Cuba’s policy hurts its best ballplayers

Posted on Wednesday, 07.17.13

Cuba's policy hurts its best ballplayers
BY LUKE SALAS
LUKEMSALAS@GMAIL.COM

When the word "Cuba" comes off of someone's lips, mystique, confusion
and baseball do not linger too far behind. In Los Angeles, Yasiel Puig
has emerged as the new marquee star for the Dodgers. Only a few hours up
the coast, Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics just announced
himself on the national stage by winning the 2013 Home Run Derby in
style, as he launched balls at New York's Citi Field unlike anything
anyone has ever done.

For me, baseball resonates within, as I have found joy in watching both
Puig and Cespedes, knowing the sacrifices they both made to get to this
point. Yet, I was left with a sad feeling inside, knowing that the Cuban
people wouldn't witness these feats along with the fact that both
players could not share their success with their people due to the
non-existent relationship between the United States and Cuba.

Cuba's policy has prevented the island's star baseball players from
playing in Major League Baseball. Any Cuban player that escapes the
borders and plays professional baseball in this country is immediately
written out of Cuban baseball history. They become ghosts of lore and
heroes to young and upcoming Cuban ballplayers, as they represent the
ultimate dream that is always out of reach.

Recently, it was major news when public Cuban television aired a Major
League Baseball game for the first time in over 50 years, regardless of
the fact that it was an old game between two teams that had no Cuban
players. In a recent article that focused on the randomly aired MLB
game, 67-year-old Diego Sierra told the AP: "It's interesting to see how
they play, but I can't say it thrilled me all that much because I don't
know any of the players . . . I would really like to see the Cubans, see
how they are developing in that league."

For the past two years, I have been going back and forth to Cuba,
legally, making a documentary film. My trips to Cuba focused on two
things — family and baseball, as I attempted to become the first
foreigner, let alone Cuban American, to play baseball in Cuba since
1961. My documentary, The Cuban Dream, represents baseball as a way to
connect the two countries by bonding through a common love. I witnessed
many truths in Cuba, but I saw and heard firsthand the wealth of
knowledge " los fanaticos" of Parque Central in Havana have and know
about American baseball.

My teammates and friends in Cuba are infatuated with American baseball,
as our conversations always reverted back to questions of curiosity and
details about Major League Baseball and the players that represent the
Utopian dream. However, there exists a harsh reality, as this dream is
only attainable through the ultimate sacrifice of risking your life,
leaving your family, and forgetting your country.

Because if you're caught — you could be punished by never being allowed
to play baseball again (a minor punishment) or serve up to 25 years in
Cuban jail for "human trafficking" — like one up and coming shortstop,
who at 19 was caught trying to leave the island.

The cocoon that the Castro government has created instills fear, limits
freedoms, and prevents the free flow of information. All are key
ingredients that help support and encourage people to pursue their goals
and dreams. I can only praise Yasiel Puig and Yonenis Cespedes, for they
are living the Cuban dream. Regardless of U.S. policies, it would
behoove Cuba to have an infrastructure that allows its citizens to
pursue their dreams.

The greatest representations of Cuba are these athletes, proving that
the best of Cuba can compete with the world's best on one of the world's
greatest stages. The Cuban people are the definition of ingenuity for
what they have been able to accomplish under such a limited system. If
Cuba could only open up to the idea of possibility and share its people
with the rest of the world, then they too could share in the simple joy
of watching its best compete and win on the national stage.

Luke Salas is the producer of the documentary film, "The Cuban Dream,"
which will be released at the end of 2013. More at
www.thecubandreammovie.com.

Source: "Cuba's policy hurts its best ballplayers - Other Views -
MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/17/3505271/cubas-policy-hurts-its-best-ballplayers.html