Cuban U-16 baseball team playing in New Brunswick this weekend
Some young baseball players from Cuba are in the Maritimes this week for games against teams from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as part of a goodwill tour through Canada.
The 16-and-under Cuban team is scheduled to play at Moncton's Kiwanis Park tonight, with opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. and the first pitch at 7 p.m.
"They call it 1976 revisited. That was the last time we had the Cuban national team here," said Paul Hornibrook, one of the New Brunswick organizers.
"Remember? Scott Harvey threw a one-nothing loss, a home-run by a Cuban player early in the game. I didn't participate in the game or watch it, but I do know there was anywhere from two- to three-thousand people there. So we're just hoping, if we can get a thousand people … that would be a real nice crowd."
About 400 advance tickets had been sold, as of Friday morning.
Hornibrook, former president of the Fredericton Minor Baseball Association and current director of player development, says it's bound to be a good game.
"These boys come prepared. They've played baseball at the highest level in their community and their province. And you know, we're just trying to make sure that we match them as best we can," he said.
"But Cuba's well-known for their baseball abilities. We saw a professional game when we were down there and they would very much compare to the level of baseball we see here on the TV every night."
A Canadian contingent travelled to Cuba for games last winter.
The Cuban team gets a day off to go to Magic Mountain Saturday before heading to Fredericton on Sunday for a 7 p.m. game at Royals Field.
Earlier this week, the Cuban players were in Bridgewater, N.S., where they lost 8-6, after winning a close game in Kentville.
