I read the above article that appeared in the Washington Post. It serves as quite a background piece to baseball’s investigation into the signing of young ballplayers in the Domincan Republic.

In 2007, Rijo’s Academy was a “sprawling mountaintop academy” that Jose Rijo developed serving the Nationals, the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres. According to a January 2007 article in the Washington Post by Barry Svrluga, Jose Rijo indicated that he had put “close to $10 million” of his own money into developing the site develop clearing away the jungle just up the hill from his home town to build the baseball academy that bears his name..

Each tenants pay from $30,000-$50,000 per month in rent.

Rijo was said to live in the Domincan, and was seen zipping around in his fire engine-red Mercedes convertible, sitting outside the bar he owns in Santo Domingo. “Everyone who passes seems to know him, yelling and waving. Asked if he would have signed with the Nationals had Rijo not been with the team, Frank Cruz, a 17-year-old infielder, replied swiftly and surely: No.”

Jose Rijo was the MVP of the 1990 World Series with the Cincinnati, where Jim Bowden served as general manager for 10 1/2 seasons. In 1987, Rigo established the Jose Rijo Foundation. And why did everyone who pass, seems to know him? Because he funneled kids into his youth league. Now Jose Rijo Foundation sponsors the best of those kids at the academy, where they train with weights and take classes.
Washington hired Manny Acta, a personable, outgoing Dominican, as its field manager last month. “He has caused our profile down there to explode,” Kasten said, “and that’s a good thing for the future.”

The Nationals had placed a lot of eggs in one basket. A poor nation was a fragile place, where people took a lot of nuturing. You had to like an ownership group like the Lerners for taking the chance. I was pulling for them, for Jose Rijo.

Maybe an American in the north, in a place like North Dakota where they had no organized hockey in 1975, would identify with Jose Rijo. Only in the Domincan, no one had money to play baseball.

so much ugliness right now with the Nats. it’s tough to jump right back in.

wait, i’m getting a phone call. it’s Bowden, wants to know if i can play left field Friday night in Atlanta!

Welcome back Dave!