Caribbean Series: Puerto Rico is back

A sense of normalcy has returned to the island. Order has been restored at the Caribbean Confederation.

After a year-long hiatus, professional baseball in Puerto Rico is back. The island will be represented at the 2009 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico, with its Winter league champion.

“The bottom line is that last year’s Caribbean Series — with two teams from the Dominican Republic and no team from Puerto Rico, — was heartbreaking for me,” said former Major Leaguer Eduardo Perez, a longtime Winter League player and supporter of baseball on the island. “I grew in those ballparks and to see it back is going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully, the league knows its mistakes and the players know its mistakes and they can grow and learn from it.”

Puerto Rico suspended Winter League play last year for the first time in 69 years because of financial difficulties, but has made strides to avoid another stoppage in play. For this season, which opens Nov. 6, the league created new business model, a new baseball marketing arm and made plans for interleague games with the Dominican Republic. A new league Web site and a television deal are also possible.

The league also replaced the team in Manati with the historic Santurce franchise. Mayaguez, Caguas, Ponce, Carolina and Arecibo also will have teams this winter.

Major League Baseball will provide three umpires, a paid intern for the executive director of the league and photographs of native Puerto Rican and import players for use by the league.

“Having baseball in Puerto Rico is very important because we want to continue the long history of baseball and it’s important for the development of players for MLB,” said Lou Melendez, vice president of international operations for Major League Baseball. “It’s also important for the Confederation. There shouldn’t be a Caribbean Series with three teams. Puerto Rico’s absence was evident, and I’m sure other teams were not happy about it.”

Puerto Rico’s ties to the Caribbean Series date back to the union of the baseball leagues in Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela in 1948. After Cuba in 1949, Puerto Rico played host to the Caribbean Series 1950, Venezuela in 1951 and Panama in 1952.

From 1949 to 1960, Cuba won the title seven times. Puerto Rico won four times during that span and Panama won its first and only crown in 1950. In 1970, the Dominican Republic and Mexico were added while Panama was removed from the tournament.

Earlier this year, the Licey Tigres won the 2008 version with a 5-1 record, the club’s 10th Caribbean Series title and the 17th overall for the Dominican Republic. The Aguilas Cibaenas (3-3), also from the Dominican Republic, finished second, while Venezuela and Mexico each finished with 2-4 records.

Mexico could use the home-field advantage in 2009. The country is 3-15 since it won the 2005 Caribbean Series in Mazatlan. Puerto Rico has not won a Caribbean Series since Santurce won the title in 2000.

“Baseball is Puerto Rico,” Perez said. “We breathe it and live it. Every corner now, people are talking about it.”