Ozzie lights into treatment of Latinos in MLB

[dagger]

I didn't make this OT since the Jays are making a heavy commitment to Latino recruitment. Ozzie levels some accusations here, and some of it makes some sense. How is it that many Latinos make it through their MLB careers with little or no knowledge of English? These aren't kids coming out of college, they are dirt poor kids being signed at a very early age, without the educational opportunities to learn English. And then moving them through a minor league system where they might play on 3-5 teams in different towns over a 3-4 year time frame, how is it that they never get some formalized tutoring in language? How is it that a player like Escobar, at age 27, needs an interpreter to conduct a post-game interview?

Then there is the whole performance enhancing drug question. If you are a rookie coming to the NBA, you either come from a structured college program, or a structured European pro environment, where you are likely to gain valuable life skills. And the NBA has a rookie indoctrination program, the NHL, too.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/08/ ... -goes-off-—-again/

[number15]

Ozzie is racist

[ItsDanger]

Most of the asian players are major league ready which would justify the expense (more media and fewer # of players).

For Spanish speaking players, there are MANY players in the minors & majors who speak both. Many of the american players from the southern states took spanish in school (much like french in canada). Ozzie is just crying again. Is every team supposed to hire an interpreter? Not needed at the MLB level as virtually every team probably has a coach or player that is bilingual. But the minors might be an expensive task as each MLB team has at least 5 minor league teams.

As for Escobar, he's here in Toronto, there are plenty of ESL programs available. He is 27, time to grow up and make an effort to learn English. Hire a tutor with your money. At this point, he doesnt want to speak English. Its his fault, no one else's. My father came from Europe at 18 with no money and learned how to speak and read English from a dictionary. Today, people have it too easy.

[SharoneWright]

Let's make a deal with the Latino prospects. Out with the million dollar signing bonuses, in with the ESL classes...

[Hummus]

made this post in the general boards, but i'll let my sentiments be heard here as well. Ozzie Guillen is absolutely correct on most points. Problem is, he has almost become a Jesse Jackson-esque figure in the baseball world - where he complains so frequently and often (labouring points of racism or injustice) that people just brush him off as being a provocateur.

Is it not a double standard that Japanese players are allowed to continue to not learn English, aided by the their league-provided translators? Why are Spanish players, who also come from equally non-English speaking countries, not allowed to speak exclusively through translators?

Why are Japanese players who are in their mid-twenties seen as rookie-of-the-year prospects, yet Dominican kids are considered over the hill or no longer prospects at the age of 18? This to me is the biggest point he made, and frankly, the most tragic. Because the window is so short for these kids to be noticed, and to make their name - they are forced to use drugs by their "benefactors", who are nothing more than glorified pimps.

If one thing changed from all this, It should be that Latin American players become eligible for the Major League Draft. One thing that could change all this is to have a Triple-A or Double-A level baseball league established in D.R. like there is in Mexico - that would put the league under the control of the MLB's drug policy, but also allow these kids to play professionally for money back home and (hopefully) stay on the MLB radar until they are at least 20.