Las Tunas Lumberjacks manager Abeisy Pantoja Díaz

The days of joy burst into the life of Abeysi Pantoja Díaz. From fly, just like that fly to the gardens of the Latin American Stadium that decreed the 27th out and the second title for Las Tunas in the national series, an abrupt change stripped him of the unnoticed.

However, most see in the strategist the man responsible for turning preliminary doubts into golden arguments, while dodging the self-sacrificing father who seeks to educate by example.

During a storm of emotions, the green-and-red helmsman has established his children as a place of refuge, a kind of calm within the hurricane.

"When I was given the task, it was quite difficult. I received many attacks through social networks, I don't know the motives; but they were dedicated to tarnishing the image of a dedicated coach, without any social stain."

"Such an atmosphere had an impact on my children and they asked me not to accept it, but I was inclined to say yes. I wanted to involve them so they could feel the changes in life and the sacrifices it takes, that's why they accompanied me to every place. They saw firsthand how the world of sports moves."

"I wanted them to realize who their father is: a good man, who acts the same way at home as he does in other scenarios. I try to instill these values in them and prepare them so that, when he is no longer around, they can act decisively."

About his two families, the one with blood ties and the one forged by the love of a ball with red seams, Abeysi, in conversation with 26, reviewed the history of the 89 steps (confrontations) overcome to reach the pinnacle of the most genuine pastime of the Cubans.

A team that has not been predicted, in addition to being immersed in a process of renovation, obtains the second championship trophy in the national series after a campaign that has gone from strength to strength. Was it in the initial objectives?

"The goal I set myself from the start was to qualify for the top eight because I had a lot of departures. It was a renovation of almost 50 percent, mainly in the area of pitching."

"I'm not surprised by the win because I saw how the team began to gel and take on another level, to the point that we reached the end of the qualifiers in the first place. Then we looked for other goals because the first one had been achieved: we set our sights on a medal, to be in the top three, and the result came out, the best that can be had, to be champion."

"To achieve such success, we have to point out the preparation. It was very good even though we were not in the province because we were not involved in the Elite League, but we did have highly qualified coaches to prepare for the competition and we trusted them, they worked hard and we reached the final with fresh players and in competitive form, which was what we were looking for."

Las Tunas Lumberjacks manager Abeisy Pantoja Díaz

The winning stability of the Leñadores in recent seasons makes greater demands. Was it an added pressure?

"Before becoming champions we already had a status among the best in the nation. We are one of the most stable, if we can keep the base and keep adding talent, we will keep the achievements. But we can't forget that there are 15 other teams in the fight for the crown. "

"Speaking and being at the head of a group of people with different characteristics and thoughts becomes complicated because you have to find the right words to avoid hurting someone, but also to have a commanding voice so that they follow you. It is not just one person's job, so I would like to thank all those who were by my side, including Roberto Baldoquín, who arrived at a time when it was necessary to bring the rest together, and even changed the way many of them acted with the maxim of putting fun before everything else, as well as taking care to do what was necessary in each situation. He was a very important part of our success."

How was the transition from batting coach to manager?

"This was my eighth post-season as a coach. I haven't let go of the transition from hitting coach to manager because I'm in charge of the offensive. I plan and control the hitting because that's what I've done for years and I didn't want to let go of that until I had someone with the skill and knowledge that you gain over time and other people coming in."

"It's different because as a hitting coach, I was only concerned about the offensive line, and trying to make adjustments to athletes who were out of shape competitively."

"Now I have to look not only at the problems within the game, but there are also social problems that I have to deal with because I have to try to help the guys, to provide them with some solutions so that they can perform more easily and face the competition with concentration. It's not easy in such a difficult situation."

"The best thing was the concentration of the boys and their desire to play. They made an amalgamation of thoughts that converged into one and came to triumph, perhaps with ease, because we achieved something unplanned. It was the aspiration, we knew it was a team in the making, but it was still achieved. And we were able to set a record, there was a chance to win 12 out of 12. Some blame it on defensive errors, but there was a violation of the rules that let us in danger of arguing in the first place."

On paper, the pitching staff appeared to be a weakness; however, they took the lead. What were the keys to that performance?

"We started by giving loads to the established players, those who had some time of experience, we wanted them to take charge of opening the games and walk them as much as possible, and then hand them over to the youngsters, but we realized that this was leading us astray and we reversed it: we put the youngsters at the start and the experienced ones at the end, because it is from the fifth inning onwards that they start to feel committed to the results. The strategy worked very well and we were able to put together a quartet of pitchers to finish the games that responded one hundred percent to what we were looking for."

"Experimenting led us to the excellence of the pitching, it couldn't have been better, even many surprised us."

"I once said at a press conference that they only invited me and why didn't they invite those in charge of the pitching to talk about the work done? The fundamental features of the preparation in this area are the physical aspect and the concentration on the box. Diversity is sought over time, but where to put pitches is vital."

