Cubs vs. Cuba? Ricketts Proposes Caribbean Classic

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Dec 14, 2010 4:40PM

The Cubs have proposed a "Caribbean Classic" against the Cuban national baseball team, in a letter from Tom Ricketts delivered to Havana's vice-mayor. 14th Ward Alderman Ed Burke, traveling in Cuba with his wife on a trip organized by the American Bar Association, delivered the challenge. No details have been given about when the game or games might be played, nor the location.

We're all for trying to bring Americans and Cubans together on the baseball field to play what each nation considers its national past time. Perhaps, given the popularity of the Cubs, Raul and Fidel Castro would love to have their best players take on the "lovable losers." Of course, a win against the rebuilding Cubs would also be a huge source of national pride for the communist island.

Burke's wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, said, "We talked about how sports can transcend this (economic) embargo by having people-to-people contact. It's a Cubs challenge, but we talked about all the possibilities of the White Sox as well."

But we're not so sure the Castro brothers would consider playing any exhibitions against the White Sox. With Cuban defectors Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo on the current roster, we can't imagine that Cuban officials would allow any competition against their former players. We imagine that Sox GM Kenny Williams and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf are on some sort of official "shit list" for their history of poaching Cuban ball players. In recent years, the team has also had former national team players Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras.

But perhaps this whole Caribbean Classic is just a new direction for the Cubs to scout potential players. After all, the Sox have had lots of success with Cuban players. Maybe it's a way for the Cubs to find the bargains they need to rebuild their roster.