Play ball!
Vermont kids take on Cubans
Toolbox
By Bruce Edwards Herald Staff - Published: August 14, 2008
HAVANA — A team of Vermont and New Hampshire all-stars had a curve thrown at them even before getting to Cuba to play baseball.
But once they arrived, the team of 11- and 12-year-olds from the Connecticut Valley South Little League played well enough to gain a split of the first two games of a Sunday doubleheader.
The Twin State Peregrines lost the first game to Los Santos 16-5 but came back to win the second game, defeating Los Mangos 19-8. Both teams are from the town of Penalver, outside of Havana. Peregrines coach Ted Levin said the first game was a bit of a mismatch because they were playing against some 15-year-old kids.
But Levin said he was proud of the way his team held their own against some very good Cuban players. "We were hitting. We were doing OK," Levin said.
The second game was also a bit of a mismatch in the Peregrines' favor as they played against a team that fielded some 10-year-olds.
The games are being played on the grounds of a Salesian convent in Penalver. If there were an invisible opponent, it was August's oppressive heat and humidity. With temperatures hovering at or above the 90-degree mark, Levin said the usual seven-inning contests were cut short.
Named after the migratory bird that winters in Cuba and nests along the Connecticut River Valley in summer, the Twin State Peregrines played a single game on Wednesday with two more to follow today and a championship game, dubbed the Mango Cup, on Friday at Havana's sports complex.
On Wednesday the Peregrines won their second game beating Los Santos 6-4. Starting pitcher Evan Greenwald of Norwich didn't give up any hits and struck out 15, coach Levin said. He was taken out after throwing 90 pitches. The Santos scored all their runs on a grand slam in the sixth inning. It was also a special day for Sam Carey to celebrate. The son of coach John Carey turned 13 on Wednesday.
The team will play several other games before returning home next week. Several players and coaches interviewed at their hotel on the edge of Havana said despite some glitches on the way down and the heat, the experience of playing baseball in Cuba was well worth the effort.
There were some moments Friday after the team left Lebanon, N.H., that left them wondering whether they would make it to Cuba. After boarding the American Airlines flight to Miami, the flight was cancelled because of a mechanical problem.
It then became a matter of whether the airline could find enough seats on another flight to get the 20 players and coaches to their destination.
With the help of John Parke Wright IV, the Florida cattle broker who has long-standing ties to Cuba, and Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, a part-time American Airlines pilot, the team finally found its way to Miami at 2 a.m., Saturday.
It was just enough time for the team to catch some shuteye before boarding their special flight to Havana.
"Parke has come through at the 11th hour so many times," said Levin, who came up with the idea for the trip after visiting Cuba several years ago. It was Wright who put together the first sale of Vermont cows to Cuba three years ago.
He also advised Burlington College on their semester abroad program that began in January at the University of Havana. Prior to the start of Sunday's twin bill, there were welcoming speeches by the mother superior of the Salesian convent, Wright and Levin.
They also attended Mass prior to the games. For the players and coaches, it has so far been a cultural eye opener — visiting a country few Americans can legally visit without the express permission of the U.S. government.
"I think on balance it's been very positive," said Joe Cravero, the team's pitching coach. "I think the kids have gotten something out of it."
For Greenwald of Norwich and Andrew Cawley of Corinth, it's a trip they wouldn't have missed.
"It's just amazing that we get to be here," Cawley, 13, said. "I feel very grateful to our coaches and everybody else."
Despite the language barrier, the Cuban and American players could bond over baseball — Cuba's national sport.
"I know I'll definitely remember these kids," said Greenwald, 12. "I might not see them (again) but I know I'll always remember them."
As a gesture of friendship, the Peregrines donated two sets of uniforms to the Santos and Mangos. When the kids aren't playing or practicing, they're spending a lot of time in the hotel pool.
On Wednesday's game, they were scheduled to visit Moro castle in Old Havana, the city's historical district.
The initial plan was to stay at the Salesian convent in Penalver but those plans didn't work out.
Levin said given the heat that's just as well since the hotel is air conditioned and the pool is just a step or two away from their rooms.
Contact Bruce Edwards at bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com.
13