Puerto Rico to Anti-Cuba Protesters: "Fuera, Fuera"

Baseball fans of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic confront spectators wearing T-shirts with letters that form the phrase 'Down with Fidel.'

I couldn't understand what I was hearing in the late innings of yesterday's Cuba-Dominica game, when the cameras once again turned to anti-Cuban protesters who cleverly did away with their signs and wore "ABAJO FIDEL" on their shirts instead. The ESPN announcers willfully lied (for the 20th time) when they immediately asserted that the crowd was on the side of the protesters and wanted them to stay.

Actually, the chant audible on TV was "fuera, fuera," which means "get out, get out." It was clear to observers (even the Miami Herald admitted it) that the crowd was yelling at the protesters to be removed. Instead they were allowed to stay as long as they covered their political shirt sign. This spontanous expression of support for the Cubans (interpreted by the NYTimes as simply pro-baseball) suprised those who assume the US ignorance and hatred of Cuba extends outside the US borders. Bob Dupay, MLB President, also blogs that he was suprised by the large contingent of pro-Cuba fans in attendance at the Puerto Rican games.