Donald Trump seeks to hurt Cuba by shutting out its baseball players
唐納德•川普試圖通過將古巴棒球運動員拒之門外來制裁古巴
It won’t work, but it will annoy baseball fans
這不會起作用，反而會惹惱棒球球迷
AROLDIS CHAPMAN, now a pitcher for the New York Yankees, has hurled the fastest fastball ever thrown in a major-league baseball game. It was a 105.1mph (169kph) scorcher in a game against the San Diego Padres in 2010. Fans call him the 「Cuban Missile」. He is one of a score of Cuban-born players in the United States』 top league. Most, including Mr Chapman, defected from the communist island, often in harrowing circumstances. Yasiel Puig, a right-fielder for the Cincinnati Reds, was held hostage by gangsters at a motel in Mexico for months on one of his many attempts to escape Cuba.
Under an agreement between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Cuban Baseball Federation reached in December, the exodus of Cuban talent to the United States was to have become less perilous for the players and more profitable for Cuba. MLB teams would have paid the Cuban federation a fee worth 15-20% of the contract. Newly enriched players would board commercial jets to join their new clubs and pay income tax to the Cuban government.
On April 8th the Trump administration cancelled the deal. Far from keeping aspiring major-leaguers out of the clutches of people-smugglers, the agreement would encourage 「human trafficking」, an American official claimed. More plausibly, the administration pointed out that money sent to Cuba would end up in the coffers of its repressive government.
The tag-out is the latest expression of Mr Trump’s determination to undo the rapprochement with Cuba that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had brought about. The baseball deal would not have been negotiated without it.
Mr Trump has maintained diplomatic relations. There is currently no US ambassador to Cuba, but that is true of many places under this president. However, he has made it harder for Americans to travel to the island. Last month the administration said it would allow Americans to sue Cubans holding property that had been confiscated by Cuba’s government after the country’s revolution in 1959. This reversed a longstanding policy of suspending that right. Two American senators have introduced a bill to prevent courts from recognising trademarks owned by Cuban confiscators. It is nicknamed the 「rum bill」, because it would affect a Cuban-French venture that sells Havana Club rum.
Like most other measures the United States has adopted to force out Cuba’s communist regime, the baseball ban is likely to prove futile. More than 350 ballplayers have defected from Cuba since 2014.
AROLDIS CHAPMAN, now a pitcher for the New York Yankees, has hurled the fastest fastball ever thrown in a major-league baseball game. It was a 105.1mph (169kph) scorcher in a game against the San Diego Padres in 2010. Fans call him the 「Cuban Missile」.
阿洛迪斯查普曼，現在是紐約洋基隊的投手，投出了大聯盟棒球史上最快的球。2010年在聖地牙哥帕德裡斯的一場遊戲中得分為105.1mp（169kph）。粉絲們稱他為「古巴飛彈」。
He is one of a score of Cuban-born players in the United States』 top league. Most, including Mr Chapman, defected from the communist island, often in harrowing circumstances. Yasiel Puig, a right-fielder for the Cincinnati Reds, was held hostage by gangsters at a motel in Mexico for months on one of his many attempts to escape Cuba.
他是美國職業棒球大聯盟中出生於古巴的眾多球員之一。包括查普曼在內的大多數人，都是在悲慘的環境下從這個共產主義島國叛逃的。辛辛那提紅隊右外野手亞西爾·皮格曾經在墨西哥的一家汽車旅館被歹徒劫持數月，這是他多次試圖逃離古巴的其中一次。
Under an agreement between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Cuban Baseball Federation reached in December, the exodus of Cuban talent to the United States was to have become less perilous for the players and more profitable for Cuba. MLB teams would have paid the Cuban federation a fee worth 15-20% of the contract. Newly enriched players would board commercial jets to join their new clubs and pay income tax to the Cuban government.
根據美國職業棒球大聯盟(MLB)和古巴棒球聯盟去年12月達成的一項協議，古巴人才外流到美國對球員來說風險較小，對古巴來說利潤更高：美國職業棒球大聯盟需要向古巴聯邦支付合同金額的15-20%。新富球員將乘坐商務飛機加入他們的新俱樂部，並向古巴政府繳納所得稅。
On April 8th the Trump administration cancelled the deal. Far from keeping aspiring major-leaguers out of the clutches of people-smugglers, the agreement would encourage 「human trafficking」, an American official claimed. More plausibly, the administration pointed out that money sent to Cuba would end up in the coffers of its repressive government.
但在4月8日，川普政府取消了該協議。一名美國官員聲稱，該協議非但沒有讓有抱負的職業棒球大聯盟盟員擺脫人口走私者的魔爪，反而鼓勵了「人口販運」。更有道理的是，政府指出，寄往古巴的錢最終將落入古巴專制政府的金庫。
The tag-out is the latest expression of Mr Trump’s determination to undo the rapprochement with Cuba that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had brought about. The baseball deal would not have been negotiated without it.
這一表態是川普決心撤銷其前任巴拉克•歐巴馬促成的與古巴友好關係的最新表現。沒有它，棒球協議就無法達成。
Mr Trump has maintained diplomatic relations. There is currently no US ambassador to Cuba, but that is true of many places under this president. However, he has made it harder for Americans to travel to the island. Last month the administration said it would allow Americans to sue Cubans holding property that had been confiscated by Cuba’s government after the country’s revolution in 1959.
川普一直與古巴保持著外交關係，雖然目前沒有美國駐古巴大使，但在這位總統的領導下，很多地方都是如此。然而，他讓美國人前往該島變得更加困難。上個月，川普政府表示，將允許美國人起訴持有古巴1959年革命後被古巴政府沒收財產的古巴人。
This reversed a longstanding policy of suspending that right. Two American senators have introduced a bill to prevent courts from recognising trademarks owned by Cuban confiscators. It is nicknamed the 「rum bill」, because it would affect a Cuban-French venture that sells Havana Club rum.
這推翻了長期以來暫停這項權利的政策。兩名美國參議員提出一項法案，阻止法院承認古巴沒收人擁有的商標。它被戲稱為「朗姆酒法案」，因為它將影響一家銷售哈瓦那俱樂部朗姆酒的古巴-法國合資企業。
Like most other measures the United States has adopted to force out Cuba’s communist regime, the baseball ban is likely to prove futile. More than 350 ballplayers have defected from Cuba since 2014.
和美國為驅逐古巴共產主義政權而採取的大多數其他措施一樣，棒球禁令很可能是徒勞的。自2014年以來，已有350多名球員從古巴叛逃。