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A L S O+T O D A Y

Calling Kosovo
By Laura Rozen
Serbs and ethnic Albanians are united -- in misery -- as the bombing and the terror continue

The empires strike back
By Jeff Stein
As the world focuses on the Balkans, the return of Germany and Japan to military action barely made news

T A B L E+T A L K
What pisses you off the most about the U.S.? Foreigners and citizens vent in the International Issues area of Table Talk

___________________
Want to know more about the history of baseball? Find it at barnesandnoble.com
___________________

R E C E N T L Y
Outlaw nation?
By Laura Rozen
Even Serbs who hate Milosevic are outraged at the NATO bombing
(03/27/99)
Verdict on Starr's witness
By Murray S. Waas and Suzi Parker
Whitewater figure David Hale is found guilty on Arkansas state criminal charges.
(03/27/99)
The unhappiest allies
By Gabriel Kahn
Italians question NATO moves in Kosovo as the country braces for more refugees
(03/26/99)
Finally, the Flynt Report
By Carol Lloyd
Are these smutty tales true? Let the reader beware
(03/26/99)
The bombing begins
By Jeff Stein
Will NATO strikes push the Serbs to peace talks, or engulf the region in bloody chaos?
(03/25/99)
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PLAY BEISBOL | PAGE 1, 2, 3
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If Castro overplayed his baseball past for propaganda value, who could blame him? Soccer was Cuba's most popular sport up until the 1930s, but baseball has long since taken over as the national sport. Driving through La Habana Vieja or El Vedado or any other part of the capital, you can count on seeing baseball games played in countless alleys, streets, parks and abandoned lots.
Havana has become a hot tourist spot for Europeans not restricted from Cuban travel by their governments, the way Americans are, and Sunday's game is sure to inspire more true baseball fans to make the trip from the United States via third countries. Countless American writers have lovingly recalled playing stickball as youths in Brooklyn or Manhattan, a tradition that seems lost. But watching Cuban kids lined up in an alley to swat a ball made of tape-over-string-over-tape-over-crumpled paper, it feels as if that old primordial love of the game isn't gone, it's just welled up somewhere else.
"I've lived here my whole life, 30 years," Niurea Hopuy explained as she watched her 5-year-old son, Hector, take his turn at bat in an alley in Casa Blanca, over on the far side of Havana Harbor. "That whole time, nothing has changed. Every day, there is a baseball game here."
The passion that characterizes Cubans' approach to the game explains why they took Sunday's game so seriously. The fans at the ballpark greeted the arrival of the Orioles on the field with childlike wonder, and as soon as Albert Belle took his turn in batting practice, the mood lifted another notch or two.
Belle has tended to be overlooked in recent years, especially with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa putting on such a show last summer, but he could easily be considered the most dangerous hitter in baseball. Since 1991 he leads the majors in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits, among other offensive categories, and now that he has signed with the Orioles as a free agent, he could finally have a chance to make a mark with people paying attention.
They were paying attention on Sunday, all right. Belle settled into his angry-looking, corkscrew batter's stance and on his first turn in the cage, drilled three consecutive homers to left. As Orioles manager Ray Miller noted after the game, power is the one area in which Cuban players are lacking, which helps explain why Belle's hitting show made such an impression. A buzz took over the stands, as countless people turned to each other and asked the Spanish version of "Did you see that?"
When Belle stepped out to let someone else take a turn, the applause grew into a sustained roar, and he turned to the fans, smiled and gave them a wave. Belle, a private, intelligent man, has often been portrayed by American sportswriters as a sociopath, but he has sides to his character the press does not understand. He was moved by the warm reception in Havana, and obviously felt a certain kinship with the Cuban fans. Even the way they pronounce his name -- all one word: Albertbelllllllll -- somehow gets across the man's constant threat to explode at the plate.
"I guess they're used to controversy here," he joked as he walked away.
Belle went 0-for-5 in the game, and didn't look especially good, but when Cubans look back on the game, foremost in many minds will be their discovery of the man's savage power and his appreciation of their appreciation.
Sunday's unforgettable game in Havana was a fitting kickoff for the coming season. It served as a reminder that the player to watch this year is almost certainly Belle, a man who doesn't mind being disliked, so long as he gets to keep taking out his frustration on the baseball. And combined with next week's season opener in Mexico, it helped underscore that baseball's future is increasingly Latin. The Cubans' tough showing -- fighting the Orioles to lose 3-2 in the 11th inning -- has many looking forward to their rematch in Baltimore on May 3.
SALON | March 29, 1999
Steve Kettmann covered the World Series for Salon.

