Leonard Matos Berrido, president of the Dominican Winter Baseball League, said that the Delfines del Atlántico, the professional baseball team of Puerto Plata, will not be allowed to play in that professional league next year either. Matos said, "We will not commit suicide." The Puerto Plata Dolphins aspire to compete in the winter baseball league, but the organizers of the baseball tournament are concerned with the weather in Puerto Plata that could force postponements of games due to rain. Ironically, the rain would not have been a problem if the team had been allowed to play in the 1997-98 championship, as the El Niño weather phenomenon has brought a consistently sunny winter to the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Matos said that the league’s playing calendar for 1998-99 season is already established and the Dolphins are not on it. The league is presently made up by the Aguilas Cibaeñas, the Tigres del Licey, the Estrellas Orientales, the Leones del Escogido, the Azucareros del Este and the Gigantes del Nordeste. Congress authorized by law the Puerto Plata baseball franchise, but the organizer’s of the baseball championship have refused to incorporate the team into the league. The baseball stadiums used by the government are for the most part government owned.
