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A-Rod reportedly won't play in World Classic
Yankees' AL MVP doesn't want to diss either U.S. or Dominican heritage

Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images
Alex Rodriguez was born in New York, but his parents are Dominican.


NBCSports.com news services
Updated: 9:34 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2005
NEW YORK - Not wanting to choose between the Dominican Republic and United States for the World Baseball Classic next year, New York Yankees third baseman and American League MVP Alex Rodriguez has decided not to play at all,

"After thoughtful deliberations with my family, I am announcing my decision to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic," A-Rod told The New York Post. "When faced with the decision to choose between my country, the United States of America, and my Dominican heritage, I decided I will not dishonor either."

When the commissioner’s office and the players’ association announced commitments from players last week, Rodriguez’s country was left blank. The New York Yankees third baseman, who last month won his second AL MVP award, was born in New York but his parents are Dominican.

"I am proud to be an American citizen and to have a Dominican legacy. My commitment to baseball is secondary to honoring my patriotic duties to my country and my ancestors," A-Rod also told The Post.

"Sports participation should only include the admiration and respect an athlete has for a nation and family. I intend to play baseball only when I am dedicated to both.

"Playing baseball for the New York Yankees allows you to honor and advance the interest of both without division."

Last week, A-Rod said he was leaning toward playing for the D.R.

“That seems to be pretty much where I’m leaning,” Rodriguez said of the Dominican team during an interview Tuesday on WFAN radio. “I think it’s going to be the team I’m going to represent, kind of like what (Mike) Piazza’s doing with Italy.”

Rodriguez said staying healthy was key during the tournament, which is being played by 16 teams from March 3-20.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m excited about it and a little nervous, too, about obviously getting guys injured that time of year,” he said. “You pull a hamstring, you’re out for three or four weeks, that really may impact your whole season. I mean, you may have some type of ill effect going into even June or July.”

Rodriguez predicted the U.S. team might be less motivated than other countries.

“I think the Latino teams are going to have a major advantage,” he said. “I think that American team might take it more like an exhibition and these guys are kind of playing for their religion down there, the pride of their country.”

Rodriguez also addressed the possibility that the Yankees would sign free agent Nomar Garciaparra. Manager Joe Torre told New York reporters at a function Tuesday that he had called Garciaparra to express the team’s interest in having him come join the Yankees.


“That would be kind of weird,” A-Rod said. “I remember almost 10 years ago we made the cover of GQ, us three as the premier shortstops in the game coming up. And now all of us may be in the same infield. I think that’s kind of funny.”

Rodriguez’s spokesman, Steve Fortunato, said the decision will be made by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.

“Alex’s comments are based on discussions with the tournament organizers,” Fortunato said. “The organizers are ultimately going to recommend what team Alex should be placed on, and he would follow that. We’re waiting to see what that is. He wants to do whatever is best for tournament.”

© 2005 NBC Sports.com


well, this american born person can't even decide what country he is loyal to? he claims he is an american citizen but yet he feels he can't play for the american team, what if america went to war with the DR? but funny, he is willing to make money here in the US, this guy needs to have his citizenship stripped and he needs to be kicked out of the US if he has such "divided" loyalties. i might understand if he was born and raised originally in the DR but he was born in AMERICA!!!! and if he feels leke this, can we rely on all the other immigrants to side with america if a national crisis occurs between the US and thier former countries? or will they also support their former countries and do terrorist attacks in america because of thier "divided" loyalties? more to come on this.......

nice loyalties, whats next, our mililtary? a country can not function like this, if he has divided loyalties, he needs to go live and work in the DR and lets see if he finally understands the reason his parents came here and wanted to be called AMERICANS! as for the injury, holy crap, are we really at this point now where we worship these baseball people like gods? they are to presious just to actually play for the love of the game anymore and not just for money? they are payed to much anyways, they don't save anyone lives or invent any new medicines, if money meant talent, then the yankees should haev won the world series every year. this is further proof money has corrupt the game and the way the fans think, and shows the loyalty to our country among its new and old immigrants is in great question. poor america.....

Freeman Criticizes Black History Month



NEW YORK - Morgan Freeman says the concept of a month dedicated to black history is "ridiculous." "You're going to relegate my history to a month?" the 68-year-old actor says in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" to air Sunday (7 p.m. EST). "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."


Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated — when black history would become fundamental to American history.

Freeman notes there is no "white history month," and says the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it."

The actor says he believes the labels "black" and "white" are an obstacle to beating racism.

"I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man," Freeman says.

Freeman received Oscar nominations for his roles in 1987's "Street Smart," 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy" and 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption." He finally won earlier this year for "Million Dollar Baby."



enough said..........

MIT Picks Maker of $100 Laptop Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service
Wed Dec 14,11:00 AM ET



Taiwan's Quanta, the world's largest maker of notebook computers, will manufacture an ultra-low-cost laptop developed by Nicholas Negroponte, the chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab.


Negroponte, who is also chairman of the One Laptop Per Child non-profit group, has said he expects the laptops to be available to governments next year at a price of $100 each. A prototype of the laptop was unveiled at the recent U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis.


Under terms of an agreement with One Laptop Per Child, Quanta will devote engineering resources to develop the $100 notebook design during the first half of the year, according to a statement issued by the group. At the same time, Quanta and the non-profit organization will explore the production of a commercial version of the laptop.


One Laptop Per Child did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for additional information.

First Distribution

The first notebooks are expected to hit the market during the fourth quarter of next year, according to the organization. Representatives say they expect initial orders for the machines to range from 5 million to 15 million units. Pricing of the Linux-based notebooks is expected to start "near $100" and decrease over time.


One Laptop Per Child said trials of the notebook are planned for China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, and Thailand, with 1 million notebooks to be shipped to each of these countries. In addition, the group expects "an additional modest allocation" of the notebooks to be shipped to developers in other countries.


The group did not offer an explanation for the numerical difference between this forecast, which would involve shipments of at least 7 million notebooks, with the forecast that initial shipments could number 5 million units."




although great idea, it seems to put the band-aid on what children in the world really need. are they really going to be happy sitting with thier computer while hungry? what children need is a stable home and country, to feel safe when going out and quality medical care. also, no where could i find information about these laptops being available in western countries, i can't even afford to get my kids each thier own laptop, do i get to purchase a 100$ laptop for them? i guess this is the other assumption that ervyone in the west is rich.

instead of spending 500 million for laptops, which i feel a child doesn't need anyways, they should spend it on more quality conventional education and social programs so they can break the endless cycle of poverty in these countries. i agree with the laptops but i feel thier are more important things to spend the money on. also, is there going to be anybody to monitor what this child does with the laptop? alot it would seem would sell it to get more things they really need such as food and clothing.

good idea, but the countires its targeted for really need alot more catching up to do before they start divulging in the not necassary luxuries of laptop computers.

i have lived in many countries in the world and it seems all the same thing everywhere, immigrants come to a country (mostly african and muslim etc..) and then never want to assimilate, just start trying to live the same way they lived in thier own country(which made it the reason they wanted to leave thier country in the first place). then whenever someone starts to say something about, all start screaming racism and bigots or if on a blog, just hit the ignore key.

no one seems, not even the government, to confront the fact that most of the immigrants now days, especially the "assylum" seekers. i have found that the new immigrants, unlike the huge flux we had 100 years ago, are intolerant of the western world and want nothing to do with it, they are just here to make money, and spread thier intolerant ideas into the liberal western youth who always seemed to be on any bandwagon as long as it was against the conservative white person.

i am tired of these poeple coming over here and creating thier gangs, insulting and raping our women because they don't dress according to thier customs, preaching hatred of the wests politics in the mid-east yet they all love to live in the world we created. and i am really tired of being accused as a racist and bigist just because i speak out against it. and tired of the government catering to these poeple and not doing anything about the way they act but blaming the white christians for the way these immigrants act.

sure, immigrants built the new world, but those immigrants were mostly from europe, not from where now days immigrants are from. of course everyone will state what a racist comment that is also......

by the way...THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO 100 PERCENT OF IMMIGRANTS!!! so please, stop with your i am doing just fine and so are my other immigrant friends stories, that is just turning a blind eye to the problem. if you can tell me honestly that a guy down by whitechapel, london, preaching about how the west should fall and only islam is the true form and nothing else should be tolerated is perfectly normal, and how much they hate the west but still seek assylum in the west is perfectly normal than you are also part of the problem