Cuban officials blast plan for baseball pros to play Classic

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban state sports officials are denouncing a plan by baseball players who left the island to play in the Major Leagues to field their own team in the next World Baseball Classic. The president of the Cuban Baseball Federation on Tuesday accused the group of trying to usurp Cuba’s representation in the international competition. A group called the Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Players says it hopes to field a team in the 2023 Classic. But Major League Baseball says the group would have to win approval from the World Baseball Softball Confederation in order to participate. Cuba’s official baseball federation is a member of that organization.