Dominican GM disappointed by A-Rod's decision

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Alex Rodriguez's decision to play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic disillusioned many Dominicans, but the Caribbean team will do fine without him, its general manager said Wednesday.

"I have always said that it was a personal decision for Alex, but I feel a little disappointed with his announcement that he is going to play for the United States," Stanley Javier told the Associated Press.

Rodriguez, perhaps Major League Baseball's best all-around player, was eligible to play for the U.S. and the Dominican Republic because he was raised in the United States but his parents are Dominican.

The New York Yankees third baseman said last month that he intended to play for the Dominican team, then said he wouldn't play at all because he didn't want to offend either country.

The Dominican Republic listed him on their initial 60-man roster on Monday. A-Rod, as the two-time MLB most valuable player award winner is called, announced his decision to play for the U.S. in a statement posted to his Web site on Tuesday.

Javier downplayed Rodriguez' importance, saying the Dominican side has sufficient talent to replace him.

"I want to send this message: We never counted on Alex. We have Adrian Beltre and Aramis Ramirez at third base. We do not need more," he said.

Rodriguez's presence on the U.S. team means "we have one more motivation to beat the U.S. team," Javier said.

Final 30-man rosters for the 16-team tournament, scheduled for March 3-20, are due five days before each team's opener.

Besides Beltre (Seattle) and Ramirez (Chicago Cubs), the Dominican roster includes several players from the U.S. major leagues such as pitchers Pedro Martinez (New York Mets) and Bartolo Colon (Angels), first baseman Albert Pujols (St. Louis), designated hitter David Ortiz (Boston), outfielders Manny Ramirez (Boston) and Vladimir Guerrero (Los Angeles Angels), shortstop Miguel Tejada (Baltimore), and second baseman Alfonso Soriano (Washington).

Free-agent outfielder Sammy Sosa is on the Dominican roster but hasn't said whether he intends to play.