As the 63rd National Series approaches its second third and the fight for postseason tickets becomes clearer (at least for five teams), a theme suggested by a sporting glory that spent more than 20 seasons between stadiums, applause and cheers move me to reflect.
What prevents the emblematic numbers of a team from being removed so that no young talent or player who has changed territory can use it? Why should we do it, as is the case in all professional baseball leagues? How is this related to the care of our history and the much-needed Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame that never comes to fruition?
Each of the questions would merit a bachelor’s thesis, but the synthesis forces us to a few lines. When the numbers are chosen to be placed on the uniforms, many athletes remember the idol of their childhood or adolescence, but it is up to the corresponding directorates to remove from the options those that marked the history of that team, the territory and Cuba, if was the case of a national team.
In the current campaign there are players with such significant numbers that should be in showcases such as Industriales’ numbers 7, 17 and 31 (belonging to Juan Padilla, Javier Méndez and Pedro Medina, respectively); 2, 4, 13 of Villa Clara (which was once carried by Eduardo Paret, Pedro Jova and Ariel Pestano); on the 3rd and 6th in Santiago de Cuba (defended by José Luis Alemán and Antonio Pacheco), on the 22nd in Pinar del Río (forever by Rogelio García); and so we could continue mentioning examples.
We should, out of ethics, honor, dedication and quality, not only prevent anyone else from using them in our seasons, but also create Halls of Fame at the territorial level in which, supported by new trends in museology, tribute is paid to so much history. written with golden names. Perhaps some of the new economic actors could think about that investment.
It is easy to demonstrate that these temples will not be masses of stones that no one visits. You just have to make them attractive, dynamic and very interactive (the great teams of all sports in the world have those must-see places), and they can even generate a lot of income to be profitable and continue growing.
This connects directly with that dream of having a Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame again, refounded in 2014 by a group of historians, journalists and baseball specialists, but stopped in time again by bureaucracy, fears of possible exaltations that touch for merits and love of Cuban baseball, even if they do not live here today; as well as by concepts far from the true reason for this place.
In the midst of inertia that is incomprehensible to many of us who work and cooperate with other Hall of Fame attempts after 2014, the Palmar de Junco Hall of Fame project is an example of how much can be done when desire and love prevail. to the ball, and not the brakes and ties due to material issues. I wish all the provinces would start their engines like Matanzas.
The uniform numbers are history because behind them there are men who made us vibrate with their performance (whether from the box or the batter’s box) and deserve to always be remembered. There also goes the memory of a country and never letting die what, fortunately, was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation on October 19, 2021.
Let’s examine this issue up to the national team, in which Antonio Muñoz’s 5, Omar Linares’ 10, Luis Giraldo Casanova’s 14, Braudilio Vinent’s 35 or Pedro Luis Lazo’s 99, just to name a luxury quintet , they should never be given to anyone else. There are other numbers to choose from and make them great and unforgettable like the previous ones.
We just need to be aware of what this implies in the soul of our baseball, especially for the players who today go to the stadium or watch a game on television and find no reason to lend the legacy that they have for free and without earned attributes. they built. And they are right.
Master in Communication Sciences. Deputy Editorial Director of the Workers Newspaper since 2019. Editor-in-chief of the Sports Editorial since 2007. He has participated in journalistic coverage of the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games, Olympic Games, Intercontinental Baseball Cup, World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Championships. Judo, among others. Professor at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism, in Havana, Cuba.
