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In Dominican winter ball, they play--and party--hard. Date published: 12/21/2006
By TODD JACOBSON
SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, Dominican Republic--It's the fourth inning of a game that will eventually turn into a blowout when budding Yankees star Robinson Cano turns on a pitch and blasts it over the right field fence at Estadio Tetelo Vargas. The second baseman struts a bit more than he would in Yankee Stadium as he begins his trot to first base, and in the stands, thousands of Estrellas Orientales fans leap to their feet. They wave green flags, blow into shrill noisemakers, bang inflatable Thunderstix and dance in the aisles. This is professional baseball Dominican-style: part game, part disco and part fiesta. "I don't think anything compares," said Cesar Geronimo, a hitting coach for the Tigres del Licey, the opponent for Estrellas Orientales on a balmy December night last weekend. "The fans are unbelievable here. They are a member of the team. It's something they carry in their blood." Much different than the Dominican Summer League, in which minor leaguers work to earn trips to the states at big league academies, the six-team Dominican Winter League is the main artery of this island's pulsing love for baseball. Big league stars like Vladimir Guerrero and Miguel Tejada return to their homeland to play for the teams they grew up rooting for (at least for the playoffs), and they're joined by a host of other big leaguers. Some are budding stars like Cano, who grew up in San Pedro de Macoris and has been returning to play for Estrellas for several years. A few Americans are sprinkled in, players like Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, who is looking for a few extra weeks of seasoning before the start of spring training, and winter league veteran Chad Moeller, who is back for his third campaign in the Dominican. For two months in the winter, there is nothing like it. 'A show' Several thousand fans showed up for Estrellas' game Saturday against Licey, a game the visitors won 11-5, and before the game, a bottle of vodka is passed down a row as a group of spirited fans freshen their drinks with some hard liquor. On top of Estrellas' dugout, a quintet of scantily clad dancers shake and shimmy suggestively, whipping the crowd into a frenzy between innings.
Date published: 12/21/2006
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