Two teenage boys on a public square playing Cuba’s National Sport Baseball.  They share only one bat and one ball among the soon-to-be-opened artist booths in Camaguay.  They took turns tossing the ball in the air and hitting it to their friend.  The designated fielder would would retrieve the ball and throw it back. After a half-dozen hits the boys would trade places hitting and fielding. The ball looked like it had once been possessed by The Beast from the 1993 movie The Sandlot.

Cuba’s National Sport Baseball is extremely popular in this Island Nation. My understanding is that baseball was introduced to Cuba in 1866 and has been played professionally since the late 1870’s.  On more than one occasion  I observed boys playing on town squares or dirt fields   I sat on the steps of a local business for 20 minutes observing; taking in the action and making this image.

The wooden bat was one you might see in the 50-cent bin of a second hand store,  But the kids – and the Cuban people in general — make use of what they have. When you visit Cuba on a tour it’s (unofficially) customary to be the bearer of gifts. I truly wish I had brought a baseball to replace the worn one they were using.

Cuba Baseball has produced a number of great players over the decades. Yet unfortunately, due to the long time US economic embargo, only a relative few have made their way to our shores. This being said, given the opportunity, maybe this young man could one day end up sharing the limelight with Hall of Famer Tony Perez, All-Star Tony Oliva, or current stars, Jose Abreu (who defected in 2013).

As with all my photos during the past few years, I relied on my FujiFilm X-T10. A great camera for Street Photography.