Visa Issues Tighten Indy Talent Pool By J.J. Cooper May 18, 2005 Just two years ago, the Atlantic League’s Pennsylvania Road Warriors fielded a team where Spanish was spoken in the clubhouse nearly as often as English. The Road Warriors are no more, replaced by the Lancaster Barnstormers. And the Latin American influence is disappearing as well, as independent teams find it harder to secure visas for foreign players. The trickle of visas that made signing players in 2004 difficult has now been shut off completely. While a few teams were able to apply for work visas for specific players they knew they wanted to bring back, independent leagues were shut out in their attempts to acquire additional visas. Indy teams used to be able to get three or four visas each season, but immigration officials have strictly enforced visa limits in the past few years in the wake of Sept. 11. The 65,000 available visa slots this year were exhausted by January, well before most independent leagues were signing players for this season. So unless a foreign player has a green card, or a visa that he retained after he was released by an affiliated club, he can’t play in the U.S. With a new league adding about 200 jobs in independent ball, the talent pool will be mined deeper than ever before. “The Golden League has made it tougher to find players,” Can-Am and Central League commissioner Miles Wolff said. The scarcity of talent also should lead to a busy year for transactions once the season begins. Last year, independent clubs sold a record 112 players to Organized Baseball, which has the same problem filling roster holes as independent league clubs before their season begins. “It’s a situation where it will create more opportunities,” Golden League director of player procurement Kash Beauchamp said. “For every visa player who doesn’t get a job, it’s another job for a kid in the states. It creates a domino effect. When an affiliated club signs an independent league player, it creates a job in the independent leagues.” The visa scarcity has actually created an advantage for the Northern League’ s two new Canadian expansion clubs. Canadians, obviously, can play for Calgary and Edmonton with no restrictions, but foreign players can also get visas in Canada, which also allows them to enter the U.S. to play. “We’ve got eight Canadians coming to camp, and we expect at least six to make our final roster," Calgary owner Peter Young said. "We also have four Dominican players. It’s Team United Nations." The Edmonton club also targeted a number of experienced Canadian players, including a couple of former Triple-A players who might not be able to play in the U.S. The CrackerCats signed 10 Canadians, including infielder Stubby Clapp, who gives the team a public face for its first year in the Northern League. Clapp is well known for his work with Team Canada and a brief stint with the Cardinals. “Clapp is bigger than Triple-A in Edmonton,” Edmonton general manager Mel Kowalchuck said. “For us, if we needed icing on the cake to show we're a legitimate ballclub talent-wise, he's icing on the cake.” There is one problem for the Canadian clubs. Young said the Vipers were having trouble getting their four Dominican players out of Santo Domingo because all flights from there to Calgary include a stopover and change of planes in the U.S. While the players will be fine once they arrive in Canada, they can’t fly through the U.S. without a valid visa--which the players can’ t receive until they get to Canada. “We have three Dominicans who are all stuck," Young said. "Carlos Duncan, our veteran outfielder--I have no way of getting him to Calgary. He can’t change planes, so he’s stuck in a Catch-22." As with most things in indy ball, the Vipers will probably find a way. And while the talent level may be thinner this season, independent leagues are confident the old adage is still true--you can always find baseball players. “I don’t think it will damage the product,” Beauchamp said. “It may cost you some superstars, but take them out and there still are some guys who can hit the ball 400 feet and guys who can throw 90 miles an hour.” -- If you're not have fun in baseball, you miss the point of everything. --

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