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By Keoni DeRenne Arizona Summer Wildcat July 1, 1998 A baseball diary...![[Picture]](15_1_i.gif)
Special to the Arizona Summer Wildcat From June 15-27 the USA national baseball team played in the World Championship Qualifier Tournament in Managua, Nicaragua. Among the USA players was Arizona sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne, who kept a diary of the sometimes odd events that surrounded the two week trip. Monday, June 15 We flew all night from Phoenix to Dallas to Miami to Managua. The airport had one runway and two terminals which were semi-air-conditioned. Our hotel, Las Mercedes, was across the street from the airport. It was a dorm-like hotel, with one floor, kind of like villas. There was a big pool, too. The rooms had no carpet and two miniature beds with broken springs. There was a small TV with six channels, two of which were occasionally in English. The phone did not work in the room, but luckily AC was provided. The bathroom water was non-drinkable, it had a metallic smell. And there were ants crawling out of holes all over the place. The rooms overall felt like camping rooms. Tuesday, June 16 I woke up at 8:30, ate a breakfast with some flies joining me. The orange juice was not typical, it tasted different. We left the hotel in an old, beat-up school bus. There was poverty all over the place. People were living in shacks and walking around looking very dirty and unsanitary. There were Coca-Cola signs everywhere, on houses, buildings, and all along the streets. The stadium was big but ugly. The grass was long and patchy. The infield dirt was dirt, not clay. The people there stared at us and looked at us like we were criminals. The children hung around us, hoping they could get money, balls, hats, wristbands, and so on. Anything we had, they wanted. We practiced for half an hour in very humid weather. We then went back to the hotel. I went swimming, ate dinner, and then watched the World Cup in Spanish until I fell asleep. Wednesday, June 17 I woke up at 9, ate breakfast, and then we left for the field to play Venezuela. We arrived at the stadium with kids begging for our stuff. Even the adults wanted our equipment. We beat Venezuela 3-2. We went back to the hotel, showered, ate lunch late. I took a nap, watched TV, and some guys played cards and scrabble. I ate dinner and then some guys went to the hotel casino for gambling. I just went and watched. Thursday, June 18 After breakfast we had a team meeting about the Dominican Republic. We left for the field at noon. We played at a different stadium called Masaya which was 45 minutes away. On the way we saw a lot of cows, chicken farms and goats. There was also a volcano nearby, but it was just giving off a lot of steam. We played a long game against the Dominican team. We won 4-3 in 11 innings. We drove back on streets that had no lights. We had to stop once because a couple of cows were crossing the street. I ate dinner and then went to the casino again till curfew.
 B. A. Foster/Arizona Summer Wildcat Arizona sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne stands for the National Anthem. DeRenne traveled to Nicaragua to play in the World Championship Qualifier Tournament for team USA. Friday, June 19 It was the same morning routine except we left for the field real early because this field we played at was two hours away in a town called Leon. We saw the countryside of Nicaragua. There were a few islands on the lake (Lago de Managua) we drove past. It was really beautiful. Some parts of the ride were bumpy. It was poor pavement. I took a nap on the bus. We got to the field, which was horrible and very hot. The bathroom smelled like shit. An old man was the groundskeeper and he had very terrible clothes. He lined the field by hand. He almost got killed by a batting practice line drive. We were very tired and lost to Canada 7-4. We drove back, it was a brutal ride. Sat., June 20 It was the same routine today. We played Panama and lost 5-3. I saw 12 people packed into a single pick-up truck. Some kids tried to steal our hats from the bus. I played basketball at the hotel with an American guy who was playing for the Nicaraguan League. Then we went to the casino again. One of my friends won $800. Sunday, June 21 It was the same morning routine. We played Argentina and won 4-3. Some of the guys bought cigars at the little gift shop in the hotel. We went swimming at night because the casino didn't open on Sundays. Monday, June 22 We beat Honduras 12-1. Only three of us ate steak and lobster in the hotel dining room. Some guys ordered room service because they couldn't stand the dining room food anymore. One player saw a foot-and-a-half long lizard run across the hall. Tues., June 23 We played Colombia, won 6-4. It was very humid and hot. We got back to the hotel early so we got to go swimming. Then we watched more World Cup soccer. Some guys got sick with diarrhea and vomiting. It rained hard that night. The power shut off in the hotel for about 20 minutes. Nothing worked that night. Wed., June 24 Our game was delayed because of the rain the previous night. We hung around the hotel for about three hours before we finally left. We played Nicaragua in front of a lot of fans. It was a very intense game. We played for 14 innings and won 8-6. We got back to the hotel and ate. I heard that a Canada coach had caught a snake that was trying to wiggle its way into the room. Then we went to the casino again. Thurs., June 25 We played Mexico in horrible weather. It was hot, sticky, very foggy (more like smoggy), and there were bugs all over the place. We made a little fire in the dugout to keep the bugs away. I sprayed myself with repellent. We won in extra innings 13-12. Friday, June 26 I woke up early for sightseeing. We went to a marketplace where they sold just about anything, like clothes, food, chairs, kind of like a flea market. It was horrible. It was stinky, dirty, and we saw chickens that were going to die. There was fresh meat covered in flies. Then we went to the volcano, which was awesome. It was a long ride back to the hotel, and I got sick with a stomach ache. I couldn't get out of bed. I was very miserable. Some of the guys saw rats running on top of the halls. Sat., June 27 I got up feeling a little better. I didn't eat breakfast, then swam in the pool one last time. We got on the plane at 1 p.m. and headed home.
- Wildcat reporter Chris Jackson contributed to this report.
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