Fidel in the major leagues

[Latin American Socialist]

What if fidel did go with the mets? What if this urban legend was true? How would Cuba be without fidel? Che would have probably left mexico and never met fidel. Che would just have been riding his motorcycle 'til his death, or maybe he would of been popular by writing books or being a politician. Or maybe he would of died by smoking too much cigars because of his asthma. Fidel would maybe be in the hall of fame of baseball. If fidel made it to the major leagues, I wouldn't be writing this, I would probably be a capitalist. Makes you think, doesn't it?

[Colombia]

Cuba would be a better country if he had gone to the Mets.

[Latin American Socialist]

why?

[Urban Rubble]

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Not really.

[Latin American Socialist]

well its interesting to think of cuba without fidel

[Urban Rubble]

well its interesting to think of cuba without fidel

I think it's more interesting to think of Fidel throwing a nice heater for a strike. I don't see the purpose of guessing what would've happen to Cuba. It most likely would've never acheived revolution and it would be another run of the mill Latin American nation, poor, and getting fucked by the U.S ruling class.

[Latin American Socialist]

yea probably, but can you imagine fidel batting?
"Coming up to bat is Fidel Alejandro Castro!" Imagine fidel in the baseball hall of fame, being a capitalist by advertising. You would see his face on the wheeties cereal box.

[Kurai Tsuki]

Is the legend even true?

[Latin American Socialist]

Maybe, it is possible

[Kurai Tsuki]

I mean can anybody cite a book that tells of Fidel's attempt to play major league baseball.

[Latin American Socialist]

well fidel and the guerillas in the July 26th Movement played baseball in their spare time. So maybe he could've tried out for the MLB's.

[Le Libérer]

Raul would be El Commadante, CHe would have preformed the same tasks. I think If Fidel had joined the mets, he would have used his power to bring Cuba away from the Baptista regime from inside the U$ system. A different role played but one very powerful the same.

[Pawn Power]

Originally posted by El [email protected] 29 2004, 11:55 PM
I would probably be a capitalist.

for real...i definetly would still be a communist because Marx influenced me so much

[Urban Rubble]

From what I've heard, the member "RedStar2000" actually played a game of ball with Che and Fidel. I'm not sure though.

[Fidelbrand]

yes.... if....... so.......?

more of a chit chat topic~

[Latin American Socialist]

for real...i definetly would still be a communist because Marx influenced me so much

Che and Fidel inspired me

[Latin American Socialist]

and who the hell is redstar2000. And how old is he, like 50, he played baseball with che?

[Rastafari]

Originally posted by Urban [email protected] 30 2004, 12:44 AM

I think it's more interesting to think of Fidel throwing a nice heater for a strike. I don't see the purpose of guessing what would've happen to Cuba. It most likely would've never acheived revolution and it would be another run of the mill Latin American nation, poor, and getting fucked by the U.S ruling class.
I bet the Mariners could still use the old guy.

[Urban Rubble]

I'll kill you for that.

[SittingBull47]

Originally posted by El [email protected] 30 2004, 04:52 AM
yea probably, but can you imagine fidel batting?

dammit. I had a hilarious picture of Fidel batting. it was him as an older man, i think within the past decade (?) but it was just a plain old funny picture. I will try to find it.

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

So what if Fidel played baseball in his spare time??

I play basketball, doesn't mean i'm a world class athlete at it. What if Fidel sucked and was the worst player ever in the MLB?! Would anyone really care? Hell no!

What happened, happened. period. What if the internet never existed? What if a big meteor hit the earth and wiped humanity outta existence?

We make history every day of our existence.

[CubanFox]

Originally posted by El [email protected] 30 2004, 02:52 PM
yea probably, but can you imagine fidel batting?
"Coming up to bat is Fidel Alejandro Castro!" Imagine fidel in the baseball hall of fame, being a capitalist by advertising. You would see his face on the wheeties cereal box.
No need to imagine, comrade!

http://img4.exs.cx/img4/4490/fidelcastro_baseball.jpg

[DaCuBaN]

Provide a link CubanFox? I can't see that image - just an angelfire placeholder.

[CubanFox]

Should work now, I uploaded it on to a non-crappy host.

[DaCuBaN]

:lol:
Classic

He's got the cap and the jacket.... but camo's!
I guess it becomes habitual :rolleyes: :lol:

[Ortega]

Originally posted by Urban [email protected] 1 2004, 01:32 AM
From what I've heard, the member "RedStar2000" actually played a game of ball with Che and Fidel. I'm not sure though.
Seriously?! I had no idea he'd even met either one.

[Rastafari]

I heard that when I first got here, and was stunned.

[Pawn Power]

From what I've heard, the member "RedStar2000" actually played a game of ball with Che and Fidel. I'm not sure though.

that would be awsome!! but is it really true . :huh:

[Ortega]

Someone should send him a PM.

I know, I'm lazy.

