The Golden Baseball League, that bastion of normalcy in a crazy baseball world, has struck again. Former home of Jose Canseco, current home of Eri Yoshida, and the only league that really dares to take a chance has struck again. There is no confirmation that has anything to do with Torii Hunter, and his diatribe against his idea of fairness in major league baseball.
Instead, it is an attempt to do - well, I don't know what it's an attempt to do really? But this is it:
The Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League are holding a three-day evaluation camp in Barquisimeto, Venezuela this week. Field manager Darryl Brinkley put close to forty players through workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday at the famous Daniel Chico Canonico stadium. When camp breaks on Thursday afternoon it’s expected that up to twenty players will earn tickets to Arizona for the Scorpions early May training camp.
Yeah, the Yuma Scorpions have decided that it's time to give Venezuelans their place in baseball. In case you just skimmed through, what is happening is that the entire team will be comprised of Venezuelans.
Yes, forgoing the usual accumulation of former minor leaguers, former college players, and former high school players, with an occasional former major leaguer thrown in, the Yuma Scorpions will go to Venezuela for the entire team.
Now, I've been to Yuma a few times in my life. It's hot, and it's not too bad, when its not hot. Which it always is. And Yuma's not that big. So they don't have a big population base. Of course, neither does any town, which is why they allow anyone to come play.
This might be taking it a little bit too far, but who am I to judge. If this is what they want, then so be it. They won't be playing in Venezuela, but in Yuma. However, the league did say this:
The executives are putting the finishing touches to their affiliation agreement and exploring the possibility of some post season play in Venezuela.
For the life of me, I can't see what this is beyond some kind of marketing ploy. However, I don't remember a large Venezuelan population in Yuma. Venezuela is an actual baseball country, but why go there when Yuma is on the border of two the biggest baseball countries in the world? Seriously, they didn't want Mexican players who would actually bring fans to the game? Unless they are really having a problem finding players to go to Yuma, which I don't think would be an issue. Even though it is really hot.
The players will need to get used to the heat because:
The Scorpions begin the season with a sixteen game home stand beginning on Wednesday, May 19th at Desert Sun Stadium
Someone better bring some Gatorade. It's going to be hot.
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