BRIEF CHRONICLES: “MY SON DOES KNOW HOW TO PLAY BASEBALL”

“When he is not in front of the PC, he is playing soccer. And I love baseball much more than soccer, since I was a kid!”

There is a baseball field near my house. And kids were playing….soccer! The FIFA World Cup is being played now and it means passion!

“Everyone dreams of being Messi or Ronaldo,” my neighbor said. I do not want to thwart their dreams. However, if they check the statistics, there are no Cuban players at any top league around the world.”

—  Well, perhaps these boys can change the future. Perhaps one      of them is the next Maradona —I said.

—  Yes, sure —my neighbor tried to ridicule me—. We have “lots of great pitches here, lots of balls, and trainers. The future is ours.”

I shrugged my shoulders and I did not know how to answer. A lady was passing by and stopped where the teenagers were playing.

—  Do you see the kid with the yellow jersey? That’s my son! When he is not in front of the PC, he is playing soccer. But if you give him a baseball bat, he does not know what to do with it. He has never learned how to play baseball.

—  Have you ever tried to teach him? —my neighbor asked.

—  I tried to teach him myself. I know how to play baseball. My father taught me. My team is Industriales no matter who the manager is.

—  What’s your boy’s favorite team?

—  Real Madrid!

—  Well, perhaps he has a future in soccer —I said.

—  Look, the best thing he can do is to study hard and get into college. He can be an engineer in Cuba since he will not go anywhere as a soccer player. Do you know anyone famous here?

My neighbor agreed.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Diaz / CubaSi Translation Staff