[redstar2000]

Fidel played amateur baseball back in the late 1940s/early 1950s before he became seriously interested in revolutionary politics. He was "scouted" by a number of major league teams...and was supposedly offered a contract by the New York Giants (this was long before the Giants moved to San Francisco). It was not a major league contract; he would have first played in the minor leagues for a few years and only then be brought up to the major league team and only if he performed successfully.

When Batista staged a coup (1952, I think), Fidel gave up sports and took up revolutionary politics.

In 1964, I was in Cuba with a large group of American students and we did indeed play a three-inning exhibition game with Cuban students and Fidel on the mound.

Che did not attend; being Argentine, he was not a baseball fan. But some of us did get the chance to meet with Che for three or four hours and "talk politics". Fidel was too busy to do this with us :( so we were really impressed that Che wanted to meet and talk with us at considerable length.

Whether Fidel would have made it to the major leagues is problematical; the long-term chance that any kid who signs a professional baseball contract will ever appear in even one major league game is about one in eleven. :o

On the other hand, then as now, pitchers are always in demand.

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[Pawn Power]

wow...that is awsome!!

[Ortega]

:o

Amazing... I had no idea...

I'm generally not among the "Che-worshippers" here, I don't agree with him (or his policies, at least) all of the time, but I have to ask the question: What did you talk about?

I have a relative who had the opportunity to meet Che as a journalist in 1964. Che was in a rush, and he had the opportunity to ask him one quick question.

Che had apparently just finished a speech on Cuba's Marxist future, and my relative (I'll keep names out of this) was a student of Marxism at the time. Therefore, the first question that came to mind was "when would you predict the state will 'wither away' in Cuba?" It was something that Che had been asked before. He had apparently notoriously dodged the question the first time.

Che smiled, shrugged, and said "Well, I couldn't tell you. I'm not a professor on the subject." And that was it.

Even so, I've always found it amazing talking to someone who spoke to Che Guevara, even if only for a minute. It seems to me that Che, love him or hate him, has morphed into an icon, and lost his mortality in the process. It's hard to imagine Che as a regular, living, breathing human being.

[redstar2000]

...but I have to ask the question: What did you talk about?

Well, it was forty years ago...so the details are rather fuzzy and uncertain in my mind by now.

Mostly, I remember we talked about what the Cubans had accomplished in the first five years of the revolution.

Che asked us if we thought Barry Goldwater would win in the 1964 presidential race and we all assured him that Goldwater didn't have a prayer. He also asked about the revolutionary potential of the black civil-rights movement...and we said "well, maybe, it's too soon to tell, etc.". I think there was also some talk about the possibilities of a movement against the war in Vietnam.

It was more of a "chat" than any kind of "formal meeting"...which is why we were so impressed, I guess.


It's hard to imagine Che as a regular, living, breathing human being.

With a rather substantial gut I must, in all honesty, report. He and Fidel were both eating a lot better and hiking a lot less than in the days when they were in the mountains...and it showed on both of them.

If we must have "icons", Che is a superior choice in my view. He did not create a massive amount of dogma to oppress people's minds. His personal and political integrity was never questioned...there do not appear to be any "nasty secrets" in his background. As a symbol of passionate determination to achieve liberation from class society, he measures up quite well against his "competition" (Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Mao, etc.).

Class society rarely grants us a glimpse of what people "could be like" in a "better world". Che gave us a hint of human potential in what turned out to be a very dark and bloody century.

All things considered, not a bad life's work.

Not at all. :)

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[Hate Is Art]

i'd heard the story of you and FC playing baseball together, (I think it was UR who told me) To be honest I didn't quite believe it :)

But, wow, it sounds great! My grandad met Mahatma Gandhi in India whilst stationed there during his time in the army, he claims it as a great experience of his.

Meating any of these "great" humans must really be amazing. So far I guess i'll have to settle with having met McFly and Rachel Stevens.

[Romanticar]

Awesome!!! We can only imagine the feeling of standing next to Che and chating about politics and stuff like that, and it really happened to you! Redstar, you're such a lucky guy. Incredible!

Anyway, I suppose you guys know that Che and Alberto Granado played football from time to time during their motorcycle trip but I think that in one occassion in the "Diaries" Che sais that they used to play for a football team back in Argentina. Anybody know something?

P.S. I mean soccer, not american football of course. :lol:

[Latin American Socialist]

they're spelled different, futbol is soccer, football is american football

[Subversive Pessimist]

Amazing!! I'd walk through hell just to see his face... He's dead now, but that guy has been a HUGE inspiration for all of us... A true human being,

[RJRevolution]

i had no idea that Fidel played Baseball, but then again I havent really read too much about him to say I'm an expert.

That is a very funny picture though, I wonder if the ol' guy got a hit... :lol:

[Subversive Pessimist]

"Future Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was once given a tryout by the Washington Senators baseball team."

False, according to www.snopes.com


http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/castro.asp