Political Protests End Cal Ripken’s Youth Clinics In Nicaragua Early

NICARAGUA - Former major league “iron man” Cal Ripken was forced to cancel a youth baseball clinic in Nicaragua on Tuesday due to political protests and road blocks.

Sponsors shelved the final clinic in Leon because protesters were blocking major roads in and outside of the city. The U.S. Embassy said that organizers were concerned parents and the youth participants would not be able to attend.

Protests surrounding recent local election have resulted in opposition party supporters clashing with leftist Sandinista party supporters. The opposition has accused the ruling party of election fraud during the November 9 municipal elections.

The legendary Baltimore Orioles’ icon was named a American Public Diplomacy Envoy for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2007. Ripken and his former Baltimore Orioles teammate Dennis Martinez, a native of Nicaragua, conducted clinics for 300 children and 60 youth coaches in Managua and Granada last week.