``Well, we'll see tomorrow,'' he said.
Felix Wilson, deputy chief of the Cuban Interest Section, which serves
as an unofficial embassy in Washington, was upset that Angelos met with
the players while local Cuban officials were kept away from the group
until after the team cleared customs.
``Can you imagine we cannot meet the Cuban delegation?'' he said.
``This is unacceptable.''
Ana Maria Goicoechea, a resident of Columbia, Md., who was born in
Cuba, was one of handful of people who tried to welcome the team at the
airport with a sign that said, ``Cuba Va,'' or ``Go Cuba.'' The professor
of social work at the University of Maryland at Baltimore supports the
game and improved relations with her native country.
``There was a war and it was lost by the people that are here,'' she
said. ``This is a process, a step we have to go through. Little by little,
this anger will come out.''
She compared the situation to relations between the former East and
West Germany, which were reunited in 1989.
``How could I not support them? I feel bad for this isolation my
country, the United States, is imposing on our other country, Cuba,'' she
said.
The team got a Havana Airport send-off from Cuban leader Fidel
Castro.
After sorting out visa problems that delayed the flight, the team
boarded a charter about 5 p.m. EDT for its exhibition game with the
Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
However, the delay meant the Cubans had to cancel their Sunday workout
at Camden Yards and a reception in the team's honor.
The visa problems, concerning some in the delegation of more than 300,
were resolved Saturday night.
This will mark the first time a Cuban team has played a major league
team in the United States.
In the opener of this series, the Orioles beat Cuba 3-2 in 11 innings
on March 28 in Havana. It was the first time in 40 years a major league
team played in Cuba.
In the days leading to that game, the Orioles had to scramble to get
their birth certificates, passports and visas in order. This time it was
the Cubans who were tangled in red tape.
At one point, the delay was thought to put Monday night's game in
danger. But that is no longer the case.
The Orioles will be wearing their traditional black, orange and white
for the rematch, but they'll be thinking red, white and blue.
``The important thing of every game is to win no matter what kind of
uniform you wear or who you represent,'' Orioles pitcher Ricky Bones said
Sunday. ``This time we're going to represent the United States. We should
go out there with pride and try to win.''
The Orioles have struggled mightily since beating Cuba in March. The
team is in last place, the players are being booed at Camden Yards and
manager Ray Miller might not have his job by the end of the 12-game
homestand Thursday.
So the Orioles can be forgiven if they don't regard the game with great
anticipation.
``Obviously, you'd like the club to have a day off,'' Miller said.
That's much the same attitude the Orioles carried into the first
exhibition. But shortly after the playing of both country's national
anthems, their attitude changed.
``A lot more comes into it than just you or your team. Even though we
weren't really representing the U.S., we were in a way,'' outfielder B.J.
Surhoff said. ``We were one team but we were representing a whole lot of
people. They looked at it as their national team representing them.
``Down there I knew it would be really intense and they'd be into it.
I'm kind of curious to see how it's all going to play out tomorrow
night.''
In the first game, many of Cuba's best players were unavailable because
they were involved in the country's playoffs. There was no such obstacle
this time, so the Orioles can expect even more competition in the
rematch.
``They'll have a better team this time. They'll have better players to
choose from,'' said catcher Charles Johnson, whose two-run homer provided
the majority of Baltimore's offense in the first game.
Miller hoped to rest his starters after six innings of that game, but
the close score and high intensity caused him to stick with most of his
stars for the entire contest. He will use his regular lineup Monday with
the exception of his starting pitcher.
Scott Kamieniecki, who is on the disabled list, will start for
Baltimore. The Orioles can only hope the Cubans don't counter with Jose
Contreras, who allowed two hits over eight shutout innings and struck out
10 in the first game.
While many of the Orioles consider the game a distraction, they realize
the prestige associated with representing their country.
Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly, whose team faced the Orioles on
Sunday, wished he could be a part of the show.
``I'd take it as an honor to manage and represent major league baseball
in that endeavor,'' he said. ``I think I would really enjoy it.''
The Orioles merely want to make the best of the situation.
``There was a lot of pride taken over in Cuba. We did everything we
could to win that game and I'm sure it will be no different over here,''
backup catcher Lenny Webster said. ``We hope to enjoy it, but at the same
time we're going to try and beat them.''
Cuban team arrives in Baltimore