By Jim Kayes
Three Black Sox, including vice captain Brad Rona, face the sack when they meet with coach Eddie Kohlhase in Auckland tonight after they ignored a directive not to play baseball.
The likely decision to drop the experienced Rona, along with his son Pita and Ben Enoka, will send shock waves through the sport but Black Sox officials say they have little choice.
Rona has been a Black Sox pitcher for 11 years. He has only ever played for the love of the game but in baseball he sees a way for his talented son Pita to make a living.
“You know financially you can be sorted. I’ve obviously played this game for many years and it's not quite as good as baseball.”
Good financially with interest from American major league ball clubs growing. Te Wera Bishop signed a seven year deal with the Red Sox early this year and the New York Yankees have also visited.
Rona sees a potentially lucrative career for his fellow Black Sox son Pita in baseball.
“If we get to qualify in that classic the scouts are going to come in waves.”
That's next November and a possible player drain with the Softball World Champs in New Zealand in two years is just one of the Blacks Sox’s concerns.
“There’s too many conflicts, there's far to many conflicts, dates, schedules tournaments, that sort of thing and we want our guys totally, totally focused and committed to our pinnacle event which is 2013,” says Black Sox manager Doug Golightly.
So the Rona’s and Ben Enoka face a ‘please explain’ meeting with Black Sox coach Eddie Kohlhase tonight.
“And if they continue to flout the rules, continue to stick in our face, well there's only one out come really isn't there? It's a dictatorship not a democracy.”
The Rona's will back down first.
“I’m only doing it only if I can play both. If it doesn't interfere I don't see what the problem is,” says Brad. “So if it comes to it you'll play softball not baseball.”
The question to be decided tonight though is whether that assurance is too little, too late.
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