The joy of being back on the baseball fields is the most palpable feeling right now at the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium, where Pablo Alberto Civil's version 4.0 of Lumberjacks started the engines this week.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- In his fourth year at the helm of the green-red team, and after three consecutive podiums that include a title from every historical point of view, the helmsman from Las Tunas is dedicated to observing with some calm the hustle and bustle of dozens of players and coaches. His apparent quiet is actually total confidence in the group of coaches he has to start in the best possible way on September 12.
In the opinion of the team captain, international Yosvani Alarcón, it is one of the best management bodies in the country. "The results speak for themselves", values the catcher of the National Team, who assures that "with our eyes closed we can go out to do the job they ask of us and have faith in the subsequent result."
It is no coincidence then that the atmosphere is so relaxed in the always tough first week of training. The more than 40 players who aspire to make the grade to Series 60 look like a bunch of kids with a new toy.
“In these four months of inactivity, when we could not train, or even enter the field, some athletes approached us and said: “we miss you, we miss your voice, your scolding, your suggestions ... we miss a coach who fights us and forces us to work,”Civil reveals with satisfaction.
“We are very happy to be back on the field. This situation with the COVID-19 that the world is facing has affected us all, because we are used to playing all year round and after being inactive for so long, the desire to return was very great, ”continues Alarcón.
“See if this is so, that excess of desire has played a trick on us, because many of us entered very strong and the truth is that we did not have the optimal capacity for that: some have given us a little dizziness, weakness, but we have already spoken with the coaches and we are picking up the pace little by little.”
Despite his status as a star player, Yosvani is one of the most enthusiastic on this return. Looking at him, I ask Civil if this is a team that even enjoys training.
"Without a doubt," he replies. “There is a very good atmosphere in the group and I think it is due to the confidence we have, backed by the results. Behind all this there are many hours of work by the coaching staff, that table work that has allowed us to get to know our team before meeting the rivals, and that has given us great results.
"So yes, there is deep confidence from the point of view of what we can do, never confident when facing the opponent, because we know that everyone prepares well, but with great faith in our possibilities when the game begins."
IT'S NOT ALL ROSY
Beyond the first impression, the dialogue with the coaches reveals great challenges and certain debts that must be paid immediately.
Pablo Civil tells us how, despite the fact that certain control over the activity of each athlete was maintained throughout these four months of recess, their physical condition is not ideal and while some are overweight, others are underweight.
However, the mentor from Las Tunas says he is not worried. “We have held several meetings to devise a training plan of just six weeks that is effective, taking into account that this team usually trained at least 12 weeks for 45 games and that now we will have less than half the time for a series of 75. For all these reasons, they know they have to double efforts.
“The good thing is that, as I was saying, we have observed a very positive state of mind, from the point of view of the sensations we are very optimistic. They know the commitment we have with the people, with the family, with the province and with the same results that we have achieved these years. So we are focused on what we all want: to rank in the top eight at first and then go for the crown again.
To meet those goals, the Lumberjacks will have “to make the bats sound” like so many times in recent times. The offensive remains a hallmark, although now it is a much more refined roster in the tactical order, which relies less on long-range hits to make runs.
That is what Abeysi Pantoja, responsible for the Las Tunas offensive line in the Civil era and one of the best coaches of this area in the country, thinks. "We have already started a job of hitting the balls that have been thrown that should prepare the boys to enter the competition with a sufficient level of quality, so that in those first 12 games away from home there is a good response, until we gradually get the sports form. In addition, we are going to maintain the volumes for five or six weeks within the competition, so that it will allow us to complete the qualifying stage at a good pace and enter the playoffs strong.
“We have the advantage of being a mature team, with several experienced athletes. We have talked with them and we have agreed to do a more specific job, as they already have acquired mastery and know the amount of repetitions necessary to be in good shape.”
But, if the most experienced continue to be the backbone of the Lumberjacks, it is undeniable that a little of young people is already looking for prominence. And among them stands out the promising Osmani Urrutia Jr., who enjoys the privilege of being trained by none other than his illustrious father.
“I haven't seen the youth with so much talent that we have now for a long time, most baseball followers know our hitters, guys with a great future like Osmani Urrutia, but there are young pitchers who are going to make them talk. I believe that the combination of our experience, the willingness we have to help them and their desire to succeed will be fundamental for the team,” Yosvani Alarcón told us.
And all this, waiting for the arrival of Rubén Paz shortly in Cuba, a boy only 25 years old who already accumulates professional experience in Mexico and who will arrive to round up one of the clear contenders for the crown of the 60th National Series.
