In my judgment, the reason the vote was taken is a simple one: Baseball and softball are not European sports. The Olympics are Euro-centric and Euro-dominated. I don't think there's much more to it than that.

If over time the World Baseball Classic works the way we hope it will, I think the next time there is a discussion it will be the IOC asking us to come back.

They can review anything they want to review.

I've heard there are a lot of people that are optimistic that this is going to be a big change for the positive. And I certainly hope they're right.

We've had these discussions for sometime with the commissioner's office and I expect the conversations will continue next week.

We are grateful for the cooperation of the Departments of State and Treasury. The license we have been given opens the way for the Cuban Baseball Federation's participation, along with other federations from around the world, in the inaugural Baseball Classic, and we now look forward with even greater anticipation to the opening of the tournament in early March.

We believe this is an agreement we can live with. Otherwise, we would not have made it.

Over the last five or six years, there's a lot more day-to-day contact between our offices on a whole host of things. You develop better working relations as a result of doing that. You hope that that translates into something which makes bargaining a little easier. But that's something you wait to find out.

I think we will (have a tougher new policy). I don't think it will take an extended period of time.

Kirby played the game with such passion and enthusiasm that he was beloved by players and fans throughout all of baseball.