Tam High Baseball, Softball Teams Step Up to The Plate in Cuba

Scents of chocolate and flowers may have been in the air on February 14, but Tam High baseball and softball players had a different kind of love on their minds – the love of the game. 

And they too were literally in the air, having boarded a plane to Cuba to play ball with high school students in Havana. They return Friday after eight days of experiencing a different culture on and off the field.

The trip included 18 boy’s varsity baseball players, 10 girl’s softball players, four coaches, four teachers and two chaperones. In addition to playing six exhibition baseball and softball games, students shadowed Cuban high school students, visited local landmarks and museums, including the Museum of the Revolution and Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, and mingled with Cuban teens a dinner dance to exchange ideas about food, music, school, life, and sports.

“This is a fascinating time in Cuba’s history, and it will be interesting for us to experience it as it moves beyond the Castro era,” said Cindy McCauley, a trustee on the TUHSD board and one of the chaperones. “And I understand the Cuban students are pretty excited about meeting kids from America and seeing what they’re like too.” 

Tam High Global Studies Director and French teacher Brian Zailian, who organized the trip, believes the students will be the first to play ball with students in Havana.

“I’ve tried in vain to find another high school that’s gone and played baseball with a high school team there,” he said when the group was working fundraising back in November.

They raised more than $20,000 by selling wrapping paper and gifts, soliciting donations, and holding a Cuban Night at Sweetwater Music Hall. The Outdoor Art Club and Mill Valley Rotary also donated $1,500. 

And the group didn’t show up empty handed. Tam High baseball coach Mike Terry and softball coach Erin Lawley donated balls, gloves, hats and cleats to the Cuban high school teams.

“No matter where you play the game, once you step on the field baseball is the same,” Terry said. “Once it gets going it’s about pitching, playing solid defense and getting some timely hits. Like the United States, Cuba is one of the most baseball crazy countries in the world. As a group we are looking forward to playing in that environment and experiencing Cuba’s love for the game.”

Organizers also spent more than a year planning the trip, getting the teams, coaches and school administration on board, obtaining approvals from the various athletic associations, and submitting paperwork to the U.S. Treasury department.

This was the first time in more than a decade that Tam High students got to visit Havana. Zailian organized a trip with journalism students in 2000, and another on in 2001 focused on the arts, but soon after that the Bush administration issued travel restrictions to Cuba.  When President Obama eased the restrictions for academic purposes in 2011, Zailian reached out to an old friend and organized a visit around baseball. 

“The game of baseball is a huge part of life in Cuba, part of their identity and history,” Zailian said. “We thought we’d try something unique, something that transcends politics in both countries. It was also a great opportunity to take both boys baseball and girls softball to experience another culture.”

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