A L S O+T O D A Y Calling Kosovo By Laura Rozen Serbs and ethnic Albanians are united -- in misery -- as the bombing and the terror continue The empires strike back By Jeff Stein As the world focuses on the Balkans, the return of Germany and Japan to military action barely made news T A B L E+T A L K What pisses you off the most about the U.S.? Foreigners and citizens vent in the International Issues area of Table Talk ___________________ Want to know more about the history of baseball? Find it at barnesandnoble.com ___________________ R E C E N T L Y Outlaw nation? By Laura Rozen Even Serbs who hate Milosevic are outraged at the NATO bombing (03/27/99) Verdict on Starr's witness By Murray S. Waas and Suzi Parker Whitewater figure David Hale is found guilty on Arkansas state criminal charges. (03/27/99) The unhappiest allies By Gabriel Kahn Italians question NATO moves in Kosovo as the country braces for more refugees (03/26/99) Finally, the Flynt Report By Carol Lloyd Are these smutty tales true? Let the reader beware (03/26/99) The bombing begins By Jeff Stein Will NATO strikes push the Serbs to peace talks, or engulf the region in bloody chaos? (03/25/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		PLAY BEISBOL \| PAGE 1, 2, 3 - - - - - - - - - - If Castro overplayed his baseball past for propaganda value, who could blame him? Soccer was Cuba's most popular sport up until the 1930s, but baseball has long since taken over as the national sport. Driving through La Habana Vieja or El Vedado or any other part of the capital, you can count on seeing baseball games played in countless alleys, streets, parks and abandoned lots. Havana has become a hot tourist spot for Europeans not restricted from Cuban travel by their governments, the way Americans are, and Sunday's game is sure to inspire more true baseball fans to make the trip from the United States via third countries. Countless American writers have lovingly recalled playing stickball as youths in Brooklyn or Manhattan, a tradition that seems lost. But watching Cuban kids lined up in an alley to swat a ball made of tape-over-string-over-tape-over-crumpled paper, it feels as if that old primordial love of the game isn't gone, it's just welled up somewhere else. "I've lived here my whole life, 30 years," Niurea Hopuy explained as she watched her 5-year-old son, Hector, take his turn at bat in an alley in Casa Blanca, over on the far side of Havana Harbor. "That whole time, nothing has changed. Every day, there is a baseball game here." The passion that characterizes Cubans' approach to the game explains why they took Sunday's game so seriously. The fans at the ballpark greeted the arrival of the Orioles on the field with childlike wonder, and as soon as Albert Belle took his turn in batting practice, the mood lifted another notch or two. Belle has tended to be overlooked in recent years, especially with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa putting on such a show last summer, but he could easily be considered the most dangerous hitter in baseball. Since 1991 he leads the majors in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits, among other offensive categories, and now that he has signed with the Orioles as a free agent, he could finally have a chance to make a mark with people paying attention. They were paying attention on Sunday, all right. Belle settled into his angry-looking, corkscrew batter's stance and on his first turn in the cage, drilled three consecutive homers to left. As Orioles manager Ray Miller noted after the game, power is the one area in which Cuban players are lacking, which helps explain why Belle's hitting show made such an impression. A buzz took over the stands, as countless people turned to each other and asked the Spanish version of "Did you see that?" When Belle stepped out to let someone else take a turn, the applause grew into a sustained roar, and he turned to the fans, smiled and gave them a wave. Belle, a private, intelligent man, has often been portrayed by American sportswriters as a sociopath, but he has sides to his character the press does not understand. He was moved by the warm reception in Havana, and obviously felt a certain kinship with the Cuban fans. Even the way they pronounce his name -- all one word: Albertbelllllllll -- somehow gets across the man's constant threat to explode at the plate. "I guess they're used to controversy here," he joked as he walked away. Belle went 0-for-5 in the game, and didn't look especially good, but when Cubans look back on the game, foremost in many minds will be their discovery of the man's savage power and his appreciation of their appreciation. Sunday's unforgettable game in Havana was a fitting kickoff for the coming season. It served as a reminder that the player to watch this year is almost certainly Belle, a man who doesn't mind being disliked, so long as he gets to keep taking out his frustration on the baseball. And combined with next week's season opener in Mexico, it helped underscore that baseball's future is increasingly Latin. The Cubans' tough showing -- fighting the Orioles to lose 3-2 in the 11th inning -- has many looking forward to their rematch in Baltimore on May 3. SALON \| March 29, 1999 Steve Kettmann covered the World Series for Salon.