A Defector's Reflections

Adam Lewis

HAVANA -- Kendrys Morales and Enrique Diaz Martinez used to be teammates. It's the only connection remaining between the Cubans, formerly of Havana's Los Industriales, nine years after each made a decision that took their lives in different directions.

A Cuban Debate

May-16-2013

Tenzin Choephel

Reporting from Havana

Los Industriales player takes a swing (Photo Courtesy of Matt Benoit)

 

Thursday morning, I decided to stay in the hotel to finish up some of my stories from the last couple of days. Adam Lewis, a member in our group, decided to stay in as well. He was finishing up his stories on Cuban baseball. So we both missed the morning tour with plans to meet up with our group during lunch at Jose Fusters house. Fuster is a famous Cuban painter, and I was interesting in seeing his work.

Baseball and Cuba

I’ll admit it. Watching the behavior of Cuban fans at Havana’s Estadio Latino Americano was worth the 16-hour layover in Miami. If only I would have paid better attention during the “Escuchando” section of Sr. Powell’s high school Spanish class than perhaps I could have understood the series of obscenities directed at the starting pitcher of Los Industriales during their 14-5 loss to the Isla de Juventud.                  

Fortunately watching the hand motions and hearing the volume of the crowd was all the indication I needed. Baseball isn’t declining in Cuba, contrary to the government’s wishes.

Passion Over Glory

By Kelly Montgomery, Havana

Saturday, May 11-Day 1

I didn’t exactly know what to expect going to a baseball game in Havana, so I wasn’t surprised to see a rather run-down stadium with little “concession” stands, if you can even call them that. I was, however, surprised at how many people were actually in attendance given the size of the stadium.

 There were definitely more men than women, but it was still a surprisingly fair ratio. There were many children, running around with noisemakers eating folded-pizza that resembling a taco.