Cuban baseball update
Well, Los Gallos took the Lowlanders to 7 games, but Pinar del Rio beat Sancti Spiritus 7-6 to move on and face Santiago de Cuba for the championship. Wouldn't it be great if that was always the worst news coming out of Cuba?
Cuba is still viewed by the United States government as a terrorist state (a la President Bush's "axis of evil"). Restrictions on travelling to Cuba have gotten tighter, as have restrictions on Cubans travelling to the US. Our embargo deeply affects their economy. The cold war has been "over" for quite some time now, but we still treat a nearby neighbor as a threat. I wish our country would take the first step in a better relationship. I believe that real diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba might make things better. I am praying for this.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Let's be careful out there.
Folks, you didn't hear this from me, but the Internet can be a rather dangerous place. If you don't type so well, you could enter the wrong URL and be well on your way toward viewing objectionable content via the good intention paved path of helping your teenager with his biology homework. "Dot com" instead of "dot edu" could spell disaster (actually it only spells . c-o-m).
For the sake of your further education, though, I quintuple dog dare you to visit
www.uniquesplits.com
If you can locate their product. I believe you will be glad you did.
Folks, you didn't hear this from me, but the Internet can be a rather dangerous place. If you don't type so well, you could enter the wrong URL and be well on your way toward viewing objectionable content via the good intention paved path of helping your teenager with his biology homework. "Dot com" instead of "dot edu" could spell disaster (actually it only spells . c-o-m).
For the sake of your further education, though, I quintuple dog dare you to visit
www.uniquesplits.com
If you can locate their product. I believe you will be glad you did.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Cuba's Final Four
Well . . . while most of the sports world's attention is turned toward San Antonio for the NCAA men's basketball championships, I am planning on watching baseball. Of course, I'll take in as many Braves' games that are directed my way. I'm also enjoying the free preview of MLB Extra Innings on Direct TV. Mostly, though, I will be watching games on the Internet as the semi-finals in the Cuban National League get under way tonight.
I have gone on 4 mission trips to Cuba. My first trip in 2002 was during the baseball playoffs. We went to the game in Sancti Spiritus, and it was in that atmosphere that I realized I might be a pitiful sports fan. The fans in the stadium, as well as the majority of the Cuban population pin their hopes on their local teams. They tend to live and die with each pitch of the game. Add a salsa beat to the mix and I think you can glimpse the picture slightly. I must also mention that the best popcorn I've ever eaten was in Sancti Spiritus at estadio José Antonio Huelga (and only 1 peso!).
One cool note regarding this year's semi-finals is that all of the Havana teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. Pinar del Rio swept Industriales and Sancti Spiritus took out La Habana (oh yeah, the other Havana team Los Metropolitanos didn't make the playoffs). I would liken this to having the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox knocked out of the MLB playoffs by the wild card team --heaven for the for the rest of the baseball world.
Here's your final four preview.
Eastern Conference Finals - Santiago de Cuba vs. Villa Clara
Game 1 tonight (Friday 4/4)
What? Do you really think I can offer expert analysis here? Sorry, who do you think I am, Peter Gammons? Here's what I know, the Hornets (Santiago) are the defending champions and the Oranges are the Cinderellas at this dance. Quote from VC's web site: "Santiago is a freight train, but trains derail." OOOOOOHH!!
Western Conference Finals - Sancti Spiritus vs. Pinar del Rio
Game 1, Saturday night (4/5)
How'd you like your favorite team to be known as the Holy Spirit Gamecocks? I guess that's the best translation for Los Gallos de Sancti Spiritus who'll host the LowLanders from tobacco country Saturday night. Let's hope our boys don't lay an egg. I take back the Cinderella comment and give it to the Gamecocks. They finished third in their division and bring the worst record (48-40) into the playoffs. Wild card? OK.
Pinar del Rio is the home of current Minnesota Twin Livan Hernandez. They still miss him back home and have refused to let pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo retire (99's not just his jersey #) until Livan moves back home.
Wanna watch the games. Here's a link: http://www.cocotest.cu/Playoff/index.asp
Well . . . while most of the sports world's attention is turned toward San Antonio for the NCAA men's basketball championships, I am planning on watching baseball. Of course, I'll take in as many Braves' games that are directed my way. I'm also enjoying the free preview of MLB Extra Innings on Direct TV. Mostly, though, I will be watching games on the Internet as the semi-finals in the Cuban National League get under way tonight.
