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Doctor for Cuban World Baseball Classic is Fidel Castro's son
By Ráy Sanchez, amNY.com. Posted March 10 2006 in the Sun-Sentinel.
SAN JUAN -- The doctor for Cuba's World Baseball Classic squad is no ordinary team physician.
Before last night's 11-2 victory over the Netherlands, there was Antonio Castro Soto del Valle, 37, signing baseballs and Team Cuba caps for fans at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. After Cuba's designated hitter slammed a two-run homer in the fourth inning, there was Castro with the rest of the team outside their heavily guarded dugout to congratulate Yoandy Garlobo.
This team physician was a former third baseman at the University of Havana - a "decent player," according to a big-league scout who knew his coach. He's also the son of Team Cuba's most prominent fan, President Fidel Castro.
Not many team doctors are seen signing autographs, Castro was told on the field while the team warmed up nearby. He laughed.
"I'm the doctor for an Olympic championship team," he said. "I guess that makes me famous."
The Cubans, winners of the 2004 Olympic gold medal and 2005 World Cup, play Puerto Rico tonight in a highly touted contest between Pool C's only undefeated teams. The talent-rich American team, which was heavily favored and accommodated with placement in a weaker bracket, is 1-1.
What would it mean for Cuba to win the first Classic? "Imagine that," Castro said. "That would be grand. We came to compete. We came to demonstrate our style of baseball, our modest baseball with valor and honor. That's what we want to show the world, the baseball that's played in our country. If we win, well, that would be marvelous."
Since their arrival on Monday, Team Cuba has been one of the most closely watched squads in the tournament - not only by the fans but also by major-league scouts as well as local and federal law enforcement.
At El San Juan Hotel, where the team is staying, police officers and plain-clothed security guards are stationed in every corner. Agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stand on the field as the team warms up. FBI agents sit behind the dugout during games.
"It doesn't bother us," Castro said. "Maybe some teams have more security than others but it helps us relax."
The team's participation in the Classic was uncertain until January, when the Treasury Department granted Cuba permission to play after it agreed to donate its tournament proceeds to Hurricane Katrina relief. Castro's presence on Team Cuba seems unusual. An orthopedic surgeon, he's been team doctor six years. Except for his father's brothers, Raul and Ramon, and his oldest son, "Fidelito," the president's close relatives hold no publicly visible posts.
A talented third baseman at the university, Castro had to decide between fighting in Angola with other Cuban mercenaries or attending medical school, according to a baseball scout who knew Castro's coach.
"He liked baseball a lot and he wanted to play baseball," said Fernando Arango, a Cuban who is coordinator of Latin American scouting for the Milwaukee Brewers. "But Fidel said to him, 'I'm going to give you an option: You either become a doctor or you go to Angola to fight.' So he became a doctor." Asked if Castro's presence on the team was intended to discourage potential defectors, Arango said no.
"He loves baseball," he said. "That's why he's in baseball."
His father, Castro said, would gladly attend the Classic finals in San Diego should Team Cuba get that far. And provided President George Bush extended an invitation.
"Every president whose country wins a championship medal would be happy to watch his team win," he said. But, he added, "We would face a very difficult second round. We have a long way to go."
At one point, Castro deflected a question that began, "Your father ... "
"Only baseball," he said. "Baseball, medicine and orthopedics."
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