In the life of the Cubans there are continuous economic, migratory and socio-political events; however, there is one phenomenon that mitigates tensions and unleashes unpredictable individual spontaneities. Its name: baseball.
Baseball arrived in Cuba since the 1860’s and the first official game reported by the press took place at Palmar de Junco, in Matanzas, on December 27, 1874. Since then, that sport captivated the hearts of millions of persons, and in a short time became the main national entertainment with tens of leagues organized throughout the country and thousands of players of all levels.
In championships like the National Workers’ League, the Pedro Betancourt, the Free Amateur Union of Oriente, the Athletic Amateur Union of Cuba, the Sugar Leagues, the Popular League and that of the Free Amateurs, there emerged exceptional players of the caliber of Martín Dihigo – to many experts the best player of all times – Edmundo Amorós, Adolfo Luque, Conrado Marrero, José De La Caridad Méndez, Orestes Miñoso, Willy Miranda, Luis Tiant and Alejandro Oms, just to mention a few.
The Island’s players became the main source of Latin American players for the United States’ Big Leagues until 1959, when the top baseball authority in that country, commissioner Ford Frick, banned Cuban participation in the Major Leagues as a form of damaging the newly-born Revolution.
Following that provision, the Cuban government took measures and by Resolution 83-A of the National Institute of Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) abolished the professional practice of baseball in 1962. That same year, on January 14, the National Series of Cuban Baseball was born, with the celebration of the first game between Azucareros and Orientales at Havana’s Latinoamericano Stadium, before a huge crowd of fans.
The first championships had four teams: Industriales, Occidentales, Azucareros and Orientales, who represented the citizens of all the regions in the country, regardless of race or social status.
Thus, mythical players like Juan Ealo, Conrado Marrero (previously a professional), Don Miguel Cuevas, Lázaro Pérez, Pedro Chávez, Urbano González, José Antonio Huelga, Modesto Verdura, Aquino Abreu, Santiago "Changa" Mederos, Manuel Alarcón, Gaspar Pérez, Braudilio Vinent, Alfredo Street, Armando Capiró, Wilfredo Sánchez, Rigoberto Rosique, Antonio González, Rogelio García, Antonio Muñoz, Agustín Marquetti, Félix Isasi, among others, became the vanguard generation of revolutionary baseball, and maintained Cuba with world supremacy in the discipline.
Since then, Havana’s Industriales emerged as the flagship of baseball in the Caribbean island, when they amazed both their countrymen and foreigners with a distinctive, excellent game, full of glamour and good manners, which earned them 12 titles of the 51 National Series held up to the present.
Edition 52 of these championships will premiere a new competitive structure, made up of two stages with format of all against all, plus the subsequent final play-off. Sixteen teams will compete in the initial round, while only the best eight will remain for the second.
The opening duel will take place on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at the José Ramón Cepero stadium, with the game between the locals, who are the present champions, and Industriales, second best in the past championship.
During the 365 days of the year, the magic of baseball thrills all Cubans, who are and will always be proud of their 25 titles in world championships and three crowns in Olympic Games, although they are still awaiting impatiently to obtain the throne at the World Classic.
Author
Yasiel Cancio Vilar
