CAMAGÜEY.- A Cuban father almost always presents a bat and a ball to his offspring in the ideal of seeing him become a great player. If that man managed to reach the highest level in baseball in his youth, his desire becomes more fervent. If destiny makes it concrete, there is happiness, but also inevitable comparisons; other times, the son of a cat does not hunt mice ... as his father would have liked, but that's life. For these details on such a special day we want to search for happy coincidences.

The first and great "litter" of players may be that of the Vertiente's Cuesta. His father, Mario Pérez, became probably the most comprehensive of the province's amateur players before the start of the National Series, but he did not achieve the deserved fame by maintaining his status in the batey of the southern half of Camagüey, despite he was originally from Esmeralda.

If it was Pérez, how were his children Cuesta? An inscription trance, so common in the Neocolonial Republic, caused that condition corrected with Omar (third base champion with Ganaderos), Mario and Eduardo.

The late narrator Eddy Martin and other experts said that together these three did not do what the father was capable of, an axiom that, far from demeaning the offspring, was always taken as a joke with the flavor of the other deep pride for the father.

At times, he was Ángel Galiano, from the Intercentrales with the central Lugareño, from the Farmers and as coach and trainer with Camagüey. Later, his son, who was called "El Pinto" had a discreet foray into the National Series box.

And what about the Eugellés of Florida? Listen to me, congratulate those parents! Since the 30s, the baseball has been a familiar thing among men (from directors of the Camagüey's ninth, to stadium creators) the last "spike" is the fast Eglis.

Others did not necessarily coincide in the field of play, but in tasks related. For example, the great Sol Miguel Cuevas has a referee son (Juan José, the oldest active), and Gaspar Legón has René as pitching coach.

A little later came the generation of the '80s, the most prolific in "clones ”Towards the 21st century. Between parents and children there are two Ricardo Estévez (Pacheco and Pozo) and also at this time the issue of the identity card does its thing, since the Noel de Nuevitas, both pitchers, appear as Casal Mendoza and Casals Fernández; and if we met an exquisite home runner and defender named Leonel Moa Jals, now it turns out that his son, the gardener Leonel Moas Acevedo, has an “s” (the father says that there is more than enough, so it comes on paper).

Luis Ulacia Álvarez, grandson of a prestigious masseur on the ball (Pedro), had a descendant of the same name under his command (Ulacia Martínez), something similar to the cases of Orlando González and Orlandy. Two "Tigres de Guáimaro", Humberto Bravo and Loidel Chapellí, and a Céspedes' Misael, Thompson, spawned players with the same name. And last but not least we leave the still fresh in these pages Sammy Caldés, after the "18" behind, who, if they were to be included, would round off the record of the team with the most children of baseball players playing the same sport at the same level.

What do you think? Perhaps a father-son couple will slip away and some fan will remind us of involuntary oblivion, but with these curious lines we try to give a hug to those who make the third Sunday of June doubly special with our national sport.

• Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez