Industriales in Miami: Just baseball

HAVANA – For the Cuban press to have said little or nothing about the possibility of a game in Miami in honor of Industriales is no surprise. For the fans on the island to be nevertheless aware of those plans is no surprise, either.

The fans here manage in various ways to remain informed, by hearsay or by telepathy. Most of them, on a hunch, not knowing how they do it or in what stage the saga is.

Little information is known. Most recently, Oncuba magazine reported that “the 10 from Havana” will leave the Cuban capital for Miami on Sunday the 11th: Lázaro Vargas, Juan Padilla, Pedro Medina, Armando Ferreiro, Rey Vicente Anglada, Enrique Díaz, Tony González, Armando Capiró, Javier Méndez and Lázaro Valle.

There will be two games: one between former Industralistas living outside Cuba and the Havana visitors; the other, between all “the blues” and a selection of players from other provinces and other teams who also live in the United States.

So far, the dates, venues and conditions for the matches have not been confirmed by the organizers. The obstacles raised by Miami’s ultrarightists in the path of Somos Cuba have been major and have hindered the chances of leasing a proper stadium.

But about this, the Cuban press has reported nothing. In an exception, Cuban journalist Reinaldo Taladrid some days ago pulled back the curtain (a little) by publishing a comment in the digital newspaper Cubadebate.

He began by taking it for granted that games will be played, matching “a small group of about 10 Industriales ballplayers who live in Cuba” and “other men who also played for Industriales and now live in the United States.” He mentioned no names.

Then he recalled the political tussles between the United States and Cuba, including baseball-related events such as Kissinger’s refusal in the 1970s to allow an encounter in Havana, and the refusal to allow Cuba – by means of the blockade – to take home the cash prize ($1 million) for its second place in the First World Classic of Baseball.

After arguing with facts how the United States’ hostile policy against Cuba has interfered with or barred initiatives that sought to bring together players from both countries, Taladrid wondered: “Why can’t they just play baseball and leave it at that?”

His own answer was categorical: “Because the players live in Cuba.”

“Can a Cuban player living in his homeland, Cuba, play baseball in the U.S. and continue to live in Cuba?” Taladrid asked. Again he answered himself: “The answer is absolute. HE CANNOT. It is prohibited by the blockade, which is the law in the United States.”

But this is a topic with many and sharp edges. The first reader to comment on Taladrid’s article in the website bunted his question right back to him: “Can the Cuban players who live and play in foreign countries come play in our country?” The answer, so far, is NO.

Not because it derives from the application of a Cuban law against the United States or any other country. This impossibility is born of a deep-rooted local policy that – at least until now – no authority has questioned publicly and has tended to symbolically “banish” all players who once abandoned their teams, their colors and their homeland.

A few months ago, former Yankee player José Ariel Contreras, visiting Pinar del Río after 10 years’ absence from Cuba and many titles and honors, was ignored by most of the national press. Newspapers and newscasts treated him as if he were a ghost.

On the other hand, the public, the people who recognized him on the street treated him royally. At the time, Contreras said: “I had thought the people had forgotten me. Not at all. They treated me with great affection. People continue to love and respect me – a lot.”

Sports and peace

What’s most relevant about the project by Alejandro Cantón and Somos Cuba to produce a match in Miami between “blue” veterans is that it brings to the table this situation: A recalcitrant minority of Cubans in Miami does not want to see ballplayers from Havana. Yet many in Cuba would like to see the return of those who left after earning the affection and admiration of the local fans.

From Santiago “Changa” Mederas Stadium, where “the blues” have been training for several weeks, Lázaro Vargas, the third-baseman who is acting as the team’s manager, told Oncuba that “what’s important is to play ball, to show that with baseball we can overcome all obstacles. After all, that’s what sports are all about: they unify, promote and foster peace.”

“It will be a great experience for all, because all – those here and those there – know the significance of wearing the Industriales jersey,” Vargas said. “Those of us who at one time defended these colors want to honor them, as well as those who were our opponents and enjoyed our clashes in a special way.”

What about Havana?

In his article, Taladrid saved the newsiest part for the end. “I’m giving you a heads-up,” he wrote. “Date and place are being set for a celebratory game, possibly with a concert at the end. It is only a project (which I hope will materialize) between former Industriales and a team of veterans from the rest of the country. In other words, a game that should reflect the Industrialist phenomenon in Cuba: Industriales vs. The Rest of the Country.”

That institution called “The Rest of the Country,” being presented as the only possible opponent for the 50-year-old “blues,” does not include Cubans living abroad. Only those who live on the island. Cuban stars from any other country will not be considered, even if they shine brightly.

We are surrounded by too many exclusions. Let us recall the most recent threat by the MLB against the Caribbean Series, an effort to eliminate – following the United States’ policy of blockade against Cuba – the Villa Clara team, champion during Cuba’s latest National Series.

A few days ago, literature professor and Cubanologist (?) Guillermo Rodríguez Rivera said that “it is time for Cuban baseball to take a step forward. Let us offer the Latinoamericano Stadium, the Cerro Stadium, for the first version of the clash between the Industriales living in the United States and those who live in Cuba.

“Invite to Cuba the Cuban-Americans who can travel and can do it, and let fans from Miami and Havana fill the Latinoamericano to see the old Industriales play.

“The wounds caused by the war of independence from Spain were still raw when tens of thousands of Spanish immigrants started to arrive in Cuba. But the Cuban government had no budget to support anyone who might fuel the hatred against Spain.”

The Cubadebate´s reader also outlined it: “If the game cannot be played in Miami because of the United States’ anti-Cuban policy, could it not be played in the Latino Stadium? We would have much to win and nothing to lose.”

Enough already. Play ball.

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