Beisbol
As a side effect of staying in one of the cheapest places in town, we are sharing our digs with a 9-year old baseball team in town for a baseball game.
Our plans for the day fell through, so we decided to check out their game. Lo and behold we end up at the semi-finals of the “Little League” National Championships, a big deal for a country whose national pastime is definitely baseball. The kids instantly recognized us at the stadium and were ecstatic to see us, shaking our hands and beaming.
We edged our way into the crowded bleachers, and prepared to cheer for our team. Behind us a rowdy fan was already blowing an airhorn, campy music blared from enormous speakers, and hawkers were selling everything from quesillos to pizza.
As the game started, we quickly comprehended how important this game was to the kids. The previous game´s losing team was tearing up in the stands. Newspaper reporters were constantly snapping pictures. When the ball might have grazed a player, the boy fell to the ground writhing, the magic spray was applied, and the coach berated the umpire for at least five minutes about his failure to notice the batter´s near death experience. We left after 2 long innings with our team firmly in the lead.
Upon returning to our hostel tonight, we were greeted by the celebratory boys, who shared their food with us, posed for pictures with us, and babbled with us in our broken Spanish for as long as we would let them. Climbing volcanoes, shopping the markets, and wandering around colonial streets have been lots of fun, but today has been our favorite day.
¡Buena Suerte to Chinotega for tomorrow´s final championship game!
Tags: Nicaragua
Adam
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