THE Cuban baseball pre-selection team has begun its final training for the Central American and Caribbean Games, scheduled for July 15-30 in Colombia, with the intention of recovering the regional title.

Rey Vicente Anglada, who is to debut as manager of the Cuban team in this event, affirmed to the national press when his appointment was announced: "We always go out there to win and we will win, we have the aptitude and the desire."

Thirty players are training daily behind closed doors in Havana’s Latin American stadium. The majority of them played on the Cuban team in the World Classic in March, where they took second place.

The Classic’s star pitcher Yadel Martí, will lead the team along with other experienced throwers such as Pedro Luis Lazo, Adiel Palma and Vicyhoandry Odelín. Yunieski Maya, Yadier Pedroso, Norberto González, Jonder Martínez, Yulieski González, Maikel Folch, Luis Borroto, Deinnis Suárez, Yosvani Fonseca and Ormari Romero round out the pitching crew.

Star second baseman Yulieski Gourriel shares the infield with Ariel Borrero, Rudy Reyes, Eduardo Paret, Juan Carlos Moreno and Michel Enríquez.

The outfield covered by the sluggers Yoandry Garlobo, Osmany Urrutia, Frederich Cepeda, and Alexei Ramírez.

Seven young players who were also on the Classic team will also be making an appearance. They are first baseman Alexander Mayeta, the most valuable player in the National Series, catcher Luis Ferrales, and outfielders Yohannis Céspedes and Giorgis Duvergel.

Completing the lineup are pitchers Frank Montieth, Danny Betancourt and Norge Luis Vera, for whom this is a return to the national team.

Carlos Rodríguez, head of the National Baseball Federation, explained that in the last National Series there was a good balance between pitching and offense, but there were noticeable problems in defense and in the technical-tactical sphere.

Rodríguez stated that the preliminary Cuban team is to play seven preparatory games against Holland in early July.

From this preliminary team 20 players will go forward to represent the island in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia.

The 12 participating teams are divided into two groups. Group A is made up of the Dutch Antilles, Bahamas, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic. Group B includes Aruba, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Baseball has been on the program of Central American and Caribbean Games since the first edition in 1926 and Cuba has won 13 times out of the16 meets in which it has participated.

Cuba, Olympic and World champion, seeks to recover the regional title that was taken by Puerto Rico in the 2002 games in San Salvador, in which Cuba did not compete.

Rey Vicente Anglada, manager of the Industriales, the nine-time National Series champions, is the new coach of the Cuban team that hopes to triumph in the Central American and Caribbean Games.

On a Cuban Television "Informative Roundtable", the former second baseman affirmed that his team is going after the title in Colombia and described the 30 pre-selection players who have entered the final preparation as "good and strong."

In addition, in Anglada’s opinion, there has been a timely "injection of young blood" with the presence of first baseman Alexander Mayeta and the young Yohennis Céspedes, among others.

Anglada has coached Havana’s Industriales team for five years during which time the team has won three national crowns.

RECUADRO

With 600 athletes, Cuba seeks to recover first place

• Led by Cuba’s Olympic and World champions, 600 Cuban athletes are to participate in the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games this July with the intention of recovering the regional title.

"To take first place with our best athletes" is the priority, affirmed René Pérez, director of High Performance within the Cuban Sports Institute.

During an informational program on Cuban television, Pérez added that the delegation has an average age of 23 and that the regional meet will serve as "preparation for the 2007 Pan-American Games and the 2008 Olympics."

Pérez mentioned track and field, boxing, wrestling, judo and weightlifting as specialties of the island’s delegation, whose members are to participate in 32 of the competition’s 34 disciplines.

Jorge Guzmán, head of the national boxing commission, affirmed that Cuba is taking a team of Olympic and World champions as well as rising stars to Cartagena.

Guzmán pointed out that the region’s performance level has significantly improved due to the help of Cuban trainers.

Cuban boxers took five titles in the 2004 Olympic Games. In the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador the Dominican Republic won three gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Cuba, which did not participate in that edition, swept off with 11 of the12 divisions in dispute in the 1998 edition in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Cuba’s strongest team sport is baseball, but the island also expects to classify in a regional tournament in Panama, July 4-8.

Angel Iglesias, vice president of the National Sports Institute (INDER), ratified this aspiration and added that in addition the Cubans will seek to give the Colombian and regional fans a fantastic show.

"Our fiercest competition will come from Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia" declared Iglesias.

Mexico won the regional Games in 2002 with 138 gold medals, followed by Venezuela with 104. Cuba, which did not attend in 2002, took home 191 gold medals in 1998.