Venezuela now a hot spot off diamond "I survived the second World War," Reiner said. "I will survive this."

www.chron.com March 3, 2003, 12:02AM By DALE ROBERTSON

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Andres Reiner is a citizen of the world. He was born in Hungary, grew up in Venezuela and has lived in Houston since the late 1970s. But Andres Reiner is not a political man.

"My wife calls me a baseball addict," he says, "and I think she's right."

About the time the Soviet Union collapsed and the Berlin Wall tumbled down, Reiner was realizing his life's dream -- opening the first baseball academy in Venezuela on behalf of the Astros. That convergence was coincidental but harmonic nonetheless. Suddenly, the planet seemed as though it would be a less bellicose place. No longer would two antagonistic superpowers be staring each other down, a push of a button away from the apocalypse.

With the first and second worlds getting out of each other's faces, the rest, or third world, couldn't help but profit, right? Venezuela in particular, because of its sizable oil reserves, looked particularly primed to take a bold leap forward into the full flower of modernity, if only its leaders would stop lining their pockets with the brunt of the country's petroleum profits.

They didn't, of course, and the deeply ingrained corruption led the frustrated, impatient citizenry to turn to Hugo Chavez for salvation. But although the hard-left-leaning strongman president instituted sweeping policies of "reform," his medicine proved more unsettling to the Venezuelan system than the disease had been, and the most ominous fit of social unrest Reiner has seen in his 67 years would be the result.

Because of the fallout from the general strikes and massive protests directed toward the Chavez government in recent months, the nation's oil revenues figure to drop by at least 50 percent, and half the population could be unemployed by the middle of the summer. Understandably, crime is soaring, as Astro Richard Hidalgo would learn over the offseason when he was shot in the arm while being robbed.

So much for a stable backdrop in which to teach baseball skills, an avenue of escape for at least a few of the nation's impoverished kids.

Reiner, who just returned from a month at the academy, tries to stay positive. The irony of the unraveling situation isn't lost on him. He says Venezuelans' passion for baseball -- it's the nation's favorite sport by far -- never has been greater despite the angry mood of the populace.

"This is bad stuff, and it can still get much worse," he said. "But the more poverty there is, the more desperate people become to find a way out for their children."

Reiner's official title with the Astros since 1997 has been special assistant to general manager Gerry Hunsicker for international scouting and development. He came to spring training to counsel Hunsicker on how the organization should proceed in light of the uncertainties. A number of teams -- 18 besides the Astros have a bricks-and-mortar Venezuelan presence -- are in the process of or considering moving their players and staff to the Dominican Republic until normalcy returns. Therefore, Venezuela's summer league schedule remains in jeopardy. The winter league was shut down shortly after it began.

Reiner's advice to Hunsicker, whose mind is not made up: Ride it out.

"Even if there is only one other team to play," Reiner said, "I think we should stay. Safety is not an issue. The players and the instructors are safe. And there is no anti-American sentiment, not at all. If anything, the people believe it is the United States who will help solve the problem."

Which might become a problem in itself. The United States is a tad distracted by matters other than South American socialists these days, and you wonder how long the Venezuelans will patiently suffer on the back burner.

The Astros' facility, located within the secured confines of Venezuela's only privately owned oil company, Venoco, recently underwent a major renovation to rank it among the finest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Sixteen of the academy's graduates have risen to the major-league level, and Reiner believes as many as 15 of the current prospects living there have major-league potential.

Given Venezuela's population of 25 million -- compared to 4.5 million in the Dominican Republic -- the number can multiply exponentially in the years to come if Chavez doesn't act rashly.

"He could, you know, like Fidel (Castro), throw professional baseball out," Reiner said. "Will he? I don't think so, but ... "

Reiner measures his words when he speaks about the government, saying, "They could put me in jail."

And he contends Chavez "has done everything he said he would do. It's just that the people never once believed he would actually do them."

The Astros should know by the end of March if the Venezuelan season is a go or if they'll have to transport everyone to the Dominican. A referendum that could determine Chavez's political fate is scheduled for Aug. 19, but it's also possible the power-obsessed president won't allow it to happen because he's aware there are enough votes on the street to oust him.

Were he to block the referendum, things could get scary. Some warn of a possible full-scale civil war. Reiner discounts that "because the Chavez side has all the big weapons," but he concedes that as much as he wants to believe baseball will continue to grow and prosper in his adopted country, there are troubling uncertainties.

Ultimately, though, he's an optimist.

"I survived the second World War," Reiner said. "I will survive this."