May 26, 2024

The Cuban double play

By Silvio Canto, Jr.

On July 23, 1960, three Cubans playing for the Washington Senators made baseball history.

They were involved in the only Cuban-to-Cuban-to-Cuban triple play.

I’m sure that it is the only “all Latino” triple play, too. I couldn’t find any other example of three Latinos turning a triple play. The three players were pitcher Pedro Ramos, shortstop Jose Valdivielso and first baseman Julio Becquer. Whitey Herzog, future manager with the Kansas City Royals and St Louis Cardinals, hit the ball back to Ramos, who went to first and then second.

Last week, we saw the political version of the Cuban double play or when Cuban-American Senators turned the tables on media narratives.

First, it was Senator Rubio on "Meet the Press':

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss the inalienable right to life, the illegal mass migration crisis, and election-denier hypocrisy in legacy media. The video is a delight.

Then Senator Cruz came to bat and he was great:

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, clashed sharply with CNN host Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday over questions about voter fraud and whether he would pledge to accept the 2024 election results, accusing her of not holding prominent Democrats to the same standard.

"I think that’s actually a ridiculous question," Cruz said to Collins, who noted the Texas senator objected to certifying the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021. "You ever ask a Democrat that?"

No, they usually don't ask Democrats that question. If we question an election result then we are a threat to democracy. If they do it then it goes in one ear and out the other.