Urbano González represents nowadays a living legend of the Cuban sports, and as he says himself, he began to practice baseball when his father initiated him into this sport, then when he was already nine or ten years of age, Urbano used to play with seniors players, thus showing his good natural conditions for this sport.

As a left-handed hitter, Urbano was not only interested in strengthening his muscles but also in improving a powerful sense at batting that was only defeated 67 times in 13 seasons, thus representing a legacy of an impressive sporting career in the Cuban national baseball championships.

What did make possible that great sense at batting of Urbano González?

I think because of there were two houses where I used to live. Besides, they were divided by a very narrow hall. Therefore, the ball had to pass through them given that if I batted a fly, then it could broke a tile from their roofs and then my dad could punish me during a week without playing baseball.

How were you able to spend 190 times at batting without being stricken out?

That is really difficult, I could hardly believe it. I think that even though I had a good sight, good luck also helped me a bit given that it was not easy to spend all that period at batting without receiving the third strike. Besides, the daily game is really exhausting.

You played in third and second Bases. Which one did you like to play the most?

I really liked the third base; however, I was concerned of my elbow due to it was harmed when I was throwing a ball from that position. Therefore, I went to the second base even though I was a bit heavy to play in that position, but Hugo Valle taught me to play properly there and I had to change my double play usual procedure given the immense majority of players are used to dragging their right foot over the base and I had to jump with my left one in order to surpass it and throw the ball towards the first base to achieve the out.

Which are the good moments you remember the most from our National Championships?

There are always good and bad moments in any sporting career, however, there was one of them that really deeply marked me and it happened during a collision I had against Lázaro Pérez in home plate in which I lost the tissues from my left knee and ended with my foot encased in plaster. Then once I return from hospital and was taken to home plate again, the public in the stands began to applaud and shouting beautiful things about me. Well, I just can say that I left that that place crying with emotion from Havana city to my home.

Which is the difference between your first National Baseball Series and the current 51th one?

A lot! I feel deeply sorry when I say that the Cuban baseball is having a poor performance at present time. This new generation of baseball players could not be compared to my generation given we had fewer resources, however, we really used to do our best in the game. They travel now in excellent buses and stay in hotels, but have not honored all those benefits as they are playing without enough passion and love let alone defending properly the t-shirt representing their team that they wear. It is as if they were thinking that if they won a game it would be ok, but if they lost another game it would be equally ok. That is a current wrong tendency within our national sport to the extent that it has affected its last results.

In your opinion, where is the real potential of the Cuban Baseball?

In our country, you may find many very good baseball players and great sluggers everyday; However, I do consider the pitching department as our main weakness in baseball, although it has had good results during the last world championships.

Moreover, I do think that there have been a mistake within the last national baseball squads which has been the fact of having setting up a line up made up of sluggers from the first player until the last ninth one, and that is no the proper way to gain a match. We have lost the aggressive game.

Is it efficient a National Championship with 17 Squads?

That is a complete failure given that taking into consideration the aforementioned quantity there are right now 5 or 6 teams that are not winning as they are not experiencing any development in this sports discipline and that situation just makes us to think the allegedly idea that we have good players, and that is not the true because of a hitter faces a pitcher just once a month, however, that problem may be endless given that it not possible to eliminate the baseball team of a province.

Then, would you prefer the former Selective Baseball Series?

Of course, none of territories would be affected given that all the provincial teams would participate in a 60-game series and later the best eight teams would classify into a 40-game selective competition, thus having more baseball quality in that stage. I can tell you the fact that the good baseball player may lose its potential just playing with inferior ones. Therefore, if we used the aforementioned system, we would certainly have good baseball like that one played during the first Cuban baseball championships.

What does Urbano González say to the new generation of baseball players?

Every time I have the chance to gather with one of those groups, I always try to help them the best I can, but these young baseball players are not easy to understand given that there is a current materialistic way of thinking among them all that makes many of them to commit many mistakes. I just tell them to train every single day taking into account that is the main requirement and only way to achieve a sporting feat. By: Yonedi Masó Aguila

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Date of birth: May 25th, 1939
Municipality: Catalina de Güines.
Height: 5, 8 feets.
Weight: 175 kilograms
Left-handed hitter
Left-handed player