I have gone on 4 mission trips to Cuba. My first trip in 2002 was during the baseball playoffs. We went to the game in Sancti Spiritus, and it was in that atmosphere that I realized I might be a pitiful sports fan. The fans in the stadium, as well as the majority of the Cuban population pin their hopes on their local teams. They tend to live and die with each pitch of the game. Add a salsa beat to the mix and I think you can glimpse the picture slightly. I must also mention that the best popcorn I've ever eaten was in Sancti Spiritus at estadio José Antonio Huelga (and only 1 peso!).
One cool note regarding this year's semi-finals is that all of the Havana teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. Pinar del Rio swept Industriales and Sancti Spiritus took out La Habana (oh yeah, the other Havana team Los Metropolitanos didn't make the playoffs). I would liken this to having the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox knocked out of the MLB playoffs by the wild card team --heaven for the for the rest of the baseball world.
Here's your final four preview.
Eastern Conference Finals - Santiago de Cuba vs. Villa Clara
Game 1 tonight (Friday 4/4)
What? Do you really think I can offer expert analysis here? Sorry, who do you think I am, Peter Gammons? Here's what I know, the Hornets (Santiago) are the defending champions and the Oranges are the Cinderellas at this dance. Quote from VC's web site: "Santiago is a freight train, but trains derail." OOOOOOHH!!
Western Conference Finals - Sancti Spiritus vs. Pinar del Rio
Game 1, Saturday night (4/5)
How'd you like your favorite team to be known as the Holy Spirit Gamecocks? I guess that's the best translation for Los Gallos de Sancti Spiritus who'll host the LowLanders from tobacco country Saturday night. Let's hope our boys don't lay an egg. I take back the Cinderella comment and give it to the Gamecocks. They finished third in their division and bring the worst record (48-40) into the playoffs. Wild card? OK.
Pinar del Rio is the home of current Minnesota Twin Livan Hernandez. They still miss him back home and have refused to let pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo retire (99's not just his jersey #) until Livan moves back home.
Wanna watch the games. Here's a link: http://www.cocotest.cu/Playoff/index.asp
¡Vaya gallos!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Hey, guess where I am?
I am sooooooooo glad baseball season is here. But only 2 or 3 games into the season, I have seen enough of one thing. I am really tired of the cell phone people. You know these people, right? They are usually seated behind home plate, or beside the dugouts. They are ALWAYS on their cell phones waving over the batter's shoulder at whoever is on the other end of that phone conversation.
I tune into the broadcast to watch the game. I am not interested in seeing cell phone people. I think it is a tremendous waste of a great seat for WATCHING THE GAME!!!! That's the problem here. If you are looking out at me over Mark Teixeira's left shoulder, and you've got a cell phone up to your head, and you're waving or looking down holding your other ear shut, you are hardly a baseball fan who deserves dugout level seats on the Braves' side of the infield. At the risk of saying someting ugly, you are hardly a fan at all. I don't pay my satellite TV bill to watch you making sure your buddies see you.
This is one of the reasons I cannot argue with Red Sox or Yankees fans. Their fans go to the stadium to watch the game. Their fans show up at road games to root for the visiting team. Take a look around Turner Field, and you will see too many people who are there only to be seen not to watch. Don't get me started on the people who are only there to do the wave.
Unless you are at your first game ever and want to thank your Grandpa in Alaska who loves baseball for the sweet tickets he bought you, either hang up or give your seat to a kid who wants to grow up to be Brian McCann.
I am sooooooooo glad baseball season is here. But only 2 or 3 games into the season, I have seen enough of one thing. I am really tired of the cell phone people. You know these people, right? They are usually seated behind home plate, or beside the dugouts. They are ALWAYS on their cell phones waving over the batter's shoulder at whoever is on the other end of that phone conversation.
I tune into the broadcast to watch the game. I am not interested in seeing cell phone people. I think it is a tremendous waste of a great seat for WATCHING THE GAME!!!! That's the problem here. If you are looking out at me over Mark Teixeira's left shoulder, and you've got a cell phone up to your head, and you're waving or looking down holding your other ear shut, you are hardly a baseball fan who deserves dugout level seats on the Braves' side of the infield. At the risk of saying someting ugly, you are hardly a fan at all. I don't pay my satellite TV bill to watch you making sure your buddies see you.
This is one of the reasons I cannot argue with Red Sox or Yankees fans. Their fans go to the stadium to watch the game. Their fans show up at road games to root for the visiting team. Take a look around Turner Field, and you will see too many people who are there only to be seen not to watch. Don't get me started on the people who are only there to do the wave.
Unless you are at your first game ever and want to thank your Grandpa in Alaska who loves baseball for the sweet tickets he bought you, either hang up or give your seat to a kid who wants to grow up to be Brian McCann.
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