POPULAR CAMPAIGN began by Ariel Pestano and another ex-player from Villa Clara

By Yasel Porto

The playoffs of the 61 National Baseball Series have not even started and many of some eliminated teams have already begun to suggest substitutes for the management with a view to the next 2023 season.

One of those cases is the Sugar Leopards of Villa Clara, one of the groups with the greatest tradition in Cuba thanks, among others, to the one who was in charge of them in a contest where they were fighting for the classification until the last moment.

There has been a great debate about the quality of Pedro Jova as helmsman of the five-time champions of the National Series and his critics point out that there was a great difference from the man who won three crowns between 1993 and 1995 to the one who returned in 2022 to the role of helmsman.

His defenders, who are not few, blame the players more than the management, and consider that the lack of a higher individual level had a greater impact than the mistakes of Jova and the rest of the coaching staff. Even also to important casualties before and during the tournament, which includes the final stage in which they lost two of their starters (Alaín Sánchez and Eriel Carrillo).

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But the first group right now considers that a new manager should arrive for the following season, and there are two names that have taken almost absolute prominence in this regard.

Through social networks and virtual clubs such as the Sugar Leopards on Facebook, various posts can already be seen where Ariel Pestano and Andy Sarduy are defended indistinctly. Hundreds and hundreds of comments have been received in this first week that Villa Clara has been eliminated. And this debate is just beginning.

The extraclass former catcher has always been managed for the job since he retired from baseball after his historic 2013 home run that spectacularly gave the title to the Oranges.

But Pestano found rejection in directors and a percentage of fans when he directed the sub23 category, first at the national level (he was runner-up) and later with the Cuba team in Panama where the results were discreet. After that he decided to withdraw from the direction and for different reasons his intentions to command his provincial team in the superior category were frustrated.

His defenders rely on his undoubted and impressive intelligence and knowledge, as well as a character that can greatly favor the discipline of his disciples and a better collective performance. But it is precisely this last aspect in which those who do not want to see him directing hold the most. They consider that he has shown a bad record, especially in the sub23, which could ruin a good result for his players.

In the case of Andy, those who mention and support him consider that he has all the tools to succeed as a director. He knows, cunning and respects him when it comes to demanding from others, taking into account that in his last years as a player he was one of the leading voices within the Villa Clara team.

Interestingly, this other candidate also made history with a home run that night when Villa Clara defeated Matanzas in the “Sandino” to celebrate his last Cuban title so far.

At the moment the authorities of the central territory have not commented on what will happen next year with the team, nor has Jova made any statements about his future intentions. It is too early to know what course this situation will take, which not a few point out that it would not have been if the decision had not been made to remove Eduardo Paret in just his second season. Especially after having discussed the title in his debut.