Industrials in a Caribbean Series? The President of the Confederation himself wanted it to happen

By Yasel Porto

The controversy around the topic of Cuba and the Caribbean Series flourishes every time this anthological event is held again. Until 2013 because the Cuban baseball champion was not there, then because he participated as a guest without official membership and for three years because he came out again without any certainty on the horizon.

Although the Cuban authorities blamed the man who fought the most for the insertion and maintenance of the Greater Antilles in this competition, I am referring to the President of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation Juan Francisco Puello, he has saved his responsibility on many occasions. I include here his last statements within the fair of this 2022 where he avoided talking about the subject out of respect for the late Higinio Vélez.

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However, he always dropped that beyond the political due to the Cuba-United States dispute, the lack of compliance in the legal procedures by the FCB was what contributed the most to depriving us of participating in this baseball party. I clarify to save time for the extremists or those who send to write below these articles that what Puello said has found public support in our own country as the former Vice President of the FCB Luis César Valdés, as well as the highly respected chronicler and historian already deceased Ismael Sené, among several others with knowledge of the subject that I am not allowed to mention at least here.

But apart from these three initial paragraphs, the headline of my article has to do with another topic. Controversial without a doubt, because it is a team with the characteristics of Industrialists. Precisely for this reason I thought it appropriate to share it with everyone.

The last time I interviewed Puello, Cuba was already out of the Caribbean Series environment, and among the various topics discussed was his sympathy for the capital team, the most successful winner of National Series titles that emerged in 1962.

“I don’t mean to say that I’m a fan of the Industriales so that people don’t get confused, but they are like the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican. It is the favorite team of many people, although it has not gone very well for them,” the Quisqueyan official told me.

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When asked if he would like to see Industriales in a Caribbean Series at some time, he replied that he hoped that would happen, although he stressed that if that happened he could not show any kind of favoritism for them for more than elementary reasons.

However, it is very possible that Puello will leave the Presidency of the Confederation without the Lions of the Cuban capital attending a regional classic.

In the first place, because Cuba is out of this competition right now and it is not known for sure how long it will be. And to that we must add how it is evident that Industriales has been marginalized from the baseball crown on the Island since 2010.

Those two elements would have to be combined together with the fact that the veteran manager continues to be in charge for a period of more than half a decade, something that many experts in the matter consider unlikely.

On the event and his health going forward It seems that the entry of Colombia and Panama have finished consolidating it for the next few years, in which one of the novelties will be that the US city of Miami will receive it again after having done so in 1990 and 1991.