The news flies through the streets of Cuba: the national baseball opened to professionalism by inserting three elite active players in the summer Mexican League, three men of great experience and level which certainly will make great contributions to the team they will play for: The Piratas de Campeche.
Third baseman Michel Enriquez, Olympic champion in Athens 2004 and runner-up in the I World Classic in 2006, the slugger Alfredo Despaigne, home run record holder for Cuban Series with 36, and Yordanis Samon, known as the ‘Golden Bomber’, are the chosen ones to open the way to the professional baseball.
It’s a great opportunity to come and play here in Mexico and show Cuban Baseball level in a professional league as competitive as this. The welcome was great, now it is the turn hospitality into good results in the field, they said in the La Jugada Perfecta show of the Mexican TV channel Telemar, directed and hosted by journalist Héctor Villar.
During the space all strongly endorsed the decision of the Cuban government to allow gradual insertion of players in foreign leagues because, they said, will improve from every point Cuban baseball, both technically, tactically and conceptually.
There are 16 teams divided into two groups, North and South in the Mexican Summer League. The Piratas de Campeche, champions in the 1983 and 2004 tournaments, play in the South and now these additions it will greater force urn to ascend to the top, Glenda Torres, presenter of that TV show, specializing in baseball told OnCuba journalists.
Cuba closed the doors to professionalism since 1961, although in some occasions opened a little hatch, as was the case third baseman Omar Linares, who played three seasons in the organization of the Chunichi Dragons in the Japanese league (2002-2004).
This opening, longed for by many players and fans for a long time, comes along the entry of Cuba in the Caribbean Series, the quintessential professional tournament in the region, which Cuban clubs ruled, winning 7 out of the 12 in which participated between 1949 and 1960.
The Piratas had last season Cuban pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo in its roster, also authorized by the Cuban government, although on that occasion as an exceptional case given the hierarchy and prestige achieved by the pitcher, absolute leader in Cuban championships in wins with 257 plus 2426 strikeouts, second.
OnCuba consulted the opinion of several experts in Cuba and all considered “important” the opening, but several agreed that, rather than opening must be a “welcome” and even should be more participatory and inclusive for other sports, such as football or volleyball.
Bottom line: Cuba. With this integration in foreign leagues raise the motivation to play baseball and every national team will be more competitive, in addition to economic improvement that will represent in everyday’s life of players.
To win the WBC? First you crawl, then stand, and later walk and then run. Now if it starts looking posible, somedayit will fly.
