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About a month ago my softball team and I were practicing in a park just near my house when two middle-aged men come walking across the street. They had come from the Cuban Embassy that was just on the other side of the street. The bigger of the men yeld out, “esscuesss, you play with me ball….ugh…ugh..you play baseball with us?” This mans name is Oscar, and Oscar wanted to play a pick-up game with us and the other Cuban embassy workers. After 20 minutes and really bad translation problems we set a time for the following Sunday to play a game of softball. After our practice we all came up with a plan to beat the Cubans, after all their Cuban…right. We all assumed that they only came over to see if we would play them in a game because they had been watching us practice and saw that we weren’t that good. The next week goes by and we are about head down to the field to practice one last time before the big game, when our coach got a call from Oscar saying that they would be canceling the game. He went on further to let us know that Fidel Castro was giving up his throne tomorrow and they had a lot of work to do. Well here you have it folks. The first, international softball game between USA and Cuba was postponed because Fidel quit. Now the next week rolls around and we are able to play. We again assumed they knew how to play softball, and everyone knows what happens when you assume things. So after the first inning of 60 mph fast balls, Cuban cheerleaders on the field and men wearing Cuban flag netted tank-tops, we set the ground rules for softball. They couldn’t understand that you cant steal and that after the third out was made the inning was over. The game went on and we were able to gain the lead and won 22-3. Now, Cuban officials in Grenada can very likely play Baseball, as stereotypes suggest. I am here to tell you that the stereotypes do not apply in this case. Their team was highly un-athletic and the only one who probably had played before was the pitcher…..oh and his thing he liked to do was to say “STRIKE” as the ball was crossing the plate…..every time. But we Beat them and took some cool pictures after the game. So when the hand shakes were over and everyone got there baseball fix, someone threw out the idea we should play next week and the Cubans would play for US passports and we would play for a box of Cuban cigars per person. I was all for that idea but unfortunately it didn’t pan out. We played them again the following week….and wouldn’t you know it they showed up with a new team. I mean the entire team was big dudes that were doing I&O workouts and turning double plays during warm-ups. But we still kicked butt. The score this time was 27-2 USA. So sorry Cuba you might want to get some advise from the Dominicans.

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