Havana, via Kyoto

[Leones]

Dec 8, 2019
Ernesto de la Torriente, La Bola Rápida

“Cuban?”

“Absolutely!”, the gifted cigar hung in the air ever so briefly before the smoky envelope of cocoa and aged chestnut scents yielded to my grasp and I claimed the magnificent prize. It was a Diplomático, a rare treat indeed. Direct from Havana, or more correctly as the label proclaimed, ‘Habana’, capital of Cuba, and Caribbean hub of PEBA’s latest global designs. Here in Kyoto, where the scent of cherry blossoms reigns in Spring, it was especially delightful.

How was this link between Kyoto and Havana forged? What does it mean for the LRS, for PEBA, for Cuba? Its a long detailed saga. Here is but a part of it from the humble perspective of this reporter.

In Old Havana they speak of the “Olas Gemelas”, the twin waves. The easterly “Ola Azul” (blue wave) and the westerly “Ola Roja” (red wave). Where they converged, history was rewritten. Cuba and PEBA would never be the same.

The Ola Azul was an actual wave, a physical force of nature, notwithstanding the pendants who point out it was really a storm surge, not a towering tidal wave. The lucky ones who survived it will attest it topped the palms along the shore. It crashed across the Malecón and swallowed up the heart of the nation within its churning dark tropical waters.

After it ran over Old Havana the wave met up with itself as the waters of Ensenada de Antarés (Antares Cove) surged northward. The proverbial immovable force and unstoppable object came to halting balance, depositing several feet of sediment, debris and Revolutionary progress. As the debris settled the underlying sewage pipes burst from the pressure giving birth to what came to be known as “Cooperville” Nobody is exactly sure where the name started but the locals all seems agree that the name arose about the same time PEBA started evaluating the site for its global endeavors. The odor was epic, enough to overwhelm the sun racked fish carcasses and hurricane detritus.

As the bewildered residents began to take stock of the damage and dig their way out of the ensuing destruction, disease and despair, “Ola Roja” came flying in from the west. Ola Azul was merely the catalyst. Ola Roja was the metaphoric wave of capital and innovation. In the end it was the one that really mattered.

Desperate for capital to cope with the immediate urgency in Havana, and perfectly aligned with the latest musing of State Economists who saw in Beijing an opportunity to launch the Cuban version of “capitalism with a communist face” the wave grew. (locals wits called it the rise of the “banqueros barbudos” (bearded bankers)) It started with short term loans from the World Bank and UN organizations. This money was for relief efforts only.

The capital that provided the momentum came from private investment. It was PEBA that pioneered these efforts. It was PEBA who brought Ola Roja crashing down into Old Havana and Cuba hasn’t been the same since. Nobody, not the locals, the State or even PEBA saw it coming.

When PEBA was shaken to its roots with the “LRS Affair” it found itself looking towards merging the estimable Japanese league into the existing PEBA structure and simultaneously expanding globally. Skeptics were in abundance pointing to this as the same sort of hubris that brought down the MLB. Baseball in Japan would wither, they claimed, as devoted fans of immensely popular clubs found themselves alongside fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Montreal Expos and others.

PEBA pointed out that the biggest and best clubs would be kept and still compete locally in a new ‘Rising Sun Division” featuring Naha, Neo Tokyo, Lupin, the Ghosts and Evas. It was starting to look like something that could work, LRS fans felt it would work. The Evas were clearly the class of the LRS. It was felt that fans could learn to love their former foe, even the fans in Kyoto it was pointedly remarked as they asked, where was Edo?

Edo had been working behind the scenes, quietly, with PEBA and Cuban officials to bring PEBA’s baseball and humanitarian efforts to Havana. Cuba has had a long history of multinationalism which was a good fit with PEBA global dreams. Baseball was a unifying force that could be leveraged to bring hard capital to the recovering Caribbean island. Many cigars were sacrificed in long late meetings in the tropic heat. It was agreed that a special baseball economic zone would be established in the “Cooperville” area. The “Zona económica especial del béisbol” was born.

As PEBA’s “man in Havana” the local club would guide PEBA’s humanitarian efforts. It provide baseball equipment and instruction to local youth. It would contribute to efforts to shut down human trafficking in all its forms. Nobody wanted a repeat of the Yasiel Puig troubles of the MLB Dodgers. The Stadium would employ local workers in it construction and daily operations. The design would feature the latest innovations in green energy. Local engineers and researchers would be employed and educated alongside international peers to bring the vision to the corner of Factoria and Malecón, where the old train station stood. The old rail system was to be integrated into the Stadium and brought forward with high speed magnetic rail.

