FF
Felix Sanchez, Dominican Republic, who won gold at 400m hurdles, was
born in America, but has a father from Dominican Republic, I think.
--
Hugo Fernbom
The Greek baseball team basically included two 100% Greeks and the rest were
mainly Americans who has a parent or grandparent from Greece. There was lots
of controversy here about this issue. It was speculated that the chances of
the team doing something good were better that way. the 1-7 record surely
didn't reflect that.
I attended several baseball games and think that even though the Greek side
was rather week, especially in pitching, the real Greeks that didn't make
the team would have not been better.
Scorpio
"Falky foo" <falk...@bonksbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:pZVXc.12632$9r2....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
Not true. They had several player to make a ballclub. It was the Orioles
owner who wanted to help out the Greeks and created trials in the states at
which several hundreds (300 or so according to Angelos) showed up. He did
this after he was asked to help out. Greece does have a baseball league and
several regular Greek Americans and 100% Greeks play there and as a
national team they played relatively well in several european championships
last year. It was decided that the chances of the Greek team would be higher
if they brought the Americans (with Greek blood somewhere along the line) so
they chose to replace all but two 100% Greeks from the national team.
Scorpio
You know, I was wondering about that the other day. Greece does not have a
hockey team. I read that they created one and had to play in preliminary
rounds in order to qualify which sounds quite odd. Of coure they got
thrashed and did not qualify.
The baseball thing though is an entirely different story. They did have lots
of Greek players to make a team like I mentioned in my other post.
Scorpio
"Scorpio" <sco...@ath.nospam.whocares> wrote in message
news:1093704129.536447@athnrd02...
Well ultimately, what is the more significant grouping - what
citizenship you hold or your genetic origin? I would think genetic.
So actually many US team atheletes are really from "other countries"
on other continents.
Like bloodlines and race horses?
Jay
i'd prefer to not field a team if a particuar sport just isn't played much
(or at all) in my country (like baseball in greece)..if it's not part of
your culture, why force a team like that, seems silly..
bob
Scorpio
I'll go along with the Jamaican bobsled team being silly but I also
think the world is a better place for it.
"Peace be da journey" from the movie Cool Runnings.
Jay
Well they beat Italy and they had beaten Holland earlier this year and lost
to the winner Cuba 5-4 so they weren't all that bad compared to other
european teams :)
Scorpio
If a Greek person migrates to another country, the Greek Government
considers that the great grand children are still Greek and will have to
perform military service in Greece if they stay more than 3 months, in one
go or in several stints, in Greece.
True. In the case of the Greek baseball team, though, it was not efffected.
The obligatory military duty was waved. It was a prerequisit for them to
agree to come.
Scorpio
>
anywhere else in the world they'd cheer their countryman.
bob
that's fine, the pt of my post was that the jamaican bobsledders were
jamaicans..not americans in jamaican uniform.. greece has faired pretty
well in many events, but they obviously don't play baseball in their country
so they fielded a team of americans of greek descent..i just don't like the
idea..if i were a greek, i woudn't like the idea, i'd prefer not to field a
team..id' rather field a team of greeks that lose 15-0 rather than a team of
americans (or whatever)..
bob
Could you provide a cite for your claim that the Greek government
kidnaps foreign citizens and forces them into military service?
He didn't say that...He said that if you have Greek blood in you somewhere
along the family tree up to grandparents, you are considered to be Greek and
in Greece military service is mandatory so if they live in Greece more than
3 months, they are not considered as visitors so they must serve military
time. "Kidnaps foreign citizens?" Vast misinterpretation.
Scorpio
I agree that the Grek team would be better off having a line up of Greek
atheletes. People would conenct with them better although in all of greece's
games the stadiums were full and the fans were chanting along as if at a
soccer game. This has been a matter of fierce controversy in the baseball
circles in Greece.
You keep saying though that Greece doesnt have a league in baseball and that
their Greek team would be rather weak. The first is not true. They don't
have a great league, but there is a league ande additional teams were
created when Athens was to host the games this year. And like I have said in
other posts, Greece beat Italy in the Olympic games and had beaten Holland
in a european champioship earlier his year (they got clobbered in the
Olympics though). So, compared to other European teams, Greece is not as bad
as you suggest. And they played all the european champioships with their
GREEK players. Unfortunately we have the Orioles president ( Mr. Angelos who
apparently has Greek roots as well) to thank for bringing all the American
*Greeks* over here. But of course primarily it is the baseball commitee's
fault for underestimating the Greek players (I know a couple of the players
of the actuall Greek team and they were all extremely frustrated for being
replaced by the American Greeks). There was even talk about the American
Greeks making a run for a medal...The 1-7 record didn't reflect that by any
mean.
It all comes down to the fact that the Greek fans don't know baseball at all
so it didn't make any difference on the field. The fans were cheering for
the Greek team not caring who the players were. All the talk about it just
died out when the games started.
Scorpio
> bob
>
>
So according to "Cranky", a American citizen of Greek descent
(third generation at that!) who say happens to work for FedEx
in their Athens office, would either have to quit his job and
return to the U.S. or be dragged off to boot camp after three
months by a Greek military press-gang?
Until a valid cite is provided, I'll consider this nothing more
then a Usenet myth.
thanks for informative post..i know all about angelos though..he likes to
toot his own horn....
bob
http://travel.state.gov/travel/greece.html
http://www.ausemb.gr/greek_military_req.html
Dual Australian/Greek males, as well as males eligible for Greek
citizenship, may be subject to compulsory military service obligations when
in Greece and should seek advice from the nearest Greek Embassy or
Consulate, well in advance of travel.
http://www.usembassy.gr/consular/ac_military.htm
Do your own fucking research next time dickwad.
As far as Greece is concerned they're not foreign
citizens, they're Greek citizens. The fact that
they also hold another citizenship is immaterial
to the fact that under Greek law, they're Greek.
That is, in fact, how nationality law tends to work.
Each country, and only each country, determines
who is and who is not one of their citizens. A person
can often hold multiple citizenships, even if he's
not aware of the fact and even if he doesn't want
to hold multiple citizenships.
In any case, my neighbor, who is of Greek ancestry
said that Greece will normally not impose mandatory
military service on a person who is Greek by descent,
but who has never resided in Greece.
Still, that can't be said of every country. Some
people who have taken a trip to see the country
where their parent or grandparent is from, have
discovered after they arrived that they are
actually a citizen of that country, and that
they can't leave until they perform their
mandatory military service.
Stephen Gallagher
Since under Greek law that person is a Greek citizen,
he would be subject to Greece's military service
requirements.
The US Embassy in Athens has a webpage
which discusses this issue in detail:
http://www.usembassy.gr/consular/ac_military.htm
Stephen Gallagher
Not so. The brother of an aquaintence of mine from Australia had to serve
his time in the military even though he was not born there. He did not
regret it saying playing with guns was fun. Also playing dumb by not
speaking the language well gets to to do light duties.
Besides there is an avenue to avoid the service by paying not to serve.
They do have to serve if they reside in Greece, which Greece determines
as being there for periods totalling more than six months in year.
He must have spent more than six months there in one year.
It would be interesting to see how any country would impose
mandatory military service upon someone who doesn't speak
their language.
Stephen