Che Guevara and the Yankees

 

In my local paper today, buried on the back pages, is an article about the death of Che Guevara.  It appears to mark the 50 year anniversary of his death. 

 

 

 


On October 9, 1967, it states that Guevara was "summarily executed by Sgt. Jaime Teran. in La Higuera, Bolivia."  Guevara's last words were, "Shoot, you are only going to kill a man!"

This post is not to  praise or to vilify Che.

It's about my brief time in Cuba in 2009 when I traveled there on an educational trip and confirmed what I already knew about the New York Yankees.

I had packed 15 to 20 authentic and snapback baseball caps of the Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees to give away to the Cuban children that I would be meeting.

I was also hoping to trade for an authentic Cuban Baseball cap of one of their many teams.  Notice I did not say professional teams, because I learned that Fidel Castro banned all professional sports after the revolution of 1953-59.

My hypothesis was confirmed, as when I offered any age islander their choice of any of my caps, the first pick was always the Yankees.  Through an interpreter, three or four people referred to the "NY" logo as the "New York City Yankees."

 It did not even matter if the cap fit them or not, they wanted the "New York City Yankees."

The Boston Red Sox were the second favorite and the Phillies third.

I have a feeling my "experiment" would yield the same results in just about any country outside of the U.S.

Like it or not, this logo is iconic and known worldwide.

 

As for my quest for an authentic Cuban baseball cap, I did have one...briefly.

It was a red cap with a logo similar to the picture on the right.  I was told it was a University of Havana sports cap.

Upon my return to the U.S., I had to go through immigration in Philadelphia.  I did not lie and indicated that I had traveled to Cuba.

Most of my souvenirs such as books, papers, and yes...the cap were confiscated.