Deeply analyzing the void that the I Cuban Baseball Elite League (I ELCB) left us, without even meeting the less demanding expectations of the baseball fanatics.
Yirsandy, this is a really good, strong column on the Elite League. Your statistics -- from the attendance figures to the "powerless" hitting -- are very convincing.
Now, I have some thoughts on all this.
But first, let me say that real baseball fans in Cuba should not take me too seriously, for I am a relative newcomer to Cuban baseball. I have actually been paying close attention to it only the last two or three years.
I'm an old guy, a mostly-retired journalist, and lifelong baseball fan who lives in Iowa in the middle of the U.S. I've only been to Cuba once -- in the early spring of 2017 -- but I fell in love with your country. I recognize the many challenges you all face, and I know the foreign policy of my own nation toward Cuba has been very unneighborly, to say the least.
But let's forget politics and government for a bit here, and get back to baseball.
As I came to understand more what baseball in Cuba is all about, I've loved the idea of the 16 provinces each having their own professional teams. As I came to understand the National Series, I realized it would have all 16 teams facing each other, home & away. Then the playoffs would come, resulting in the Cuban championship. Right? And from what I've seen, heard and read, the people of Cuba love that. Right?
Here's another idea: For us fans of Cuban baseball living in the U.S., the scheduling of the regular seasons from late November to February, and then the playoffs, was perfect! We could be excited about Cuban baseball through our dreary winter months up here. Then your playoffs and championship would be determined about the time the U.S. college and professional teams were starting up their seasons.
Of course, when you have a "Baseball World Classic," a new "Elite League," or maybe even an Olympics come along, it really messes up the baseball schedule worldwide, but I think especially so in Cuba.
What I would urge your Commissioner, or whoever is in charge, to consider is that the National Series of Cuba, featuring the 16 provincial teams, is a very precious level of baseball. He (or she) should do everything in his (or her) power to protect it!
I believe that if it is promoted correctly, it could develop a global following. Many fans from around the world would love coming to Cuba during the northern hemisphere's winter, travel your beautiful island, go to games in each of those 16 stadiums, and spend a lot of money all along the way -- game tickets, hotels, food, rental cars, fuel and more.
In fact, if the schedule will allow for that, I intend to make just such a trip in early 2024! And I hope I can write columns about Cuban baseball and life in Cuba, from each of the 16 provinces. I'll be working to improve my Spanish between now and then.
Just don't let an "Elite League" or a "Baseball World Classic" wreck the schedule of what seems to me could be one of the best baseball experiences on Earth!
Yirsandy, this is a really good, strong column on the Elite League. Your statistics -- from the attendance figures to the "powerless" hitting -- are very convincing.
Now, I have some thoughts on all this.
But first, let me say that real baseball fans in Cuba should not take me too seriously, for I am a relative newcomer to Cuban baseball. I have actually been paying close attention to it only the last two or three years.
I'm an old guy, a mostly-retired journalist, and lifelong baseball fan who lives in Iowa in the middle of the U.S. I've only been to Cuba once -- in the early spring of 2017 -- but I fell in love with your country. I recognize the many challenges you all face, and I know the foreign policy of my own nation toward Cuba has been very unneighborly, to say the least.
But let's forget politics and government for a bit here, and get back to baseball.
As I came to understand more what baseball in Cuba is all about, I've loved the idea of the 16 provinces each having their own professional teams. As I came to understand the National Series, I realized it would have all 16 teams facing each other, home & away. Then the playoffs would come, resulting in the Cuban championship. Right? And from what I've seen, heard and read, the people of Cuba love that. Right?
Here's another idea: For us fans of Cuban baseball living in the U.S., the scheduling of the regular seasons from late November to February, and then the playoffs, was perfect! We could be excited about Cuban baseball through our dreary winter months up here. Then your playoffs and championship would be determined about the time the U.S. college and professional teams were starting up their seasons.
Of course, when you have a "Baseball World Classic," a new "Elite League," or maybe even an Olympics come along, it really messes up the baseball schedule worldwide, but I think especially so in Cuba.
What I would urge your Commissioner, or whoever is in charge, to consider is that the National Series of Cuba, featuring the 16 provincial teams, is a very precious level of baseball. He (or she) should do everything in his (or her) power to protect it!
I believe that if it is promoted correctly, it could develop a global following. Many fans from around the world would love coming to Cuba during the northern hemisphere's winter, travel your beautiful island, go to games in each of those 16 stadiums, and spend a lot of money all along the way -- game tickets, hotels, food, rental cars, fuel and more.
In fact, if the schedule will allow for that, I intend to make just such a trip in early 2024! And I hope I can write columns about Cuban baseball and life in Cuba, from each of the 16 provinces. I'll be working to improve my Spanish between now and then.
Just don't let an "Elite League" or a "Baseball World Classic" wreck the schedule of what seems to me could be one of the best baseball experiences on Earth!
Play ball!
--Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.. www.offenburger.com, chuck@offenburger.com.