The Industriales baseball player Carlos Tabares returns to Miami now as a "journalist"

September 30, 2019

The emblematic captain of the Industriales team for several years, Carlos Tabarés, has traveled to Miami for two weeks as an interviewer.

The former baseball player is part of a project by journalist from the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), Yasel Porto, aimed at interviewing figures from Cuban baseball living mostly in Tampa and Miami, according to what was said on social networks.

These Cuban ballplayers have arrived in the United States through various routes and for different reasons over the last few decades after being part of national teams on the island.

The interviews have begun to be broadcast on Facebook Live. It has not been specified whether, in addition to the digital spectrum, they are planned to be shown on the sports programs of the Tele Rebelde channel.

In the first one, the former catcher from Villa Clara and national teams Angel López and Tabarés spoke about various topics such as the sanctions from the recent brawl at Latinoamericano stadium between Industriales and Holguín, and the much-discussed "Cuba Unificado".

López, who had already been interviewed by Porto in early September at a time when the former orange-masked catcher was processing his second visit to Cuba, had left the island by sea 18 years ago after suffering a definitive separation from baseball.

The sanction, which López described as "unjust" for a "false" accusation in an interview with El Nuevo Herald, was caused by an alleged contact with star pitcher Rolando Arrojo, who defected shortly before the Atlanta Olympic Games.

During his two-week tour, Tabarés would be this Saturday at a game with Estrellas Orientales of Cuban baseball in Tampa.

Tabarés has traveled on several occasions to South Florida after the "thaw" in relations with Cuba decreed by Barack Obama.

On March 22, 2016, Tabarés was able to approach the stands behind home plate at the "Latino" where the delegations headed by Obama and Raúl Castro were located and obtained a ball autographed by New York Yankees Derek Jeter.

At the end of 2016, for New Year's, along with Rudy Reyes, he visited the Gurriel family in Miami. Yulieski and Lourdes Jr. had been part of the Havana team (like Yunieski) before defecting at the 2015 Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo.

Tabarés, Olympic gold medalist in Athens 2004 and at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, and six-time champion with Industriales, was in Miami a year ago after his official retirement in January 2018 and after announcing that he would not continue as Industriales coach.

His name was one of two considered as manager of the blue team after Victor Mesa's resignation—at that time focused on the process of his two sons' departure to Miami—a position that was ultimately given to Rey Vicente Anglada.