Aguilas Cibae?as win Baseball Championship Game

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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The Aguilas Cibae?as, the team from Santiago won this year's version of the Dominican Winter League. They beat a very fine team from Licey 7-1 tonight to win the final series four games to three.

Juli?n Tavarez pitched 6 2/3 of great baseball and home runs by Matt Cepicky and Luis Polonia helped the cause.

The Aguilas-Licey rivalry is very reminicient of the old Giants-Dodgers back in the 40s and 50s, before the move to the Left Coast. Like Boston Yankees of today.

This means, of course that we won't get much sleep tonight and tomorrow everyone will be hung over, but oh so happy.

HB :D:D
 

easygoin

Bronze
Jan 2, 2005
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How sweet it is

Hb glad to see your team won. Going 6 2/3 that's pretty strong. we don't get any Dominican baseball down here but I know Polonia he played with the Yankees and I'm a diehard Yankee fan. Preseason starting here soon Yanks play right here in Tampa so be going to a bunch of them. Congratulations on your win. ;)
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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I was there.

Aguilas (eagles) are the NY yankees of dominican republic and they represent the proud city of santiago. Yes, the santiagueros were overwhelmed by the long awaited victory of aguilas (after 2 straight disappointed losses). The series was tied even 3-3 going into last game (7th). The Licey (santo domingo team) was in full swing to beat aguilas to get the title and their fans were shoving their flags on our faces (right in our own home town). these santo domingo liceistas had forgotted, for a short time, that they were going against aguilas in their own home turf. No way santiagueros were going to let the Licey (tigres) snatch away the titles from santiago bad boys. The game was set to start at 5pm. Everyone had loaded their fridges with beer and rum/whiskey while the rest of us were stocked in open air Bar called "ahi bar". The whole place was so packed, I thought the whole deck would collaspe if people didn't stop jumping at every swing the players made. People were standing and sitting everywhere, chairs, plastic beer cases and boxes. People were out in the streets and sitting on pavements all around monumento, polorized to the TV tube. Finally when the aguilas gave the licey 7-1 defeat, the whole town exploded with joy and celebration. Beer and water was tossed at people in bars. everyone got wet, fire crackers lit up the sky in monumento and loud cheers almost deafened everyone to shots fired in air by fans who didn't have fire crackers. Yes folks, people took out their hand guns and simply fired in air; where the bullets fell? no one seemed to care at the moment.
Then came the real celebrating event when people returned from the stadium and out of their home. They made noise and celebrated in streets as if they had won the world war 3. People tied up things behind their cars and pulled them around to make roaring scratchy noise to wake up the sleeping senior citizens. I had seen from metal cans to large pieces of metal to washing machines / diswashers to even a 1/2 front end of a car chassis being tied up behind cars and pulled all over santiago. People were all over santiago celebrating until late hours of sunday night. No one slept. we got stuck in monumento traffic (grid lock) and were forced to leave the car on the side and walk on foot. It was totally wild and insane. If you ever wanted to really enjoy a serious street party, you had to be in santiago last night. I was getting over my flu and thank to all the late night celebration, I got even more sick. I just couldn't get home. My car was stuck in traffic jam and there was no way to get out.
Santiago really exploded in joy and celebration last night, better than any carnival in this country.
Luis polonia will get a beer free from me in ahibar.
AZB
 

BigCity27

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Mar 4, 2004
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I think ESPN Deportes televised the games, but I can't see why ESPN wouldn't have put it on one of their other channels in the US (i.e. ESPN or ESPN2).

just saw the highlights on Sportscenter. Some game, wish I could have watched it live. I've emailed my cable provider asking them to carry ESPN Deportes & ESPN asking them to cover the finals next year on ESPN or ESPN2.
 
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Bok

New member
Mar 13, 2004
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So was I

In the stadium that is. Damn, I still cannot hear a damn thing.

I left Santo Domingo with Sr. Chirimoya (Aguilas fan) + 2 of his friends (1 semi Aguilas fan and 1 Licey fan) and we bought tickets from a scout outside the stadium 1,5 hours before the game started. 400 pesos for a 200 pesos ticket and a seat along the left field foul line.

Maybe you saw me on tv. I was the only neutral spectator there for the good baseball and experience only, wearing a white Flamengo soccer shirt and waving a Gibraltar flag. Good seats right next to the rum dealer. Oh man, in my section alone there must have been consumed more rum than ganja at a Pink Floyd concert. It was a mixed section with both Aguilas and Tigres fans, so at least someone was always happy when the runs started pouring in in the 3rd. Tigres for a brief lead until the 4th when Aguilas took over and never looked back. Friendly mocking and chanting in that section, unlike what happened behind the left outfield where a real battle unfolded midway through the game. British hooligan behaviour and real combat with fists and flagpoles. Fortunately it was over in a hurry, it was a real nasty scene. The police dragged a few Licey fans out of there in the next intermission.

Apart from that incident there was a great atmosphere. The stadium erupted with drums, bells, whistles, sirens, clapping and screaming at every Aguilas hit (not only the two HR's) and especially when Aguilas pitcher Tavarez picked of a Tigre at 3rd base with the old Cuban play. A play that Hillbilly told me only worked back in the 50's. Maybe that's why it was so appreciated. Otherwise I'll leave the game resume to the pros in the newspapers.

All kinds of snacks and refresments were sold right at your seat. A weird old dude offered apples and grapes but when we asked for the price he looked at us like we were unfit to buy his fruit and walked on. I didn't see him sell a single piece of fruit. Maybe nobody were good enough for his fruit.

What goes in must come out and I went to the little boys room in an intermission. I got there fast and good for me, because before I had finished my business the room was jammed with needy fans and queues started building up behind each bowl. And people in there really really really had to go, the guy behind me already had his 'thing' out before I left my bowl!
Second time I had to go, I went during play and I almost had the place to myself. On the downside I had to skate across the wet floor to get to the bowl and it wasn't water I was skating on!!!

After Aguilas sealed victory in the bottom of the 8th, we skedaddled. We had to get on our way to SD before the last out, we knew traffic would be impossible (more than usual) if we waited. We watched the fireworks through the back window and it was nice...............

On the way home victory was celebrated with beer and dinner at Tipico Bonao. My friends had bought a cd and now it ran on 'repeat 1' : "Son pajaros malos, son pajaros malos, son pajaros malos 'something something' con tu dinero". I didn't like it the first time I heard it and I didn't like the last time either. But it part of the experience and I'd do it again. What a great day!

Cheers,
Bok
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Great report. You forgot the bit where you drove up and down Lincoln... oops! Forgot I wasn't supposed to mention that bit. ;)

Thanks for keeping the Gib flag flying. Kind of surreal, in a satisfying sort of way.

Pajaro malo indeed!
 

Farmer

Antiguo
Dec 2, 2003
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Way to go Aguilas and DR1 !

Thanks for the reporting on the Series. I got more news just from the DR1 site than the local paper. Being from Kansas City though, I perked up when I read last Thursday that Jose Lima had pitched a great game for the Aguilas and had really pumped up the crowd. Lima returns to the Royals this year and we can't wait for his energy. I emailed a local sportswriter for the Kansas City Star the story you reported. In Sunday's edition he followed up on your story like this, "According to a leading media website in the Dominican Republic"...and he went ahead to describe "mambo madness". Ataboys to the Aguilas for their win and thanks DR1 for the coverage.