Articles and Commentary
Indios del Bóer 6, Fieras del San Fernando 5
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- Published on Friday, 18 January 2008 22:39
- Written by Administrator
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I can´t remember the last time I went to a sports event where the crowd was this deafening. If I restrict this to outdoor events, the answer is "never".
The event happened at Dennis Martinez National Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua. This stadium holds 20,000 people, and about 18,000 were present for this game, which was the third game of the best-of-seven final of the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League. Bóer won the first game, and San Fernando won the second.
Both teams had pep bands. San Fernando´s band played something recognizable as music, and, inexplicably, they played while their guys were at bat. As for Bóer´s band, all I can tell you is they started and stopped at the same time. Both teams had cheerleaders, and the ones for Bóer were equipped with rock-concert size amps. And yes, the "Los Indios" fans know about the tomahawk chop.
In addition, large numbers of fans were blowing police whistles, and if you forgot to bring one, there were vendors selling them. There were also vendors selling all sorts of food, including a sort of taco salad (it's called "boha") that looked healthy. There is Toña beer, which I´ve already developed a taste for. You have to pay to use the washrooms, but I don´t know yet whether this results in cleanliness.
There was a ball game going on, too, and it would be a mistake to say that this is like European soccer matches, where much of the crowd is indifferent to what´s happening on the field. They saw a good game, although there were some fielding miscues in the early going. It appeared that the crowd noise was making it difficult for the players to communicate with each other, but the not-very-good lighting could also have been a factor.
Both starters were chased early. The SF starter was Willy Lebrón of the Dominican Republic, and he was gone before the second inning was over, after Bóer went up 2-0. The Bóer starter was Brian Rodaway, who played for the U. of Nebraska, then spent five years in the minors. Rodaway came in with very good numbers: 6-1, 2.14 ERA. He held Los Fieras hitless for the first two inning, but in the third inning, Los Fieros got five runs, with an RBI by Eddy Talavera (Granada), another by Ofilio Castro (Nicaragua), a two-RBI double by Danilo Sotelo (also from Nicaragua), and another by Darío Delgado (Dominican Republic).
Those were all the runs SF got. Bóer got a run back in the fourth, and tied it with two runs in the sixth. The winning run came in the eighth. Clyde Williams, who was in the Expos/Nationals organization for seven years, hit what should have been a double-play ball with one out. The throw to first was late, however, and this allowed a baserunner to score from third. SF got the tying run on first with one out, but a line drive by Jimmy Hurst to first resulted in a game-ending double play. (Hurst had a cup of coffee with the Tigers in 1997, also played in Japan and for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.)
Now, an editorial comment for anyone in Nicaragua who might read this: I´m OK with the pep bands and the cheerleaders, but lose the police whistles. They add nothing whatsoever to the enjoyment of the game, and they are irritating.