CULTURE CLUB PONY LEAGUE GET RARE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN CUBA.Byline: STORY BY JILL PAINTER Esther Walker Esther Walker (October 18, 1894 - July 26, 1943) was an American musical comedy performer. She was born Ester Thomas in Louisville, Kentucky on October 18, 1894. Adopting the stage name of Esther Walker, she appeared on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in a 1919 has not been home since she was 16. She hasn't seen some 30 aunts and uncles in 25 years, and her teenage son, Julian, has never met most of his cousins. All that is about to change with the help of baseball. Julian Walker plays for Toluca Pony League The Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, also known as the PONY League, was a Class D minor league baseball circuit that played from 1939 through 1956. The forerunner of the modern Class A New York - Penn League, the PONY served as the first professional baseball address of , a team based in Toluca Lake comprised of 13-year-olds. Last year, the team took a trip to Cooperstown, N.Y. Esther Walker decided the only way to top that experience was to expose the team to some of the best baseball in the world. She chose Cuba, her birthplace. And thus began the process known as ``Toluca to Cuba,'' a phrase that decorates T-shirts and caps. The team's bus departs Saturday for Tijuana - where their flight originates - and the series of exhibition games against Cuban teams begins Monday in Havana. But this trip is about much more than games. ``I've heard about my family for a long time,'' said Julian, a first baseman. ``My mom has told me a lot of stories. We're going to have a big block party. I'm excited for that and the baseball.'' Walker's relatives already have bought a pig, which they will roast as part of the celebration when the Pony Leaguers arrive. Before that, the teens are getting a crash course in Cuban culture. ``They pretty much just pick sugar cane and play baseball,'' Toluca pitcher John O'Hara
John Henry O'Hara (31 January 1905 – 11 April, 1970) was an American writer. said of the Cuban competition. ``They're really good. ... It's going to be awesome.'' Travel from the U.S. to Cuba - one of the few remaining communist countries in the world - has been banned since 1962, and there are only a few ways Americans can get permission to make the trip. The Toluca team's visit qualifies as a humanitarian endeavor for athletic purposes. ``It's difficult to qualify for permits,'' said travel agent Maricarmen Sicard, who with her husband, Frederico, accompanies about three groups to her homeland every year. ``They don't want Americans going as tourists.'' The Sicards accompanied a group of doctors to Cuba in May and will take a religious group in September. The Toluca players, each accompanied by at least one guardian, are the youngest group the Sicards have traveled with in seven years of business. ``Cuba is very open to having all kinds of sports events with Americans,'' Maricarmen Sicard said. ``It's an opportunity and window for Cubans to see the world. They don't have cable TV.'' Many also don't have phones. When Esther Walker lived there, only one family on her block owned a phone, a luxury even by today's standards. Walker and her family left legally when she was 4 years old, sponsored by relatives who lived in Tampa, Fla. She went back to visit when she was 16 but hasn't returned since. BIG-LEAGUE DREAMS Alberto Castillo Alberto Castillo may be:
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. and bounced around the minor leagues and an independent league before undergoing elbow surgery last year. Castillo, now 30, remembers playing in a world tournament in Havana as a teen. ``Sometimes teams gave us batting gloves Batting gloves are a component in baseball sportswear. The glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, heat, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball. because we didn't have them,'' Castillo said. ``For us to have batting gloves, it was amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. . It was like, 'Wow!' We appreciated it so much. (Cubans) don't have much to give back. We're poor, but we have fun. ``I love my country, but I can't wait until my country is free.'' The Toluca contingent isn't traveling lightly, and will arrive bearing gifts, school supplies and baseball equipment. In addition to cheaper fares, flying out of Mexico allows passengers to pack nearly 30 pounds more in baggage weight than if they had flown from Miami. The team subsidized sub·si·dize tr.v. sub·si·dized, sub·si·diz·ing, sub·si·diz·es 1. To assist or support with a subsidy. 2. To secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy. most of the trip's cost ($1,500 per person) with fundraisers such as a car wash, bake sale “Bake Sale” redirects here. For the episode from the TV show 8 Simple Rules, see List of 8 Simple Rules episodes. A bake sale is a fundraising activity where baked goods such as doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies, sometimes along with ethnic foods, are sold. , garage sale, golf tournament and barbecue, complete with Cuban sandwiches. Most of the Toluca players have been together the past few seasons under co-coaches Greg Renta and Darrell Taylor, and many of the players' parents work in the movie industry. Luis Mariscal, the father of Toluca third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Bryan Mariscal and an assistant coach with the team, is fluent in Spanish and joked that he'll be able to translate all the chatter - good and bad - from umpires and opposing coaches. When Walker first mentioned her idea for the trip, some parents were on board immediately. Outfielder Derek Cwik's mom, Carol, passed until she learned most of the other boys were going. Now she is on the travel list. ``If we were going to another country, we were going to have to learn about the people and the culture and environment,'' Carol Cwik said. ``We went online and did a search for Cuba. I wanted (Derek) to understand why this was such a big opportunity. He's only 13 and may not get it right now, but he will someday some·day adv. At an indefinite time in the future. Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime. .'' TOTAL RECALL Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda
traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize in the 2000 Olympics. Lasorda was in Cuba when Fulgencio Batista General Rubén Fulgencio Batista (IPA: [fəlˈhɛnsio bəˈtistə], [fulˈxensio baˈtihta̩]) y Zaldívar was overthrown by Fidel Castro Noun 1. Fidel Castro - Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba (born in 1927) Castro, Fidel Castro Ruz 46 years ago and has met with Castro at the Cuban president's request. Lasorda hasn't returned in nearly 30 years and hopes the country is freed during his lifetime so he can visit again. ``I remember the night I heard horns and people hollering,'' Lasorda said. ``It was a Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
Toluca's focus has nothing to do with politics. It has nothing to do with wins or losses, either. It's about sharing experiences and stories with others who are different, yet share the same passion for baseball. ``I've been with some of these kids for quite a while,'' co-coach Renta said. ``To share in an adventure like this is great. You don't get opportunities like this a lot.'' Jill Painter, (818) 713-3615 jill.painter(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Toluca Pony League first baseman Julian Walker, left in top photo, will travel with his teammates to Cuba on a trip organized by his mother, Esther, a Cuban native. Inset, Toluca outfielder Derek Cwik warms up during a recent practice in preparation for the team's trip to Cuba. (3) Players for the Toluca Pony League listen to co-coach Greg Renta, center, during a recent practice. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer Box: CUBA, HERE WE COME |
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