GROSSETOFrom the sending of the US warships in the Caribbean Sea to the threat of a land raid, until the large-scale attack that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro. The escalation of tension between the United States and Venezuela has been going on for months, with an intensification of the conflict that has seen Trump increasingly raise his tone towards Maduro, launching Operation Southern Spear, officially aimed at combating narco-terrorism. And, after the attack on the air bases (including civilian ones) in Caracas, concern arose from the Maremma for the many players of Venezuelan baseball who, over the years, have worn the BBC’s coat Grosseto. This is the case of Jairo Ramos Gizzithe strongest player to ever wear the red and white jersey, who spent almost fifteen years in Grosseto, first as a player and then also as a coach. Ramos lives in winter in La Guaira, the city that hosts the port and is located not far from Caracas. During the night, from his home, he saw the bombing at the airport. “Jairo is fine – said Luca Moretti, former BBC coach and personal friend of Ramos – we spoke as soon as I heard what had happened. He told me that the situation now seems calm, after Maduro’s capture, but there is no electricity and the internet doesn’t work either. He told me that the army is patrolling the streets.” Ramos, who will be San Marino’s manager next year, has just finished his job as a coach at a baseball academy. “He hopes to leave on March 15 – concludes Moretti – but we need to see what will happen now and whether there won’t be a civil war”. Mauro Mazzotti, former manager of Grosseto and now scout and manager of San Marino, also returned to Italy about two weeks ago, after the trip to Venezuela. “The boys are fine – he said – I think the problem is getting out of the country. I myself was forced to go on foot first to Colombia and then by plane to Bogota. Only from there was I able to leave for Europe. We hope – concludes Mazzotti – that in a couple of months the situation will improve and the players will be able to fly to Europe”. M. Alf.
