hi guys:

i just got an email from pat kinnard, manager of berry's of san diego's over-58 team, asking me to put
the following invitation for a baseball trip to cuba on our league's bulletin board.

mike micheli, president of the san diego msbl, is organizing the league's fourth trip to cuba.

the trip is approved by the u.s.treasury department. it includes 4 games in 8 days - from april 13th
-20th - and it also has several tours, a cruise, dinners at various restaurants, and meetings with cuban
baseball players and officials. translators will be provided. the itinerary is below.

the team has openings for anyone who'd care to join the squad. players need only be a member of
msbl - age is not an issue - and send a $750 deposit to mike asap. final payment needs to be in by
march 16th.

i don't know the exact cost for albany players, but i'd estimate that with the round trip to miami,
guys should expect to pay about $3,300 each. i would expect that albany players will
meet the san diego players in miami. i imagine wives/ woman-friends will be welcome.

please double check all that with mike.

mike's email is mmicheli1234@aol.com or call him 858.774.3047

here's a website address guys can check to see photos of a previous trip.
it's http://picasaweb.google.com/esolves/Cuba.

i'm also adding a paragraph from mike's detailed description of two days
in last year's trip. (the music and horseback riding are draws for me.)

from my experience in phoenix this past fall, i can vouch that san diego guys know
how to organize trips. if i had time and the spare change, i'd go in a flash.

if anybody goes, write up your experiences here on the bulletin board. i'm
sure many of us would like to read it.

meanwhile, for the rest of us, it's 51 days till the season starts.

-mike hart



NOTE FROM MIKE MICHELI:

The level of baseball and the stadiums are top notch. All hotels are 4 star on the ocean. The team will have its own private Mercedes Benz tour bus to transport the team all over the island. American Airlines in and out of Havana.

All are accepted regardless of age or playing level. This is not necessarily about winning, but about the experience itself.
Great competition, huge stadiums and first class accommodations. What could be better?

This is the fourth team we have taken to this exotic country and it might be the last. If you can afford it, can take the week off, YOU WOULD BE CRAZY TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!

Mike Micheli

PROPOSED ITINERARY from April 13th to April 20th and COST:

Day 1 Friday 04/13/07
-ARRIVAL IN CIENFUEGOS
-PRIVATE TRANSFER W/ BI-LINGUAL GUIDE AND DRIVER TO HOTEL
-CHECK-IN HOTEL LA JUAGA-Cienfuegos
-DINNER AT HOTEL (Included)


DAY 2 Saturday 04/14/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (Included)
-GAME # 1 MORNING GAME
-CITY TOUR WITH LUNCH AT PALACIO DEL VALLE A LOCAL RESTAURANT (included)
-DINNER AT THE HOTEL (Included)

DAY 3 Sunday 04/15/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (Included)
-GAME # 2 MORNING GAME
-AFTERNOON VISIT TO LA VEGA NATURAL PARK W/ LUNCH (included)
-EVENING CRUISE OF CIENFGUEGOS BAY
-DINNER AT CLUB CIENFUEGOS (included)


DAY 4 Monday 04/16/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (Included)
-CHECK-OUT OF THE LA JAUGA HOTEL
-PRIVATE TRANSFER TO HAVANA
-LUNCH AT EL TORRE RESTAURANT (Included)
-CHECK-IN HOTEL OCCIDENTAL
-DINNER AT THE HOTEL (Included)


DAY 5 Tuesday 04/17/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (Included)
-GAME # 3 MORNING GAME
-CITY TOUR OF OLD HABANA
-LUNCH AT EL PATIO RESTAURANT (Included)


DAY 6 WED 04/18/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (Included)
-GAME # 4 MORNING GAME
-LUNCH AT CAFE TABERNA RESTAURANT (included)
-DINNER AT THE HOTEL (included)


DAY 7 Thursday 04/19/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL (included)
-VISIT TO THE BASEBALL ACADEMY AND SPORTS FACILITY
-LUNCH AT THE HOTEL (included)
-DINNER at the X11 APOSTLES RESTAURANT
-FAREWELL CANNON CEREMONY AT THE EL MORRO FORTRESS (included)


