• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 01 / 31 / 2011

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MLB.com | 01/31/11 12:05 AM EST. The Caribbean Series is an homage to baseball, America's favorite pastime, by men from North, South and Central America.It's a global event, equal parts Americana and Latino.

Contests in the Caribbean Series can be as intense as those between the Yankees and the Red Sox, and fans are just as patriotic as those who root for Team USA during the Olympics.

But it's the pulsing merengue music, blaring noisemakers in the stands and dancing in the concourse that set the Caribbean Series apart from other tournaments.

Sure, it's a party, but the Caribbean Series round robin is also a showcase. It's an opportunity for big league scouts to see prospects in game action and give unsigned veterans a final look before Spring Training begins.

For Puerto Rico, this year's host of the series, the six-day competition against the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela that starts on Wednesday also represents the island's shot at reminding the sporting world that baseball is still its No. 1 sport.

"With [Puerto Rico's] league struggling to stay afloat, the Caribbean Series will be an important test in terms of how Puerto Rico presents the series to the fans all over Puerto Rico and to Latin America," said Lou Melendez, MLB's vice president of international baseball operations. "It's a very important time. From a Major League Baseball and Caribbean Confederation standpoint, you want to see the league in Puerto Rico continue to improve and hold its own."

Puerto Rico's problems when it comes to professional baseball are well known. Three years ago, the Puerto Rican Winter League took a one-year hiatus because of financial instability. The number of Major League players from Puerto Rico has declined in the last decade, despite the emergence of the Molina brothers (Bengie, Jose and, Yadier), Carlos Beltran, Javier Vazquez, Alex Rios and Alex Cora. Only Cora returns to play on the island each winter.

There were 21 players from Puerto Rico on Opening Day rosters last season, 17 fewer than in 2002. By contrast, the Dominican Republic, now often referred to as the "island of baseball," had 86 players on Opening Day rosters last year.

Some blame the Dominican Republic's participation in the First-Year Player Draft for the dwindling number of Puerto Ricans in the big leagues. Others blame apathy among the local youth, while others attribute the decline of the sport to the rise in popularity of volleyball and basketball. Team owners are also held responsible by media and fans.

"This Caribbean Series will let us measure how we compare with other leagues right now and how far we have to go," said Jorge Colon Delgado, the former official historian of the Puerto Rican Professional League. "We used to be on top, but we haven't won since 2000 [Santurce], and that's too long. Maybe this is the year it changes."

This year's field consists of Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas, the Dominican Republic's Toros del Este, Mexico's Yaquis de Obregon and Venezuela's Caribes de Anzoátegui.

The backdrop is Estadio Isidoro Garcia in Mayaguez, the stadium that hosted the Central American Games last summer. Located in the middle of the west coast, the city is home to Los Indios de Mayaguez. Los Indios and Ponce are the only two teams to have played every season in Puerto Rico's Winter League since the league began in 1938.

The birthplace of former Major Leaguer Jose Vidro and current Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, Mayaguez also boasts 16

Puerto Rican Professional League titles, the most in league history.

It's not just a baseball city. Known for its art and culture, Mayaguez is also famous for the University of Puerto Rico, Cerveceria India -- the maker of Medalla beer -- and the sweetest mangoes on the island.

"It is hard to say that Ponce does not have the greatest baseball tradition on the island, and Caguas is also very proud, but Mayaguez has a rich history, too." Colon said. "A team's popularity depends on where you live, but Mayaguez's role in Puerto Rico baseball history is undeniable. It's been tremendous."

The history of the Caribbean Series can be traced back to the union of the leagues in Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela -- and the formation of the Caribbean Federation in 1948. After Cuba in 1949, Puerto Rico played host to the Caribbean Series in 1950, followed by Venezuela in 1951 and Panama in 1952.

The initial design was 12 games, with each team squaring off against one another twice. 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 Caribbean Series title in 1950.

There is some talk of adding Nicaragua and Colombia and reinstating Panama to the Caribbean Confederation, but the proposal has stalled because the leagues do not meet the organization's standards. Cuba has an open invitation to join the Confederation but has chosen not to participate.

"The attendance for the finals in Puerto Rico has been very good, and the playoff games were very good, and those are both great signs leading into the Caribbean Series," Melendez said. "The rivalry and intense nationalism are what lead to the intensity of these games. It's the fuel for the fire of the Caribbean Series, but it's an event, so it's also about providing good baseball with entertainment fans can engage in. We all hope for success in Puerto Rico."

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