I mentioned that I made of friend of Miguel who owns the Vintage Bel Air that rode me around last time. He gets to the Nacional at promptly 6pm. The game does not start until 8:30 but he informs me because it is the championship game it will be sold out if we wait to long. He parks on some side street and we make our way with the rest of the fans toward the ballpark. Cubans are passionate people and wildly passionate about their baseball. Tonight the Industreales, the Cuban version the NY Yankees were looking to win the Championship again.
I follow Miguel and he tell me wait back as he goes to the ticket window. Now I mentioned to him I would be taking him to the game. He comes back with two tickets that were free. Wow. We made our way into the stadium with thousands of other Cubans. Miguel tells me his son and wife are at the game.
I am going to try and describe the stadium and the fans. A cross between the roman coliseum, a run down little league park and the most passionate, tightly packed, noisiest stadium I have ever visited for a game. The building like many in Havana in badly need of repair. As we were walking I tripped and hen I looked down there was a water pipe going across where I was walking. What they heck is that about? We find a seat sit down as it was too crazy to locate his son.
The seats or bleaches are just concrete stairs you sit on tightly packed with people. The stadium sells NO alcohol which I thought was a great idea and something you could never do in a capitalistic country. No booze, usually means no trouble. The Cuban fan might be the loudest fan ever. They continuously blow these horns 2 1/2 hours before the game. The loud notice, no food, crappy seats, I was either in for the best night of my fan life or the worst.
We watched batting practice and warm ups as we waited for the game to start. His son finally found us and we moved to sit closer to the game. They announce the players as they line up to the most noise and applause for the home team than I have never witnessed at a Yankee game. I mean this was just the introduction.
The game began. Every hit from the hot team was taken as a major reason to go nuts with hers, clapping and noise. They have mascots and of course sexy dancers whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The other side took the lead 2-0. Then the home team came back to tie it up 2-2 in the 5th inning. Finally, in the eight the Industriales true to their Yankee name score 2 more runs and pandemonium erupted throughout the stadium. If felt so scripted, I wondered if it was fixed. We began walking down to the lot as we continue to watch the game. Our Yankees won 4-2 let the celebration begin...
I follow Miguel and he tell me wait back as he goes to the ticket window. Now I mentioned to him I would be taking him to the game. He comes back with two tickets that were free. Wow. We made our way into the stadium with thousands of other Cubans. Miguel tells me his son and wife are at the game.
I am going to try and describe the stadium and the fans. A cross between the roman coliseum, a run down little league park and the most passionate, tightly packed, noisiest stadium I have ever visited for a game. The building like many in Havana in badly need of repair. As we were walking I tripped and hen I looked down there was a water pipe going across where I was walking. What they heck is that about? We find a seat sit down as it was too crazy to locate his son.
The seats or bleaches are just concrete stairs you sit on tightly packed with people. The stadium sells NO alcohol which I thought was a great idea and something you could never do in a capitalistic country. No booze, usually means no trouble. The Cuban fan might be the loudest fan ever. They continuously blow these horns 2 1/2 hours before the game. The loud notice, no food, crappy seats, I was either in for the best night of my fan life or the worst.
We watched batting practice and warm ups as we waited for the game to start. His son finally found us and we moved to sit closer to the game. They announce the players as they line up to the most noise and applause for the home team than I have never witnessed at a Yankee game. I mean this was just the introduction.
The game began. Every hit from the hot team was taken as a major reason to go nuts with hers, clapping and noise. They have mascots and of course sexy dancers whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The other side took the lead 2-0. Then the home team came back to tie it up 2-2 in the 5th inning. Finally, in the eight the Industriales true to their Yankee name score 2 more runs and pandemonium erupted throughout the stadium. If felt so scripted, I wondered if it was fixed. We began walking down to the lot as we continue to watch the game. Our Yankees won 4-2 let the celebration begin...
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