El Aficion National WINTER “Imperlalista! BALLIN Imperlalista! Imperialista! Which side were you on at the Bay of Pigs!” This is baseball in Havana, Cuba; the fans sound like Yankees with a Cuban twist. Completely out of position, the umpire has just called the inning ended, double play against leagueleading Los Industriales at home. A classic rhubarb ensues. Players, managers, fans, they all let him have it: “/mperz- alista! Imperialista?' Blue sky, green grass, the outfield fence marked in feet while the rest of the country is metric, a beautiful ballpark full of screaming fans—this Yan- qui was at home in Havana’s Estadio Latino-Americano. Baseball and beaches in December. . . this must be heaven! Gorbachev-era dreams for the first Pan-American major league division dance in my mind—the Havana Sugar Kings, Mexico City Toros, Caracas Petroleros, Dominican Friars, Miami Playa, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and the L.A. Dodgers. I’m enjoying the first of many games at this ballpark, my home away from home. In fast-paced Havana, with its Afro-Cuban jazz beat, rapid- fire speech, hard-working people, speeded up on incredibly good strong coffee, the ballpark provides a languid space for reflection. I picture the crowds for a Mexico-L.A. pennant series; the excitement of a contest between the Sugar Kings and Miami’s La Playa. Since even before Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea musings on “the great DiMaggio,” the N.Y. Yankees have always been The Team in Havana. No amount of Yankee imperialist aggression seems to alter Cubans’ affection for baseball or the club. Each year rumors fly across the island, from the ballparks to the ice cream parlors, that the Yankees will “come this spring to play an exhibition.” Blockaded forever from the plate, all Cuban fans would love a Yankees-Sugar Kings World Series. Photos & Story by Lynn DeWeese- Parkinson So should U.S. fans. An all-time, all-star Cuban team with say Jose Canseco, Luis Tiant, Mike Guerra, Preston Gomez, Zoilo Versalles, Minnie Minoso, Dolph Luque, Tony Oliva and Emilio Palmero sounds pretty good. Talent equally good is playing in Cuba now. Dominant for years in international baseball, the Cuban national team is current Pan-Am and World Games title holder. With two eight-team leagues, another holdover from U.S. influence in Cuba which ended with the ’50s, playing at approximately AAA level, Cuba could field a respectable major league team. Cuban fans, true fanatics, would surely threaten to lead both leagues in total attendance. When the Cubans hit U.S. TV, a prospect currently being explored by NBC, look for good pitching, hitting and speed. Euclides Rodriguez got the win in the Pan-Am Games against the U.S. with fine control. He teams in the bullpen with Francisco Despaigne, a tall, lanky fire- baller. Lazaro Valle is a top starter with a 1.8 ERA. Extraordinarily handsome, with a quirky wit, ready smile and love of posing in the semi-nude, Valle will be a sure smash in the U.S. media. Offense minded fans will not go wanting. Los Industriales, first in their league and runners up in the four-team post season, fields half the national team. Its lineup is truly frightening. Eight of their starters bat over .300. Catcher Juan Bravo, slugging well over .400, leads Perez, Roguez and Vargas, all flirting with that magic number. On my first trip to Estadio Latino- Americano, I meet with Manuel Morales, Cuba’s Baseball Commissioner. He played in the Washington Senator’s organization, as did most of the Cubans who played in the States. “Papa Joe,” a Senator’s scout, lived in Havana for years. Commissioner Morales takes me to Los Industriales’ practice, introduces me to manager Rodolfo Puentes, who gives me Lazaro Valle is a top starter with a 1.8 ERA. Extraordinarily handsome, with a quirky wit, ready smile and love of posing in the seminude, Valle will be a sure smash in the U.S. media. .Clinton St. Dec. ’89-Jan. ’90 35
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