On rare occasions a Cuban baseball star has been as respected as the Industriales´ former outfielder Javier Mendez, who earned the privilege of being considered “a gentleman inside and outside the field”, which we could verify during a visit I did to his home in the municipality of Playa, Havana, a few days ago.
We talked for over an hour and Javier (who claims not having a good memory and finished responding to us in detail each question) was so prepared for our pitches, as he was when hitting each of his 2101 hits in Cuban National Baseball Series.
You were an idol in Havana, but what did Industriales mean to you?
That’s the team I admired as a child, but I started playing with Metropolitanos my first four years, until in 1986 I went to play for Industriales.
When you’re facing Industriales, and that happened to me, you try to play at 200% of your chances, because despite the love you feel for them, you want to prove you deserve being part of them and giving the best of you is the best proof.
But when you’re already in the team is like a building, where all eyes are on elder players, they are the most followed by fans, and then you start to build a name, to be more respected by all.
Being part of Industriales is a huge responsibility and although it does not seem, you can generate a lot of suffering, I always remember we once lost a championship that we should have won and I spent a week without leaving the house, not even to take out the trash.
How does a star feel far from the ground today?
I’m carrying out a new task that has always motivated me, which is helping baseball in Havana and in Cuba, but this is not an easy work. Upon returning from Italy I was assigned as Havana´s Baseball Provincial Commissioner, I agreed, but I demanded the condition that I had to be administratively trained because I did not want to make mistakes. Some of those related to sports and baseball maligned and created a version, I do not know for what purpose, where they said I had not accepted that position. I just wanted to be well prepared and that was what I requested for not to improvise and fall into mistakes due to my lack of experience.
It is not as easy as you think transiting through the path of retirement, and if not you can ask yourself: why an athlete has to go straight to coach, and cannot become Methodologist, National or Provincial Commissioner, or an executive of INDER (Cuban National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation)?
Most of athletes, I still consider myself as such, intend to coach at the end of their career, of course, that is what we studied and learned how to do it, but I think you have to open your scope, try in another area of sports; athletes experience is an extra endorsement, in addition we, due to our relationship with the public, our discipline, behavior and conduct, have also tools in our favor and if we add studies, preparation and overall training, could provide credibility, robustness and security in important functions within the managerial body of the province, the baseball commission or INDER itself.
Do you think Cuban baseball has drawn back?
You can not the slightest doubt we have a lot of talent in Cuba, but we have stopped in time, and for those following Cuban baseball is a pain this to happen. I think we need to feed back from other leagues around the world, interact with them, take the positive of them and update our modern training plans and exploit science more. We should use more the knowledge of our sports doctors and come to a consensus on what is truly needed to return to stellar levels.
Years ago it was unthinkable that a Dutch team could beat us so often in international events. If you tell a Dutchman the Cuban soccer team, and my respect for them, would defeat them several times, he would laugh or he’d say you’re crazy. Then something is happening, and we need to clarify and point out well what is the problem, or problems, and develop safe, credible and effective strategies to rediscover winning ways.
Can Cuban baseball count on Javier Mendez?
Of course, all my life has been dedicated to baseball and I owe it everything I am and what I have accomplished, so I feel infinitely indebted to it.
