The 2003 Serie del Caribe
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Serie del Caribe, also known as the Caribbean World Series, is held in the first week of February, rotating between the Dominican Repubic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
This year was Puerto Rico’s turn.
We stayed in the upscale area known as Condado, a compact little isthmus west of the city center. Our base was a decent, no–frills little Euro–hotel called Canario by the Lagoon.
Condado’s main drag is Ashford Avenue. Plenty of beachfront hotels, nightclubs, Internet cafes, souvenir shops, Puerto Rican and seafood restaurants, a 24–hour Walgreen’s, mini–markets with fiendishly good Cuban sandwiches and a gym to work off your various excesses.
From our little hotel, the Atlantic Ocean surf is one block up. One block down is Condado Lagoon, smooth as glass and clear enough to see fish swimming lazily in the shallows. A few blocks further on is a green, tree-shaded square in the typical Spanish style, surrounded by apartments and condominiums, no doubt a welcome refuge from the summer heat and humidity.
Unfortunately, La Concha, seen above, was closed infested with weeds and God knows what else after years of neglect. But the queen of Ashford Avenue is making a comeback.
Condado’s very compact geography makes is great for walking, but parking is a nightmare.
Old San Juan is awash in color, buildings of almost every hue. Even the streets are colorful, thanks to their blue cobblestones. That's right, blue!
The district also is awash with history, including the sprawling, imposing fortress of Morro Castle. The Gibraltar of the Caribbean, this place saw plenty of action as the guardian of Spain’s colonial harbor here.
Old San Juan also served in the latter years of his life as the home base for the brilliant Spanish cellist Pablo Casals, whose genius was nearly silenced by politics.
Rain here is tropical, warm and pelting. No surprise that this island would be home to the El Yunque rainforest. Architecture is a combination of traditional Spanish and modern high–rise. The food reflects the tropical character of the island, lots of roast pork, beans, rice and plantains. Red snapper is the lord–god–king of fish around here.
Unless you are a poor, recent and illegal arrival from the Dominican Republic, people are really friendly, although the crime rate in the poorer parts of the city may give you pause.
At the same time, somebody here apparently has enough money to afford those idiotic spinning hubcaps, which we actually saw for the first time on this island.
On a Hummer, no less.
It also seems to be the law here that all women are required to a) be gorgeous b) flaunt their cleavage c) wear jeans riding well south of their navels, or d) miniskirts the size of napkins.
But what brought us here was the Serie del Caribe and the legacy of the great Roberto Clemente.
The Serie
The sames were played in Estadio Roberto Clemente in Carolina, once a nearby town, now swallowed up by San Juan’ urban sprawl.
This Serie featured two MIAs. One was Posse co–founder Walt Baranger, on the 15–day DL with a bad back. The other was Venezuela, which backed out due to political turmoil at home.
Their spot was filled by Caguas, the second–place finisher in Puerto Rico, a bizarre but apparently not uncommon occurence when circumstances prevent one nation’s squad from playing. The Mexican team, Los Mochis, backed into the Serie after finishing last in the regular season.
Mexico would’ve been better off staying home this year. Los Mochis lost all six games and generally stunk up the stadium. Their fans put on a better show than they did.
Series stars included Dominican David Ortiz and Puerto Rican Jose Valentin. It also saw Odalys Perez unravel after striking out his first five batters in one game, and awful baserunning by Valentin.
After six rounds, the Dominican club, Aguilas de Cibao, was deadlocked with five wins and one loss with Valentin’s Indios de Mayaguez. Mayaguez could’ve won outright, but fell to Aguilas 6–0 in the last game. Before that, Mayaguez had clocked Aguilas 10–0.
After that first meeting, Perez, the losing pitcher, shot off his mouth, saying that the Aguilas were totally superior to Mayaguez. Obnoxious, but hard to argue when your lineup includes a Tony Batista, a Rafael Furcal, a Miguel Tejada (2002 American League MVP), and a David Ortiz.
Such comments had to sting here, since the rivalry between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is intense, especially among the fans. On the field, though, it’s really no contest.
In the end, they backed up Perez’s boasts. The Aguilas won the playoff game 7–3, making the Dominican Republic the champs. Ortiz was the series MVP.
The Serie itself was played in Carolina, a nearby town since swallowed up by San Juan’s urban sprawl.