The sight of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro sitting between Orioles owner Peter Angelos and baseball commissioner Bud Selig was chilling.
The 50,000 tickets that went to the Friends of Fidel and not the true baseball fans of Cuba, disheartening.
The discomfort experienced by Orioles minor-leaguer Julio Vinas, the son of Cuban refugees, unsettling.
The Cuba trip wasn't perfect. It was never going to be perfect. But whatever the motives on both sides, it still must be considered a success.
A people-to-people exchange, that's what Angelos wanted. And even if he also had other, less-altruistic goals, the trip worked at its most basic level, achieving its stated mission.
The invitation-only crowd was quiet and elitist -- come to think of it, not unlike the crowds at Camden Yards. But news accounts described a fever in the streets, particularly in Esquina Caliente, the hot corner.
Cuban baseball fans were ecstatic to seemajor-leaguers for the first time in 40 years. They didn't view the game as a political event. They didn't care if the Orioles were trying to establish a foothold in their country.
They viewed the game for what it was -- a historic sporting event.
With all the talk of money, all the cynicism in sports, it's easy to forget sometimes why the games are played. Sports is about hope. Sports is about escape. And never is that more true than in impoverished nations like Cuba.
Will the Orioles' visit improve living conditions in Cuba? Of course not. But the trip certainly was a healthy distraction -- and perhaps a glimpse into the future, one without Castro and a U.S. embargo.
Cuban-American exiles argue that any relationship with Castro is a tacit endorsement of his oppressive regime. That position is not easily dismissed, especially given Castro's abysmal record on human rights.
Still, without getting too political, what exactly has the embargo accomplished, other than to send Cuba into deeper poverty?
And who's to say that further exposure to Western ideas and culture won't shake the foundation of communism in Cuba, the way it did in Eastern Europe?
Certainly, there is enough moral gray area to justify the Orioles' exchange -- even some Cuban-Americans say the embargo has grown pointless.
The bottom line is, other teams will now follow the Orioles, and the Cuban people can't wait.
Florida Marlins owner John Henry can grandstand all he wants, playing to his own constituency. The Marlins had a scout in Cuba. So did 23 of the other 30 major-league teams.
Did the Orioles gain a competitive advantage by getting to Cuba first? After years of lagging behind in the international market, they can only hope.
Angelos couldn't explicitly state such an ulterior motive -- Major League Baseball never would have approved the Orioles' visit. In fact, such thoughts might not even have been prominent in his mind. No longer content to merely save Baltimore, Angelos seems fully comfortable trying to save the world.
Whatever, Cuba will someday open, and the talent of its players was obvious Sunday in Havana. Jose Contreras would fit nicely in manager Ray Miller's starting rotation, don't you think?
The Orioles are all but invisible in Asia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. They've had only modest success in the Dominican, developing Armando Benitez, whom they traded for Charles Johnson; Nerio Rodriguez, whom they traded for Juan Guzman; and Manny Alexander, whom they traded for a minor-league pitcher.
Their Caribbean presence is probably greatest in Aruba, the home of pitcher Sidney Ponson. But they didn't get the best player to come out of the neighboring island of Curacao, Andruw Jones.
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees signed Cuban defector Orlando Hernandez. The Marlins landed his half-brother, Livan Hernandez. The New York Mets acquired Rey Ordonez in a lottery of defectors.
Maybe one day the Orioles will dominate Cuba the way the Texas Rangers once dominated Puerto Rico and the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers once dominated the Dominican. Or maybe the much-discussed inception of a worldwide draft would end such talk before it even started.
In the end, it really doesn't matter. Nor do the outcomes of the games.
A Cuba victory hardly would amount to an endorsement of Castro's way of life -- for one thing, the Cold War is over; for another, his country is crumbling.
Likewise, an Orioles defeat would not amount to a major embarrassment for Price Club II; the games are exhibitions, and the meaningful competitions begin Opening Day.
Still, it was inspiring to see a team composed of players who make little money nearly beat a team of players earning $81.4 million -- and even more inspiring to discover the passion of their fans.
The people, that's who benefited most.
The people.
Pub Date: 3/31/99