I
have been going to Cuba to play baseball every February since 2000. Playing in
big cities like Havana, Cienfuegos and Santa Clara and pueblos like Abreus and
Venales. We've played in big stadiums like Estadio Latino Americano (where the
Baltimore Orioles played in 1999) Estadio Cinco de Septiembre and Estadio
Sandino. We've played in smaller ball parks like Estadio Lazaro Santos and
Antillana de Acero. While the quality of the fields and equipment of the Cuban
teams might have been sub-par by US standards, the quality of play and
camaraderie of the Cuban veterans has always been the best.
In the 3 years I've been going, our teams have averaged 10 games per visit. The Cuban veterans hold a slight edge having won 29 of the 30 contests. Our one win is an interesting story. We were playing a team of veteran ballplayers from Cienfuegos in the third game of a three game series. We had lost the first two games by scores of 15 to 5 and 13 to 5. In the top of the eighth trailing 4 to 6, Andy Badolato, hit a 3 run homer to go ahead 7 to 6. Some of our guys thought it was foul and that maybe the umpire was helping us out. I say it's the umpire's world and we're just playing in it. In the bottom of the ninth the Cubans tied the game at 7.
The team from Cienfuegos had arranged to take us out on a party boat after the game. They had roasted a pig, stocked beer, rum, cigars and music and we were to eat, drink and be merry out on a cruise of the bay (see picture).
We had a deadline to meet the boat and most of us were content to leave the game tied, but the umpire felt we had time to play one more inning. The top of the tenth dragged on, but we finally scored a run to go ahead 8 to 7. The umpire (who also went on the cruise)decided we had better get to the dock and called the game befo~ the Cubans got to bat in the bottom of the lOth. The first sudden death baseball game I had seen since back on the school yard when the bell rang to go back to class. Although there was much discussion between our players, on the boat and in the hotel afterward, the next morning's newspaper stated that the local team had taken a friendship series with the North Americans, 2 games to 1. Hey, if it's in a communist paper, it must be true.
The Cuban players have very little in the way of gear. Each year we have taken old uniforms, caps, helmets, gloves, cleats, bats and 12 boxes of new baseballs. Thanks to Steve Sigler, the Metro veterans of Havana have new MSBL caps for their team (see picture) and there are several dozen kids wearing MSBL/MABL t-shirts. This year, thanks to the generosity of Dave Ruegge, Las Vegas MSBL/MABL president and head of the Vegas Valley Umpires Association, I was able to give umpire shirts, pants, ball bags, strike counters, caps and a full set of home plate umpire gear (see picture) to the Cuban umpires (maybe that's why we got the call).
Kerry Dehority of the San Jose MSBL brought 18 uniforms and several gloves and bats, donated by his league. Thanks to the generosity of baseball lovers like these, Cuban veteran players and children are sporting new and not so new, Rawlings, Easton and MSBL gear.
I
have had the good fortune of being able to play baseball in countries like
Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Mexico and
China, as well as, the US Virgin Islands. While all those places had there own
charm, Cuba was like going back in time.
For
more information, call Dennis McCroskey (Tri-Valley MSBL) who puts these trips
together.
For
more information contact:
Dennis
McCroskey: 707-937-4478