Enjoying our Sunday morning coffee and Times in the middle of what Boston baseball fans call the “Red Sox Nation,” we knew that the photo of Pedro Martínez on the cover of the magazine section would upset local baseball enthusiasts. The photo, coupled with widely reported talks about trading superstar Manny Ramirez from Boston to New York, would make local fans even more upset. That deal would have re-united Dominican-born amigos Ramirez and Martínez on the same team. Football aficionados from Barcelona or Madrid would appreciate the longstanding sports rivalry between Boston and New York — and the impact of trading key players to a rival city. The pain was lessened by the Mets being the junior, less successful team playing in the same city as the hated New York Yankees.

Like any professional sport, American baseball is big business. And like any big business, it transcends borders. Dominican-born Omar Minaya is general manager of the New York Mets. He has developed what he calls a “global development plan” to create a more powerful ball team, react to the changing demographics of baseball (more non-U.S. players), and please the growing Hispanic population in the New York City area (2.2 million people or 27% of the city’s population, according to the 2000 census).

Minaya characterized last year’s signing of Pedro Martínez “as much a marketing signing as a baseball signing.” He said that the subsequent signing of a coveted offensive player from the Dominican Republic was due to having Martínez on the team. With Pedro pitching for them, the Mets have seen their ballpark attendance rise 30% and have found that 5,000 more fans attend games in which he pitches (the stadium holds 55,601 seats).

Minaya’s global plan includes the Mets’ Academia de Béisbol in the Dominican Republic, a country that is a rich source of players for the U.S. major leagues. The Academia pays ballplayers US$700/month plus room and board. Given that the gross national income per capita in 2004 was $2,070, professional baseball can be a very good career move for Dominican athletes. It’s also good for the Dominican Republic, providing it with high-value labor for its export-driven development. Incidentally, Ramirez has an 8-year, $160 million contract with the Red Sox. That would be a good pay package for most people we know.

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Boston, an umpire at a Little League game objected to Methuen’s assistant coach telling his pitcher “tíralo bien!” The umpire halted the game and told the teams that only English was allowed on the field. The team from Methuen, a town north of Boston that has a Hispanic population of nearly 10%, lost its focus — and the game. The umpire was ultimately overruled by Little League International, so Spanish can once again be heard on the baseball fields outside Boston.