![]() ![]() On July 24th, 1959, Castro staged an exhibition game between Los Barbudos and the Cuban National Police prior to a game between the Sugar Kings and the Rochester Red Wings. In fact, Castro had been a pitcher during his days at the University of Havana. One of his first acts as President was to pledge to underwrite the debt of the Havana Cuba Sugar Kings. With the Sugar Kings perched at the top of the International League standings (on their way to an eventual title), Fidel made it clear that he wanted the pride of Cuban baseball to continue, “even if I have to pitch.” To raise money for this cause, the barnstorming baseball team played exhibition games and donated the proceeds to the Sugar Kings. The team consisted mostly of members of the 26th of July movement. The team was aptly named “Los Barbudos” (The Bearded Ones).įidel was a long-time baseball fan and often attended Sugar Kings games at Gran Stadium. Baseball was again at the heart of Cuba’s nationalism, even though Fidel had yet to reach Havana.Ĭastro knew how important baseball was and how integral it was to Cuba’s social fabric. It was a time of celebration at Gran Stadium (now Estadio Latinoamericano). When Carlos Paula hit a home run, one of the Barbudos jumped onto the field and embraced him. The crowd stood to sing the July 26 movement’s anthem and gave a long standing ovation to the guerrillas. These guerillas were known as “Barbudos” – the bearded ones – and beard length was a point of pride as it was used to determine length of time served in the movement. In the United States the series debuted with 2.38 million viewers.What do you do when you have just overthrown the Cuban government? If you are Fidel Castro – you start a barnstorming baseball team!įive days after Castro had seized power in Cuba, members of Castro’s guerilla army – known as the 26th of July Movement – were invited to attend a Havana Cuba Sugar Kings game for free. His final chapter by Caracol Televisión only got a total of 8.3 rating. In Colombia, the series premiered with 13.3 of rating, exceeding the program La Voz Kids Colombia. The series aired on Telemundo from Octountil February 8, 2016. ![]() The series originally aired from Octoto Februin Colombia on RCN Televisión.
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