“In my experience with talking to players who have opted out of the tournament, it's not pressure from the club, it's the pressure they themselves feel. Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but it may not get you a spot on the roster.”
“No one wants to play more than Pedro does. So if it's at all possible, he will play. Obviously, his toe is still an issue. I spoke with a representative of Pedro within the last 24 hours. It is still possible he will play, but at best it's 50-50 right now.”
“I have not spoken with Manny himself, but I have spoken with people who represent him. Coming to camp on March 1 does not bode well for Manny to be able to play. But Manny is eligible and obviously the Dominican team would love to have Manny play.”
“I think there has been a failure by some people in the press to distinguish between a player who's not playing because he feels he can't and the guy who's not interested in playing in this kind of tournament. The latter kinds of guys are very few in number.”
“There are a lot of other great players in the tournament of course in addition to Manny, which is one of the reasons Manny would probably want to play, with the talent at that level. But I haven't spoken with Manny himself, and, in fact, I think I spoke to one of his representatives as late as yesterday and he hasn't ruled out playing. What he decides is really ultimately going to be up to him though.”
