VDARE.COM reader Tim Aaronson, that's who.

In response to my column about American players being replaced on the field by foreign-born athletes ”On Cinco de Mayo, Strike Three for American Baseball Players,” Aaronson wrote that soon the bidding for more visas for would intensify.

And now—a mere month after Aaronson’s letter —the New York Yankees have signed two players from the very unlikely location, from a baseball perspective, of China.[Yankees welcome newly-signed players from China By Larry Fine (Reuters) July 6, 2007 ]

The two new Yankees are Liu Kai, a left-handed pitcher and catcher Zhang Zhenwang.

Based on Yankee general manager Brian Cashman's evaluation of the two 19-year-olds, they would be lucky to make the College World Series champion Oregon State Beavers.

According to Cashman, Kai has an extremely slow 84-mile an hour fastball—¦a marshmallow for major league hitters.

And Zhenwang is ”a defensive catcher.” In other words, he can’t hit.

But never mind that. The Yankees have their eye on a new market in China. Imagine all those billions of Chinese wearing Yankee caps and t-shirts. As Cashman said about the signings: ”It was a critical start to opening a new market for baseball.”

Kai and Zhenwang will soon have their visas. Their families will follow them to America shortly.

By the way, I wonder if Cashman knows what their politics are?