. But this is a personal thing. Each person, rich or not so rich should be able to choose to what extent they do this.

In the case of baseball players who come from a very poor background, and often make much of the rags to riches aspect of their life, it would be strange if they turned their back on it completely. I suspect that most or all of them do support projects
in their communities. Sosa I know has a foundation. How effective these are is another matter.

Chiri

What ever happenedto "Loren",who wrote the piece?

Easily the most intelligent post,by a "Super-Intellect"! Loren come back,we need you!CCCCCCCCCCCCc