HAVANA -- When Orioles owner Peter Angelos travels to Cuba today, he hopes to leave one popular misconception behind.

The Orioles' goodwill exhibition series against the Cuban national team, he says, was not conceived and organized for the purpose of someday creating an international beachhead for the club's player development system.

"I've said from the outset that there was never an ulterior motive -- just a free exchange between the people of the two countries," Angelos said. "The notion that this initiative will somehow give the Orioles an advantage recruiting Cuban players in the future is more born of cynicism than fact."

In other words, sometimes a Cuban cigar is just a Cuban cigar.

Angelos has insisted from the start that his only motive is the potential benefit of more people-to-people contact between two populations that have much in common. Baseball provides the perfect backdrop because it is the national sport of both countries, but the notion that this is some kind of international scouting venture persists.

"That was never our intent or our purpose," Angelos said. "It can be denied 1,000 ways, but only the future will bear out our reasons."

The decision to pursue the controversial goodwill exchange was a public relations gamble, but the Orioles owner has never let the potential downside of a challenging endeavor dissuade him from pursuing something he feels is worthwhile.

He made much of his fortune in a battle with asbestos manufacturers that few thought he could win. He recently represented the state of Mary land in the successful lawsuit against the tobacco industry.

In each of those cases, however, he stood to make millions of dollars. There is no such clear benefit to be derived from the Cuban exhibition series -- which could end up costing him money -- but he seems just as driven to bring the venture to a successful conclusion, even if there is no tangible way to measure that success.

"The ultimate goal is the normalization of relations and a strong exchange between the two countries," Angelos said. "Cubans traveling to the United States. Citizens of our country traveling to Cuba. Those exchanges will bring about a change in attitude. My feeling is that those kinds of exchanges -- both people-to-people and commerce -- will eventually lead to a positive atmosphere in Cuba and a better standard of living for its people."

Not everyone agrees with his world view. He has been criticized by several Cuban-American political groups, and his team has been the target of two demonstrations at its spring-training stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"Basically, the opposition has come from political people who represent the Cuban exile community, and some of their complaints may be justified," Angelos said. "They have registered the complaint that this supports the present government in Cuba, but I think Pope John Paul's visit [last year] demonstrated that the more contact, the more discussion, the better for all concerned. I don't see how anyone can establish that this is not a worthwhile effort."

But why Angelos and why the Orioles? There are 30 Major League Baseball teams, but the Orioles were the first to make a concerted effort to gain approval from the State Department for a visit to Cuba. The Anaheim Angels also applied for a license recently, but the Orioles already had positioned themselves to represent Major League Baseball in this historic overture.

Angelos said he took the lead because he feels strongly about the issue of Cuban isolation and he was in a unique position to lobby for government approval. The Orioles' proximity to the nation's capital and his status as an influential Democratic political contributor created an entree in Washington that few other professional sports owners could match.

"I think many Americans feel there should be contact between the two peoples," Angelos said. "I think many Americans, if they had the opportunity, would try to do the same thing. Fortunately, I have that opportunity.

"I know there are political differences that have to be resolved, but those are government matters. I think that most people realize that this initiative can have nothing but positive results. Maybe not dramatic results, but positive."

Despite the heavy opposition in South Florida, Angelos said the letters and calls he has received have been predominantly supportive, but he understands that he runs the risk of alienating a segment of Americans by taking a strong position in favor of normalized relations with Cuba.

"I don't know of anything that has ever been done for a constructive purpose that didn't generate controversy," he said. "Anything that departs from what is customary is going to generate a difference of opinion, but it's a worthwhile endeavor.

"We're trying to demonstrate friendship for the Cuban people. The governmental problem has to be solved at a different level. There's never 100 percent accord on any course of action. It's important for people to hear both sides and make up their own minds."

The debate won't end here. Camden Yards probably will be the site of protests when the Cuban team visits Baltimore for the second game of the home-and-home exhibition series on May 3, but the precedent already will have been set.

"I predict a lot of major-league teams are going to travel to Cuba to play against the Cuban national team, which plays a very high level of baseball," Angelos said. "Right now, other teams are contemplating what the Orioles are doing. This is the beginning. It's certainly not going to be the end."

Pub Date: 3/26/99