Nothing happens on the island without the approval of ‘El Hombre’ as he has come to be known. It was El Hombre who decided that the club name would resurrect the original Havana baseball club, established in 1878 and famously referred to by the team colors, “los rojos” (the reds). That team, the new PEBA club, would be called the Havana Leones. He showcased his remarkable lucidity and love of Cuban baseball lore after the the decision, reciting the club’s motto “La leña roja tar do perl llega” (“The red beating takes time but it arrives”)

El Hombre had a lot of ideas, it was best to listen to them rather than interrupt. El Hombre also decided that within the Zona económica especial del béisbol, dollars could be used but no dollars would be allowed to leave the zone for use on the island. All dollars for local use had to be converted to pesos at State Exchanges. This would provide hard cash to the State. The amount spent locally by individuals would be capped so as to limit the economic gap. Gambling, which had long been a staple of Cuban baseball games, would be permitted in the park. Housing for the team’s staff and players would be provided by the state. In fact they would receive all the regular benefits as local citizens, including healthcare, education etc. The club should show a preference for local ballplayers at every opportunity where it didn’t adversely affect the team’s performance.

The Leones had a few requests of their own. They were granted, enthusiastically!, permission to have cigar races between innings to entertain the fans. The cigar races would be like the old sausage races the MLB Brewers club used to hold. Only local brands would be represented and it was not necessary for El Hombres favorite cigar brand to win every race but the club would no doubt see that the fastest runner would find his way to the Cohiba costume. If that was in agreement then El Hombre would permit the club to have its “Che bobble head night” on or around the 26th of July.

The framework was agreed upon by all sides present. In a surprising development even the United States participated, allowing the United States Marine Corps to assist. As part of the US effort to pivot more toward “soft power force enhancement” the Leathernecks will be hosting and working with the club’s HS team, the Guantanamo Diamond Cats. The team colors were chosen to reflect that unique partnership.

The path had been shown, now it was time to tread it. There is lots of work to be accomplished. Yen dollars pesos. Housing transfers. Youth baseball programs and equipment. Minor league expansion.

Flying back to the team’s temporary offices in Honolulu, which was conveniently halfway between Cuba and Japan, I realized there was one group not present at the table who’s view I’d have to include in this story. The guys who put the three Championship banners up in Koshien Stadium. After a brief luau I headed over to Kyoto.

The stadium was cloaked in the gray winter air, silent testament to a truly great league and club. Shivering from the air, or was it the history?, I set off towards the club locker room where the team was boxing up some items not needed for the last season of baseball in Kyoto.

As I approached the locker room my mind started to silently play comforting patriotic melodies of “Guantanemera” Soon the sound shed its corporeal nature and became apparent to my ears as well. It seemed to be emananting from around the corner in central part of the locker room.

Rounding the corner, a legend, ‘Homu-ran” Nakamura resplendent his famous October Orange jersey, the source of song. Gently humming the melody he turns and sees me. Breaking out in that famous broad smile of his, and looking like some kind giant deranged robin proclaiming the first day of spring, he belts out, “..gone to la MERRRAAAA! Yes I’m gone to la mera.” Palm to my face I join in his raucous laughter, then inquire about his unique lyrical choice.

“It’s that famous Cuban song. Gone to La Mera. You know its spanish for ‘the sea’” He proclaims. I try to explain that its much more. It’s a patriotic song of Cuba, whose lyrics were composed by the famous Cuban independence hero José Martí. His grin grows as he continues to hum, time to skip the lecture, I smile and we enjoy the moment. Sounds like he is going to enjoy his change of scenery.

The wave of time (la onda de tiempo) is the ultimate, forcing us to adapt or decay. The LRS will not decay but will be brought forward in a new and vital form as PEBA adapts. As we wave goodbye, we greet new clubs, new challenges and new rivalries. A revolution of sorts has occurred. Viva la revolución!

[Reg]

I am hoping that "El Presidente" from the Tropico series makes an appearance somewhere in this transfer

[Morris Ragland]

"All work and no play for El Presidente."

[Apollos]

Great introductory article for the soon-to-be Havana baseball club, Patrick I love the unique ideas El Hombre had to make the American pastime uniquely Caribbean. I have a feeling international baseball will do just fine on the island.

[John]

This is awesome, Patrick. As the son of a Cuban expat, I will be watching your organization with great interest.

[roncollins]

This is going to be awesome.

[Leones]

This is awesome, Patrick. As the son of a Cuban expat, I will be watching your organization with great interest.

Thanks guys, John, you were certainly in my mind as I crafted it. At first because of all the diacritics! :) ( In my early writings I always got these wrong and John, with abundant patience it should be noted, got me on track with them. ) Only recently did it dawn on me how important they are. I've still so much to learn in life.

Later it occurred to me that it was possible you had roots in Cuba and I am delighted to learn that is indeed the fact. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the article. I wasn’t planning on cutting it so soon but the PEBA crew moved very quickly of late.

I've been trying to study up on Cuba, its history and its fantastic baseball tradition before plunging forward. Trying to craft a vision of Havana in the near future is a bit tricky. My favorite part is the challenge of trying to root it in reality and hoping to avoid the caricatured narrative. I did bend a few edges though with 'El Hombre', the cigar races and the comically improbable Che bobble head promo. As I learn more I'm hoping to steer things more towards the baseball lore. There’s just so much here. I hope I get it right and do it the credit it truly deserves :)


p.s. If you haven't read Roberto González Echevarría's 'The Pride Of Havana' go grab a copy. I've just started reading it. The first chapter struck me profoundly. It's a truly magnificent work.