Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 269, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1913 — CUBANS WITNESS BIG SERIES [ARTICLE]

CUBANS WITNESS BIG SERIES

Party of Fans, Headed by President of Almendares Baseball Club, See i Giants and Athletics. Cuban “fans” were among the first to arrive here to see the world’s baseball championship series. The leader of the party is Eley Martinez, president of the Almendares baseball club of Havana, and with him were three special correspondents representing Havanna and provincial newspapers as well as a few plain “fans.” Although professional baseball in Cuba 1b really only about two years old, Senor Martinez said that three baseball clubs were now fully established in the <|ity of Havana and tremendous interest in the game and developed, not only from a local standpoint, but also toward the games in the United States. “Of course the national language of baseball is American slang,” said Senor Martinez, “and we use the same terms In describing points of the game. A fly is a fly, and a strike a Btrike. “However, our people have not all caught on to the pronunciation of some of the words in vogue, and you might not recognize what a "hillos” 1b It is the nearest some get to pronouncing a ‘hit.’ The umpire calls ‘one ball’ and not ‘uno bola.’ When there is a dispute over a decision there is apt to be a medley of languages. In the games with the American teams we have one American umpire and the other is a Cuban. “There are several Cuban players who have been doing well in this country on the big league teams. For instance, therq is Marsanß, of the Cincinnati’s, who Is the manager of the Almendares. We call him the ‘Cuban Ty Cobb’ and are very ! proud of him. He ranks second in stealing bases among the big professionals. Then there are two Cubans on the Washington team, Calvo and Acosta, who play ball at home in the winter.”