Wednesday, October 22, 1997; Page A20
The Washington Post
WHAT SPORTS fan hasn't tut-tutted at the way player salaries are soaring? Obscene, we mutter; out of control; not fair. Take Livan Hernandez, the 22-year-old Cuban emigre who just became the youngest pitcher to start -- and win -- a World Series opener. Sure, he's done the Florida Marlins proud thus far in their improbable playoff run. But was he really worth $4.5 million when, as a just-arrived skinny 20-year-old, he signed his contract two years ago? His signing bonus alone, though modest compared with what other major leaguers are receiving, was more than the average American would earn in a couple of lifetimes.
Well, there is another way to organize matters. Just look at Livan's older half-brother, Orlando Hernandez, at 28 the winningest pitcher in the history of the Cuban baseball league and, according to those who've seen him play, a better hurler even than Livan. In Communist Cuba, even star players don't earn more than $20 per month, but these days the older Mr. Hernandez is earning less than half that, as the New York Times recently reported. He's working as a physical therapist in a psychiatric hospital, barred for life from the game he loves and helped teach to his brother.
Orlando's troubles started when Livan "defected" to the United States, escaping from Fidel Castro's prison and thus becoming a traitor in the regime's eyes. Orlando then met with a cousin of the agent who helped arrange Livan's departure. Orlando Hernandez said he was meeting with the cousin only to receive some medicines Livan had sent to Orlando's young daughters, and some other gifts. But that was crime enough in Mr. Castro's eyes. Now Livan is a non-person in the Cuban press, his record-breaking exploits unreported, and the only game Orlando can play is pickup weekend softball -- where, for obvious reasons, his friends don't let him anywhere near the pitcher's mound.
Now, if you want to make the case that American sports stars don't need to earn nearly so much and American teachers do need to earn considerably more, you'll have logic on your side. But it's worth remembering that every political system that has set out to enforce equality and dictate a person's worth has ended up, like Mr. Castro's Cuba, stifling freedom. It may be crazy that young men like Livan Hernandez earn millions for playing games. But that no one in Cuba can read about his triumphs, and that his talented brother can't play at all -- now that is obscene.
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