Larry LaRue has the scoop on why it was so difficult for OF Wlad Balentien to get into the country:

Wladimir Balentien was packed and ready to get to camp early with the Seattle Mariners when a young cousin dropped his passport into water.

And that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was, Balentien then tore out the wet pages and went about the business of traveling from his home in Curaco to Venezuela and on to the United States.

Venezuelan custom officials took one look at his passport – and the missing pages – and stopped his trip.

I can’t imagine myself thinking that tearing pages out of my passport would be a smart idea, so I’m not all that sympathetic towards Wlad in that regard.

It is unfortunate that he is behind, however.  He’s got to catch up in his conditioning and won’t be ready to appear in a game for another week or so, despite there being lots of opportunity with a couple Mariner outfielders WBC bound starting tomorrow.  It would have been a golden opportunity to play in front of the new management every day as he scrambles for a 25-man roster spot.  Wlad is out of options, so if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster he’ll be put up for grabs on the waiver wire.