Cuba, US resume baseball series after 16 years

Jul 6, 2012, 4:19 PM

Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) – A team of college stars representing the United States faced off with a veteran Cuban national squad in Havana, reviving a series between two baseball-crazy nations 16 years after it was called off at a nadir in relations.

Players and fans stood respectfully in the city’s storied Latin American Stadium on Thursday night as the Cuban and then the U.S. national anthems played on loudspeakers _ the latter a rarity in the Communist-run island nation.

“This is awesome. I’ve never been out of the country before, so this is my first time,” said USA outfielder Johnny Field, a 20-year-old sophomore who won a College World Series title less than two weeks ago with the University of Arizona. “We’ve heard all the hype about how great the stadium is, and Cuba is at baseball, and it’s already shown since we got here. … We’re fired up to be here.”

The last time Cuba and the U.S. played a series like this outside of tournament play was 1996, which even among 53 years of bad blood stood out as a particularly bad year for U.S.-Cuban relations: That February, Cuba shot down two small planes piloted by an anti-Castro exile group that Havana accused of entering its airspace to drop leaflets. Later, President Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act, which dramatically hardened the U.S. trade embargo.

USA Baseball President Mike Gaski said there was no single event that prompted the series to be suspended and decisions on funding, timing and scheduling have kept play from resuming. But he acknowledged that political concerns complicated matters, and said it took years of building relationships to bring about this weekend’s games.

“It wasn’t for lack of trying on both people’s parts. And there were probably political pressures that went on above our pay grades. … I wasn’t privy to those conversations,” Gaski said. “There’s always been an anxiety about defections, and maybe everybody’s at a better place right now.”

The plan is for the Cubans to pay a reciprocal visit next summer.

“The most important thing is to maintain this matchup, both in Cuba and in the United States. I would love to go play there,” said Victor Mesa, the former star outfielder who’s now managing Cuba’s national team.

There’ve been a number of Little League exchanges between the countries, and in 1999, the Baltimore Orioles became the first MLB team to play in Cuba since 1959.

The U.S. squad of 22 players and five coaches arrived in Havana on Thursday with barely enough time to check into their hotel before it was time to head to the ballpark, where batting practice was interrupted by a downpour typical of the Caribbean summer.

Groundskeepers managed to rake the field into playable condition, and the game started about 90 minutes late. In the sparsely filled stands, a few people waved American flags surrounded by horn-blowing Cuba fans.

The U.S. won the opener 4-3 on Michael Conforto’s grand slam and Jonathan Crawford’s 6 1-3 innings of strong pitching.

The series is a warm-up for both squads ahead of the upcoming Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands. For the U.S. collegians, all but two of whom are freshmen or sophomores, it’s also a chance to see how they perform against tougher competition.

“In the past, the big stars from the United States played against us. Barry Bonds. Mark McGwire. Frank Thomas,” Mesa said. “We are a measuring stick for the major leagues. We are an elite team with pitchers who could pitch at any level, so if one of these boys stands out against us, he has the talent to play in the majors.”

If baseball is America’s national pastime, it’s equally an obsession in Cuba. Stickball games are a daily sight in crowded Havana streets, and it seems everyone here knows the English words “ball,” `’strike,” `’inning” and “home run” _ pronounced “hon-ron.”

The U.S. and Cuba are perennial favorites at competitions such as the World Baseball Classic, and both sides express respect for what they consider a tough rival.

“Whenever we’ve gone to a tournament, both USA Baseball and Cuba, I know we both look to see which bracket each other’s in,” said University of Tennessee coach Dave Serrano, manager of the USA squad. “For them to start this rivalry back up is like the Red Sox and the Yankees _ it’s supposed to be part of baseball.”

___

Follow Peter Orsi on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

World News

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his regularly scheduled morning press conferenc...
Associated Press

Mexican president says Tesla to build plant in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president announced Tuesday that electric car company Tesla has committed to building a major plant in the industrial hub of Monterrey in northern Mexico. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the promise came in phone calls he had Friday and Monday with Tesla head Elon Musk. It would be Tesla’s […]
28 days ago
President Joe Biden speaks with children after delivering a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades on F...
Associated Press

Day after Ukraine visit, President Biden in Poland to affirm Western resolve

President Joe Biden, in Poland, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has hardened Western resolve to defend democracy around the globe.
1 month ago
People search a collapsed building following an earthquake in Azmarin town, Idlib province, norther...
Associated Press

Death toll soars after powerful earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday, killing and injuring thousands of people.
2 months ago
FILE - A fuel trucks drives along a highway in Frankfurt, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. European Union go...
Associated Press

Europe bans Russian diesel, other oil products over Ukraine

The new sanctions create uncertainty about prices as the 27-nation European Union finds new supplies of diesel from the U.S., Middle East and India.
2 months ago
(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BoF VOICES)...
Associated Press

Vivienne Westwood, influential fashion maverick, dies at 81

Vivienne Westwood, an influential fashion maverick who played a key role in the punk movement, died Thursday at 81.
3 months ago
FILE - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during his first Cabinet meeting flanked by his ...
Associated Press

Rishi Sunak: UK’s ex-Treasury chief gets his shot at PM job

LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak ran for Britain’s top job and lost. Then he got another shot — and the chance to say “I told you so.” The former U.K. Treasury chief was runner-up to Liz Truss in the contest to replace the scandal-plagued Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and prime minister. But Truss […]
5 months ago

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...
Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.
(Photo via MLB's Arizona Fall League / Twitter)...
Arizona Fall League

Top prospects to watch at this year’s Arizona Fall League

One of the most exciting elements of the MLB offseason is the Arizona Fall League, which began its 30th season Monday.
Cuba, US resume baseball series after 16 years