It looks like I'm going to miss another Superbowl. This will be the third year in a row that I've missed the big game. It hurts even more since my Steelers are in and favored to win. With the anti-American sentiment in Venezuela, I am wondering whether or not they'll even bother to broadcast the game. I'll let you know.

One consolation is that the baseball finals are in full swing here in Venezuela. It seems funny to be watching this sport in January, but that is when they play. Right now, the championship is being decided in a best of seven series between the Caracas Lions and the Aragua Tigers. I'm really impressed by the quality of baseball they play here. It is the national sport and fans are just as serious as they are in the US. There isn't much going on in the game that we wouldn't recognize. The mascots are given free reign of the stadium. They use the designated hitter rule, which I think should be outlawed internationally. There are a few differences. For one thing, the teams use cheerleaders. I guess that isn't too crazy. For another, the players names are not on the jerseys. Instead, there is an advertising logo over their individual numbers. (The Lions are sponsored by Coca-Cola) They also have ads on the front of their jerseys which make them look a little bit like NASCAR drivers. Other than that, it was pretty easy to tell what was going on, in spite of my bad Spanish.

The winner of the national championship will continue on to play another team for the Caribbean championship. That means they might be playing somebody from Puerto Rico, Mexico, or the Dominican Republic. A number of professional players have come out of this league and moved to the states. Examples include Luis Hernandez from the Orioles, Juan Gutierrez from the Astros (who I think has a magnificient throwing arm) and Romulo Sanchez who is a relief pitcher for my Pirates.

Speaking of my Pirates, I told the Venezuelans the story about how we got our newest pitchers from India. They practically laughed themselves silly. *sigh*