CUBA ROUNDUP

Published Sunday, March 28, 1999, in the Miami Herald

CUBA ROUNDUP

From Herald Staff and Wire Services

STAYING HOME

Orioles change lineup, so Guzman doesn't go

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The Orioles changed Juan Guzman's order in their pitching lineup and thus saved him the anxiety of having to decide if he would play today.

Guzman, a Miami resident of Cuban descent, had pitched every third game during spring training. On Saturday, the Orioles shifted him ahead of Scott Erickson into his normal No. 2 slot against the New York Mets. But getting him into his proper regular-season position wasn't the only reason for the move.

If the rotation had stayed the same, Guzman would have pitched today in Havana, so the Orioles switched the order partly to avoid discomfort for him.

``I would go if Baltimore wanted me to,'' Guzman said. ``They pay me to do a job. They asked if I had any problems going and I told them I didn't. They then told me, `We don't think you need to go.' ''

Erickson will take the mound today; Guzman said he will spend the day with his family, playing golf and watching the game on ESPN.

TV COVERAGE

WPLG-Channel 10 will sell no ads

WPLG-Channel 10 executives on why they will be carrying ESPN's telecast of today's game:

``It's a major news event,'' Channel 10 General Manager John Garwood said. ``We will sell no advertisements, and we will end up losing money . . . $50,000 or $60,000.''

Instead of commercials, Channel 10 will carry public-service announcements, Major League Baseball promotions and political commentary between innings.

WPLG political reporter Michael Putney will anchor coverage, beginning at 11:30 a.m. -- 30 minutes before the first pitch. Putney will also anchor 30 minutes of postgame coverage.

``We have invited exclusively Cuban Americans to join Michael in the studio,'' Garwood said. ``The guests have not been firmed up.''
-- BARRY JACKSON

TALK OF THE TOWN

At `Hot Corner,' it's baseball only

HAVANA -- Marcelo Sanchez is shouting so loudly his '70s-style White Sox cap almost falls off, as he shakes his finger at those who dare to dispute him. Welcome to the Esquina Caliente, the so-called ``Hot Corner'' where Cuban baseball fans love to quarrel.

``The arguments here are very strong,'' the 69-year-old Sanchez said Saturday, as more than 250 people crammed into a plaza in Parque Central in the city's Old Havana section. ``We have been doing this for many years.''

The day's topic: Which is more important, the exhibition game or the ongoing Cuban championship series between the Havana Industriales and Santiago?

``They both mean a lot,'' said Jose Bereuguer, 34. ``The championship is big to us, but tomorrow is history.''

The debates rage daily about strategy, the Cuban style and other subjects, such as whether Orlando ``El Duque'' Hernandez should be considered a traitor for defecting and whether the New York Yankees will ever visit.