San Francisco de Macoris gets new sports complex

The Dominican Republic opened the Mario Ortega multipurpose pavilion and sports complex on Tuesday in San Francisco de Macoris. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez was on hand to dedicate the new multi-purpose facility that will be used to develop Dominican basketball and volleyball athletes in the Duarte province.

This is of course of interest to the Dominican Baseball Guy because I lived in San Francisco de Macoris for four months in 2009, as I was following the Gigantes del Cibao Dominican Winter Baseball League team that plays in the city. Now I have no idea who the new facility's namesake Mario Ortega is, but I do know who Stan Javier is.

Former Dominican MLB player Stan Javier delivered a plaque of recognition on behalf of Duarte’s inhabitants. The Gigantes stadium is the Julian Javier Stadium, and Stan Javier is the son of the Julian Javier. Both were successful MLB players from San Francisco de Macoris and both are still hugely popular in the city.

San Francisco de Macoris has not had the same success sending players to the big leagues as other Dominican cities, so the Javier family is held up as representing baseball and sport for the city often.

The new facility is located within the sports complex area in San Francisco de Macoris. That is where the Julian Javier stadium is located, and there are also softball and baseball fields, a track, a soccer field, weight rooms, and a gymnastics training facility. Most are open to the public and/or used to train local athletes. The new facility will presumably be used as part of national team training of basketball and volleyball athletes.

Julian Javier Stadium, by Dominican Baseball Guy

Dominican Republic hopes to host World Baseball Classic

Héctor Pereyra, the president of the Federación Dominicana de Béisbol (Fedobe) said that the Dominican national baseball team has put in a request with World Baseball Classic, Inc. to host an opening round of the next World Baseball Classic. The next classic is scheduled to take place in 2013.

The letter was signed by Pereya, Leonardo Matos Berrido (the president of the Dominican League of Winter Baseball), Juan Francisco Puello (president of the Confederación de Béisbol del Caribe), Mario Soto (president of the Federación Dominicana de Peloteros Profesionales), and former players Stanley Javier and Juan Marichal. This is a who's who list of people in charge of domestic baseball in the Dominican Republic.

Needless to say, the whole country is surely behind this effort. And it would be a disaster if they were to host the opening round and put up a performance like the Dominicans did in 2009 when they were ousted in the first round. And that was a team filled almost entirely with big league players.

The Dominican Baseball Guy cannot wait for the next one...still two years away.

Hanley Ramirez in the World Baseball Classic, by Rabbethan