An un-authoritative Hugo Chavez link roundup

Hugo Chavez was the president of Venezuela. And that particular country supplies about eight percent of the players in Major League Baseball -- third-most behind the United States and the Dominican Republic -- so you’d figure there would be some baseball-related links to go through after his death.

Here’s Dave Zirin on how Chavez thumbed his nose at Major League Baseball. You can bet that MLB wants to run Venezuela the same way it runs the DR, but Chavez wanted more control. The article makes Chavez sound a little too much like a crusader for justice, but it also makes MLB look like asses when it comes to their international dealings with amateurs, so I’m torn.

Here’s the excellent Matthew Callan on how Chavez almost broke Shea Stadium. Check out the sweet cleats and uniform pants worn by Chavez! That’s not odd at all!

Jeff Passan looked at the time Magglio Ordonez was booed by Venezuelan ex-pats for supporting Chavez.

“When they boo me, they’re booing everybody,” Ordonez said.

No, I read the article, and it sounds like they’re just booing you, Magglio.

Here’s Ozzie Guillen talking about Chavez and trying not to think about eating a delicious, nougaty Snickers bar:

And finally, here’s Chavez giving career and life advice to K-Rod because, well, that’s what presidents do.

“We love you, Kid,” Chávez continued. “Control your impulses. The Kid Rodriguez. The pride of all of us. Young man of this nation. Of course, over there in a difficult world. Difficult.”