"We still have several talented players who show power on the fastball, but have little route, so we polish their control so that they can improve their repertoire."

Another battle lies in the motivational factor because of the notable absences from the national team, how tough can it be?

"It is difficult. I have also been a victim of invisibility for many years, but I have been struggling. When I was an athlete I was also at that point, I have been the coach of an offensive line-up ranked as the best in the country and I have not been allowed to be included in a national team. For the first time as a director, besides winning the championship, it has been enough to appear among those who will support the pre-selection training for the Pan American Games."

"My advice will always be that you have to keep going, your chances are not over, there is a tomorrow and you have to make the most of it. I also tell them to think about the province, because they expect a lot from us and we owe it to them."

After overcoming such an obstacle, the harmony of the bench was perceived on the diamond, largely due to the right mix between new values and players with an extensive service record, how do you get to that atmosphere?

"One of the first words I said when I took over as manager was that I was going to try to manage as humbly as possible and I passed that on to the athletes, along with the desire to strive to be better. There are different ages and experiences within the team, which also helped me a lot because the veterans made the new arrivals their own, they committed them and got them so involved in the game that they bought into it and dealt with them right to the end."

"We were evaluating and everyone who gave a positive flash we took into account to take advantage of it at that moment, we evaluated one by one and everyone had the chance to show that they could be at that level of baseball. I think we were (the only team) that in the first 15 games had already played all the offensive players and all of them hit a hit, which we also wanted them to feel satisfied that they had contributed to the cause."

Being a manager brings with it different lessons from practice. You have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with historic mentors in national and Las Tunas baseball. How much of each is there in Abeysi?

"I was at the side of Ermidelio Urrutia, who was the first manager to qualify Las Tunas, then with Juan Miguel Gordo, who also did it, and with Pablo Civil we were champions. From Pablo, I learned to listen and to give them the confidence that the group deserves, as well as to put faith in what we are doing. On the other hand, it would be unfair not to mention Carlos Martí, with whom I shared the Elite League. Someone who is a baseball professor and, above all, of management in Cuba, from whom I learned to do a lot with little and to be patient during difficult periods. I saw him worried when in reality he was looking for resources to get out of trouble."

Las Tunas Lumberjacks manager Abeisy Pantoja Díaz

Where do your particularities as a director lie?

"Listening and meeting with everyone. You have to have a group of coaches who monitor what is happening on the field so that the next day they can analyze it, without leaving anything up in the air and find variants to the dilemmas that are occurring. Pay attention to the opinion of the athletes, from the oldest to the rookie, as well as those little details that happen during the challenge.

"For example, the pitcher makes a certain gesture that gives away the delivery, and so on. That's how communication is refined until we get a stronger dynamic."

"From the start of the season until now, you gain experience and every game means a new lesson, more to see. Even not opting for a decision and recognizing it serves as a learning experience to change the reality if it happens again. All decisions are difficult because every time I have to decide to remove a regular player, with a performance over the years, to try another one, looking for him to make up for the deficiencies or the bad moment, that makes it more complex."

"Therefore, in the final, I tried to convey calm, without leaving an image of desperation or concern in the players because they are the main actors. I had to express serenity, control, and confidence in my boys to achieve good results on the field."

Did Industriales mean extra encouragement or tension?

"The moment I saw that it would be Industriales who we were going to face in the final, I commented that if we beat them both, they were close to going with four. When we won both I started to think about how to get through to the boys and I told them: 'You have the opportunity to show how much you are worth and you are in front of all those who run the sport and you are going to play for the world, as well as for a fan base that will put pressure on, but also for another that will support us'.
"The Latino was not only for Industriales but also for us. The fans pushed us, they saw our desire to win and they turned it into an extraordinary spirit."

Las Tunas Lumberjacks manager Abeisy Pantoja Díaz

At 47 years of age, Dánel Castro remains a cornerstone on the roster, but retirement looks imminent. Is the team prepared for the post-Dánel era?

"It's going to be a complex phase. Replacing Dánel won't be easy, but it's time to realize that the day is coming. I call him the man of history, of trust. Many criticized me when I lost by one run in the second game against Industriales and I sacrificed the second out to put runners on third and second for Dánel, but with him I always take risks. He didn't let me down badly and hit the ball at the right time, once again."

Underneath the armor of the serious face coexist the concern of saying goodbye to the eternal number 1 of Las Tunas and, perhaps, a possible future welcome to the next Pantoja generation in the ranks of the two-time champions. Reserve and tenderness adorn the Tunas driver's last confession.

"The boy has already talked to me about playing baseball, although he is uncertain because he also feels for music. In the activities, he asks for the microphone to start singing. The truth surprised me the first time I heard him, then he told me that he learns the songs by heart. It's simply up to him to choose, I'm not going to impose anything on him."