Olympic interview: Peter Bjarkman, Cuba

The Olympics begin this weekend, and to help prepare Seamheads readers, I’ve talked with the experts about a few of the teams the U.S. will be facing. The following is an interview with Peter Bjarkman, the foremost authority on Cuban baseball. Among his many books are the definitive A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006 and Baseball with a Latin Beat . You can find him on the internet at his home page and also at his MLB blog . Bjarkman also writes for www.baseballdecuba.com , and has recently put up a lengthy pre-Olympic article addressing many of the issues he talks about here, so by all means, check that out . Many thanks to Dr. Bjarkman for his time.

Cuba’s strength was supposed to be its offense, yet in two losses to the US in Haarlem, they scored just one run total. Is that a fluke or a concern for the Cuban team?

This is exactly the issue I discuss in my article. Cuba’s training regimen was part of the explanation. They also faced some pitchers there that might be better than the ones the USA will have on its Olympic squad, and they were also in an inexplicable funk. I believe this team will indeed hit in Beijing and offense will be their strength.

What is the takeaway lesson from Haarlem?

The lesson of Haarlem was one for the Cuban fans and not one for the team. The team is fine. The fans have to realize that no team continues to win at a .940 clip. Sometimes things go wrong. And the Cubans weren’t really pointing toward Haarlem . Don’t sell them short in Beijing.

Do you anticipate any strategic changes being made before Beijing, in terms of the way the club envisions itself and the best way for it to win?

No, I do not think there will be any changes. They had a game plan going and it will be followed. I was with the team in the hotel the last night in Haarlem and talked to a number of players and coaches. I have been around these guys a lot and I didn’t sense any panic. They will play their style of game and let the chips fall where they may.

How does the Cuban team stack up in terms of international experience?

Actually 13 players are holdovers from Athens and 11 are new since then, so it is about 50-50. This team has a nice mix of veterans and youngsters. They are not really old at all. Pestano, Paret, Lazo, Jonder Martinez and Palma are in their mid-thirties, but Despaigne, Bell , Olivera, Gourriel and Cepeda are all under 30 and Olivera and Despaigne are under 25. As Cuban Olympic teams go, this is one of the youngest.

Were there younger players on the island who were overlooked?

There are some excellent young players on the island like Yoennis Cespedes, Leonys Martin, Miguel Lahera (cut after Haarlem ), Yosvani Peraza (also cut in Haarlem ), a Matanzas infielder named Mujica and a few others who will soon be stars. But no one was overlooked. Those guys were all on the 45-man roster that began the Huelga tournament in June. The Cubans try not only for the best players but also the most balanced roster and thus they were not going to carry both Despaigne and Cespedes, for example, who are essentially the same player. Or Eriel Sánchez as well as Peraza. I think they came up with the best possible team. You can quibble over some of the selections, as Cuban fans will do, but there were no glaring omissions.

After the loss to the US in Sydney in 2000, what changed in the national program?

Nothing really changed after the 2000 loss in Sydney . The big shake-up came when they dropped the 1997 Intercontinental Cup finals to Japan in Spain . That led to the replacement of the national team manager and commissioner and the revising of the National Series schedule to 90 games. After Sydney it was just renewed dedication more than anything. In Sydney remember they did get to the finals. It would be not getting to the finals…that would be the real blow.

Is that defeat still in the back of people’s minds, or have Cubans gotten over it?

They got over it in about five minutes. I think it was seen as a much bigger upset here [in the U.S.] than in Cuba .

Does it come as a surprise that this is the only Latin American team in the Olympics? Is it fair to say that Taiwan, Holland and Canada have more talent right now than, say, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic?

The way the Olympic tournament is set up does make some sense. There are a limited number of slots divided between Europe, the Americas , and Asia/Oceania to assure that this is a true international competition and not just a tournament of eight teams from the Americas. Soccer does essentially the same thing with a limited number of teams from each region. Certainly you would expect Venezuela and the DR or Mexico to be their given their professional traditions. But the point is that those countries allow all their young players to sign with the US pros in their teens and then have no control over using them in their national team programs. I saw the Americas Qualification tournament in Havana in September 2006 and the Puerto Rican, Dominican and Venezuelan teams were lousy. They just don’t focus on Olympic baseball. If they wanted to, they could send better teams. Canada and Mexico finished third and fourth in Havana (where Cuba and the USA qualified) and thus had a chance to compete in a second play-down this past spring with runner-up teams from Asia (including Australia). In that tournament Canada snuck in to the final eight for Beijing . The only thing which probably doesn’t make sense is giving an automatic berth to the host country. From a baseball standpoint, China (for all their improvement) doesn’t belong in the tournament.

What needs to happen for Cuba to win the gold?

For Cuba (the same is true for Japan and USA ) to win they have to play up to their potential and also be lucky. Four of the eight teams make the semifinals and then anything can happen. Cuba seems to know how to win in the big games in those international single-elimination international playoff rounds. Their experience (with guys like Pestano, Paret, Lazo and Cepeda) will help there. They seem to get (or make) the breaks 90% of the time, and that will have to happen again.

What is your prediction for the tournament?

Japan (with its pro league all-stars) has to be the slight favorite here, with Cuba and the USA trailing, but not by much. John Manuel (who knows better than me) seems to think this USA team is not as good as the one in Sydney and not the best that could have been chosen. He is probably right. Korea is not as strong as usual but not bad either. We should get a good read the first day when Cuba opens with Japan . Holland is not as strong as in the past but could upset somebody on a given day. Taipei will also be pesky but doesn’t have the horses to win half of their games and make the semifinals. Barring a major collapse by someone, Japan, USA and Cuba should all make the semifinals (along perhaps with Korea ). The standings will determine who matches up in the semifinals. If Cuba gets to the semifinals, watch out. I would put my money on them again as they have a lot of weapons. My own guess would be Cuba over the USA in one semifinal and Japan over Korea in the other. But anything could happen here. If I was a betting man I would go with the Cubans. I just love the way they play in the big matches. And since Olympic baseball means far more in Cuba than in the USA or Japan , this team will be highly motivated for what may be the last Olympic baseball tournament for a while. Let’s just hope that none of the important games come down to a result based on the utterly absurd extra-innings free base runners rule that the IBAF has now sold out with.