Havana Cuba. – Since last December 6, the Santiago Changa Mederos stadium, in the Sports City, hosts the First Benito Camacho “In Memoriam” Baseball Cup. In the midst of a drought of triumphs of more than a decade for baseball in the capital, the tournament replaces the Provincial Series of the discipline due to lack of resources.
Unlike the 15 teams that traditionally play in the first category in Havana, the new cup is played in a quadrangular format ―Constructores, Capitalinos, Giraldillos and Gran Habana― of 12 games. The top two finishers will go on to a series of play off for the title dispute.
In statements given to CubaNetan official from the provincial headquarters of the National Institute of Sport, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER)on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the event constitutes “a step backwards” for the development of Havana baseball.
In particular, the official questioned that the resources allocated are not enough to cover the transportation of the athletes from the municipalities to the headquarters of the series, nor the food, uniforms and sports equipment that they must use, such as gloves, spikeselbow pads and anklets.
“If you don’t have resources and that’s why you’re going to remove the provincial series, at least it guarantees that this tournament receives enough to come out with the quality that is needed. For example, the pitchers They can’t improve their shots because the balls aren’t good and it’s difficult for them to catch them correctly,” he said.
Likewise, he criticized the structuring of the competition and its organization. In essence, he explains that more than 200 athletes were left out of the call for the tournament prior to the formation of the preselection of the Industriales team.
“The same mistakes of the Elite League are repeated, there can be no development when most of the players have nowhere to learn and consolidate skills. On the other hand, competitive form cannot be reached in 12 games; above all because there was no prior training process. There are guys who came out of the Military Service directly to play, ”he said.
Despite this, INDER did not promote the sports licenses that athletes must present in their workplaces on time. Consequently, except for Greater Havana as the reserve team for Industriales, the rest of the rosters have been incomplete in the matches.
The INDER official argues that the incorporation of the Elite League limits the space to plan the different national championships. According to her, she advances, with a view to the 2023 World Classic, the championships of the senior and Under-23 categories are expected to coincide.
“Benito Camacho is the quarry for both teams. As it is being conceived, it is necessary to see how the situation is handled because many of the Industriales athletes are Sub-23. Who to prioritize? In any case, they are going to have to improvise, and one of the causes is that they are killing the quarry,” the official concluded.
Another of the problems of the contest is the lack of disclosure that it has and the little public that attends the “Changa” to witness the meetings, which take place from Monday to Friday at the atypical hours of 10:00 in the morning and 2:00 a.m. 00 in the afternoon.
Ailén Machado Cubillas, an employee of the sports facility that in the extinct provincial series served as the headquarters for the ninth of the Cerro municipality, commented that during the first three challenges the stadium ticket offices did not even sell 100 tickets.
“Very few people come; it’s that they don’t know either and this championship is not like the provincial series, in which the teams have their fans. When I played, the Hill filled up, it became a hot cauldron. The truth is that this was not well planned, there is not even the coffee that should be given to the referees at the break of the fifth inningMachado commented.
Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through WhatsApp. Send us a message with the word “CUBA” on the phone +525545038831, You can also subscribe to our electronic newsletter by giving click here.
