USA TODAY International Edition
Venezuela WBC spat a ‘ misunderstanding’
After players threaten to boycott, Vizquel confirmed as manager
HARBOR, MD. Omar NATIONAL Vizquel and Carlos Guillen, two of the most accomplished shortstops Venezuela has produced, sat chummily side- by- side and slapped each other’s back as they met the news media Monday.
Less than a week before, they could hardly find a way to talk to each other.
A dispute over who would manage Venezuela’s entry in the World Baseball Classic threatened to sink the star- laden club three months before the tournament even begins, until intervention by players and a meeting between Vizquel and team officials — including Guillen, its general manager — restored peace.
Vizquel, now a coach with the Detroit Tigers after a 24- year playing career that made him an icon in Venezuela, was named to manage the club in March. A series of differences emerged in recent weeks, though, and they were serious enough for the team to inform Major League Baseball last Tuesday that Vizquel was being replaced by bench coach Eddie Perez.
That led to a three- day standoff, with Vizquel saying publicly that Guillen asked for his resignation and that he countered by asking for an explanation.
Vizquel tweeted that Guillen would not call him to address the issue, and a number of prominent players led by Felix Hernandez — and including Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Salvador Perez — said they would boycott the WBC if Vizquel wasn’t the manager.
Even in a country racked by political and economic turmoil, this amounted to nearly a national crisis. It wasn’t until Friday that Vizquel was publicly reconfirmed as the Venezuelan manager
At the winter meetings Monday, Guillen and Vizquel tried to downplay the impasse.
“There was some miscommunication,” Guillen said. “These situations happen among teams, and you try to keep them within the clubhouse, so to speak. The important thing is we’re here.”
Neither three- time All- Star would address what led to the imbroglio, but reports in the Venezuelan news media point to disagreements over the choice of coaches and some breaches of protocol as main reasons. There were concerns about Vizquel’s commitment to the task and his knowledge of the players.
A couple of recent incidents might have brought things to a head. For one, Vizquel appeared at a news conference in Venezuela that featured official WBC gear but was sponsored by an insurance company not affiliated with the tournament, ruffling some feathers.
Vizquel then went on to an- nounce his projected rotation — Hernandez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Carlos Carrasco and Martin Perez — before the players’ participation was made official.
“Everybody is enthused about the Classic and I was asked some questions, and maybe it was not the right time to answer them, so I was reprimanded about it,” Vizquel said.
“It was a setback, but it’s the kind of thing that happens on all teams.”
There might be other reasons that haven’t surfaced. It’s worth noting that despite all their years playing in the American League — and both having grown up in the Seattle Mariners organization, although at different times — Vizquel and Guillen are not known to be friends.
Guillen, who Saturday acknowledged publicly he had communicated the managerial change to the WBC, insisted the whole thing came down to a misunderstanding.
“We’ve maintained good communication,” he said. “But it’s like when you hit a player with a pitch and say the ball slipped. The player may not believe it slipped, and he may get upset. … We never doubted his capability to be the manager or his communication with the players.”
Regardless of the motivation behind the move to depose Vizquel, several key Venezuelan players on the provisional roster promptly voiced their displeasure with the possibility he might get replaced.
Hernandez posted a picture on his Instagram account in which he appears alongside fellow players Hector Rondon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Martin Prado, Alcides Escobar, Gerardo Parra and Ender Inciarte. The caption says in Spanish, “Together in the name of baseball, Venezuela and our manager Omar Vizquel. The team together, without Vizquel we won’t participate in the World Classic.”
Vizquel, who aspires to manage in the majors, said he spent three sleepless nights before Friday’s resolution, and he expressed his gratitude for the players’ support.
“It was very important,” he said. “As you noticed, all the players know me. There’s a mutual respect from me to them and from them to me, and that was reflected in those difficult moments. I’m very thankful to them.”