Talent and experience don't count in Mireya's world

A few months back, just before Major League Baseball's spring training began, President Moscoso and her ministers, aides and coalition partners had a meeting at the Decameron resort in Farallon. A man who had a reservation at the hotel was turned away.

The man who was sent away from the inn was one Mariano Rivera. Though the son of a sardine boat skipper, Rivera has as much money as most of the hacks assembled for Mireya's little conference. No doubt, however, people like him make people like those in charge of this government nervous. Unlike most of the people close to the president, Rivera's money and prestige come entirely from his talent and labor. He's not the scion of a family that has been looting the public trust since the days of Pedrarias the Cruel. His fame does not derive from large campaign contributions or treacherous political maneuvers.

As is the case with any other good pitcher, there will come a day when Mariano's fastball no longer has the zing that he developed in his youth, when the balls he throws no longer curve or drop or sail or flutter so impressively. Even for the greatest, an athlete's prime is ephemeral.

One thing that retired baseball players frequently do is move to the broadcasting booth. Tony Kubek had some good years as an infielder for the Yankees during their glory days in the 60s, but had more good years in front of the microphone as an equally impressive baseball analyst. Bob Uecker was at best a mediocre second-string catcher, but became a celebrity on the strength of his performance as a TV sports journalist.

Now, however, the Moscoso administration wants to block any opportunity for Mariano Rivera to work in a Panamanian broadcast booth. Under her proposed new press law, since he doesn't have a degree in journalism from the University of Panama, Mariano Rivera is not qualified to broadcast baseball games. Some 22-year-old with a diploma from the University of Panama's Faculty of Social Communications who never played baseball, never wrote a newspaper article and never broadcast a play-by-play account of a sports event, on the other hand, would meet Mireya's qualifications.

Coming from someone whose highest formal education was a community college interior decorating course, this pretentious attempt to restrict freedom of the press to 'qualified'individuals is a big-league insult. It should be rejected with all due scorn.