Pitching a bitch about Guantanamo

Most everybody on the planet knows the US has a military base on the island of Cuba where they keep "detainees" that they don't know what else to do with.

So what does this have to do with sports?

According to Sports Illustrated, efforts will soon be under way to create a new soccer field, where the "compliant" prisoners can get out and about, and get some exercise kicking a ball around. It would probably be beneficial to their morale -- usually a good thing. It seems the old "pitch" wasn't so hot. Something about drainage problems, or maybe land mines -- I dunno -- but it wasn't working out.

This is where things get out of control -- once again. The new projected 28,000 square foot "recreation area" will set the US taxpayers back an estimated $744,000. Three quarters of a million for a soccer field. Not a building, not artificial turf, just a field, that's already US property -- I think. That's if it stays within the original budget estimate, and when's the last time THAT happened?

What's somewhere between sad and hilarious is "Guantanamo officials" (see US Marine Corps) say "the high costs resulted from the US economic embargo on Cuba, which necessitates importing building supplies".

Really? They don't seem to have a problem landing cargo planes and helicopters filled with anything from soldiers to foodstuffs to a variety of weaponry and, unless I'm mistaken, naval ships come and go from their on a regular basis.

And now it's a major issue to get some grass seed from the "mainland"?  Please. I'm thinking about those $800 "manually operated fastener impellers", and those $1000 "swivelling sanitary insulators" -- commonly known as hammers and toilet seats. Sound familiar? The only drainage problem for this project is on the taxpayers. And does anybody think for one second that those prisoners, after having been locked up for years, and likely subjected to all manners of various interrogation techniques, really give a rat's behind if the new field drains better than the old one?

But it will probably happen. Maybe they should make a league out of it. There's a league for everything in the USA, when it comes to sports. Then they'd have to adopt team names. One could be bin Laden's Down Troddens.

And what might the others call themselves?