DAY 8 Friday 04/20/07
-BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL(included)
-CHECK-OUT OF THE HOTEL
-TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT FOR THE RETURN FLIGHT TO MIAMI


Price per Person Double Occupancy Program: $2350
Price per Person Single Occupancy Program: $2650

All Inclusive of:
-Round Trip Airfare MIAMI-CIENFUEGOS/HAVANA-MIAMI
-Cuban Visa
-Round Trip Private hotel-airport transfers
-Private transfer from Cienfuegos to Havana
- Transportation & bi-lingual guide per itinerary
- Cuban Health Insurance
- 2 bottles of water per player per game
- 4 Baseball games against Cuban counter parts
-Daily Breakfast & Dinners
- Lunch at Café Taberna restaurant
- Lunch at Patio restaurant
- Lunch at La Torre restaurant
- Lunch at the La Vega Natural Park restaurant
- Lunch at Palacio de Valle restaurant
- Dinner Club Cienfuegos
- Cruise of Cienfuegos bay
- Visit to the La Vega Natural Park
-Dinner at X11 Apostoles Restaurant
-Farewell Cannon Ceremony at the El Morro

Not included:

Applicable airport taxes, excess baggage weight restrictions, tips and gratuities for meals, baggage handling, guides, drivers, and hotel staff. There will be a $50 departure tax from Miami and a $25 departure tax from Habana.

Initial deposit of $750 due upon reservation. Full balance due by March 16th, 2007.

DESCRIPTION OF 2 DAYS FROM LAST YEAR'S TRIP:

Day 2: We played our first of 4 games in Cuba. We played against the Cienfuegos regional team in a stadium about 30 minutes outside of Cienfuegos. They promptly beat us 9-2. Our main highlight was Juan Zamora hitting a home run (the only one we saw in Cuba in 4 games by either team). We were in front of about 300-400 spectators who cheered both us and the Cuban team. It was loud because the Cuban announcer talked the WHOLE game as if he were doing a radio broadcast. If someone made a good play, the crowd cheered for the player who made the play, regardless of the team. The umpires must of known we were underdogs, because we were the recipient of many favorable calls. When the game was over, we were met by some kids wanting to shake hands, and of course, wanting baseballs (we now understand how major league ballplayers feel when people won't leave them alone). After the game, we met with the Cuban ballplayers at a nearby patio bar and talked baseball for a while. That evening, we went into downtown Cienfuegos and were treated to a private party at a beautiful cigar shop owned by a friend of our Cuban guide Jorge. A band calle "Arte Mixto" started playing for us, and we were surprised by their original music and singing. They have played all over the world (two of their old members defected to the US during their 1998 tour (see google)). Their music was a great sound with a mixture of traditional Cuban music, American Jazz, Classical, and Brazilian Samba. The band members are all graduates of the National School of the arts and are lead by Violinist Alexis Correa.

Day 3: We played our second game in a huge stadium called Estadio 5 de Septiembre in Cienfuegos (you can get a great satellite view and fly there in a cyber sort of way by going to Google Earth, then typing in Cienfuegos, Cuba and scrolling the image around to the town. If you move the cursor around you will see the stadium just outside of downtown. You can also zoom in and out, and then fly anywhere you want in the world by typing where you want to go in the spacebar (great site). When the game was over (the final score was something like 13-6), we were overwhelmed by baseball fans who stormed the dugout. We really have an idea what Rock Stars go through now!!! After the game, we drove in our bus about an hour through the mountains to La Vega National Park and had a great lunch there on a mountain farm. After lunch, we went horseback riding about 45 minutes down to a beautiful beach. After the bus ride back to the hotel and a shower, we took a boat cruise of Cienfuegos Bay. After the cruise, we had a Lobster Dinner at the gorgeous Nautical Club restaurant and bar. Most of us agreed that we had better food than expected during our trip.