cuba and baseball

[Ken Gargett]

not that i'm any great baseball fan (after all, when you have cricket why would you bother) but a little while ago, i taped a late night doco on sbs called 'the cuban game'. it was done by a spanish speaking nation - posibbly even cuba tho i doubt it - and is terrific. i've watched a lot of docos on cuba but this had a heap of footage i'd never seen before. stuff from early last century and early days on the malecon and the revolution and even batista. lots of baseball of course including stuff from 59/60 and in the background there was a huge flashing neon sign at all the games for upmann. also, i had no idea of the role that baseball played in cuba's history in all sorts of ways (i know how important it is - one mate rates the three most important things in his life as his young son, baseball and his wife in that order, though mention cigars, rum and girls and the wife gets the flick and he is trying to fit five into three). part of the reason for the development of the son was as team songs for each of the sugar company teams that represented each town. also, the spaniards hated it in the 19th century so that is why the cubans took to it. also the team called the beards which was fidel and cronies and they played to raise money for projects - it was one of these projects that america objected to and that was the first hiccup in relations.

it was done in 2000 shortly after the orioles visit and for anyone interested in cuba, if it ever comes back on, don't miss it.

[El Presidente]

- one mate rates the three most important things in his life as his young son, baseball and his wife in that order, though mention cigars, rum and girls and the wife gets the flick and he is trying to fit five into three.

How true