By Full Swing
Very soon a new version of the Nicaraguan Winter League will begin, a contest in which one of the historical icons of the Industriales, the former gardener, could make his managerial debut. Carlos Alberto Tabares placeholder image. However, the debut in this role of who was captain of the Lions for more than a decade is in danger for a couple of compelling reasons.
The first is that the Tren del Norte, the team to which the habanero could belong from next October 29 when the professional pinolero contest began, has other candidates opting for the position of helmsman.
These are the cases of the Venezuelan Javier Colina, the Puerto Rican Luis Antonio Rodríguez and the American Patrick Listach. For some specialists, Colina is the main rival that Tabares would have to stay with the position given by the former Panamanian pitcher Lenín Picota.
However, there is another element as important or more than that of the presence of several candidates for the position, and that is that until today, flights to Nicaragua from countless countries that include Cuba are still closed.
Tabares is still waiting for the confirmation of the club’s board of directors, both for the official appointment of manager and for how to get to the Central American country. If the travel restrictions are maintained for a couple of more weeks, then an alternative would have to be sought through a third country such as Panama or Spain. For both destinations, the 2004 Athens Olympic champion and 2006 World Classic subtitle holder has a visa, which in the case of the canal nation is favored by the fact of accessing there with his US visa.
It remains to be seen if the situation of probably having to look for a third country to access Nicaragua does not mean that those who manage the destinations of the Northern Train do not opt for any of the names mentioned above.
Despite not having experience as a team manager, the leadership capacity that always accompanied Tabares within a very complex group such as Industriales, plus the work as a coach and trainer that he has been developing in different categories and levels, including the National Series. , are factors in his favor that could help him when he finally begins his path in a role that he has always wanted.
For many people, the outstanding number 56 of the Havana and national squads is the maximum candidate in the near future to assume the reins of Industriales for a certain time.
If Tabares manages to qualify for the position and arrive in time for the preparatory stage of the Nicaraguan North team, he would become the fourth former member of the Lions to lead in the professional ball of the Central American country. Before, Rey Vicente Anglada, Juan Padilla and Germán Mesa did, the latter with excellent results in front of the Tigres de Chinandega and the Gigantes de Rivas. He was multi-champion in the league and later he also became monarch in the Latin American Series.
Tabares has been the player with the most seasons with the Industriales uniform (25 as an athlete), achieving the national title in 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010.