If you're an American who hasn't traveled to the Caribbean, there are some things you should know before you visit. One thing you'll undoubtedly learn within hours of arriving is that soccer is the region's favorite sport.
Enter a bar, turn on a hotel television, pass an electronics store or just speak with a local for more than a few minutes. You're guaranteed to wind up viewing or discussing soccer.
Although cricket runs a close second, soccer, which is known as "football" everywhere but in the U.S., is clearly number one in the Caribbean. Many times while in the region during a U.S. baseball or football playoff series, I roam doggedly in search of a Major League Baseball (MLB) or National Football League broadcast.
As it turns out I'm almost always out of luck. Yet I'd invariably find five or six channels broadcasting soccer matches! I later learned of a BBC program called "World Sport" whose overwhelming focus is on - surprise - soccer! I think that program should be re-named "Football Report."
So imagine my surprise at the developments of the past few years in Curaçao. Firmly entrenched in the southern Caribbean, the island is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and thus heavily influenced by Dutch culture. But while Curaçao's Caribbean roots run deep, this tiny Caribbean nation has emerged as a hotbed for some of the very best players in Major League Baseball.
Four Curaçao natives - New York Yankees' shortstop Didi Gregorius; Atlanta Braves' second baseman Ozzie Albies; Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Kenley Jansen and Milwaukee Brewers' second baseman Jonathan Schoop - are key players among the MLB teams in this year's playoffs.
The fact that so many Curaçao-born players have not only made MLB teams but developed into some of the sport's best players is nothing short of remarkable. About one-seventh the size of Rhode Island, Curaçao is now the highest-producing MLB country per capita.
In fact, in July Curaçao inked an "Official Destination" sponsorship agreement with MLB. The two-year agreement promotes Curaçao as "an ideal destination for emerging players and baseball fans," in the Caribbean said Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) officials.
"Baseball is an avenue for our residents and fans to connect with one another and enjoy one of the world's greatest pastimes," said Hugo Clarinda, CTB's deputy director.
If there's an international ambassador for Curaçao's extraordinary baseball culture, then Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants and a longtime MLB player and coach, ably fills the role.
The Curaçao native has been prominent in petitioning MLB to implement programs to develop his country's young players. These days Meulens and other Curaçao players are giving back to their homeland by providing baseball training, advice and guidance that was largely absent when "Bam Bam" became a Curaçao baseball pioneer.
"We didn't have [baseball] role models," Meulens told me last week. "Before I signed [an MLB contract] at age 18, there were one or two other Curacao kids that signed when I was 15," he said. "But from Curaçao, there was nobody before me that made it to the big leagues."
So how did he break into MLB? Lots of hard work certainly played a role. But Meulens' ascension to an MLB roster also featured a touch of magic as he received critical attention from the scout who signed one of baseball's greatest players.
"Scouts were coming sporadically to the island, not many," he said. "My godfather went to school in Massachusetts with Dick Groch, the New York Yankees scout who signed Derek Jeter. I remember meeting Dick when I was 15. He kept coming every year and giving me tips, things to work on. I improved to the point they wanted to sign me when I was 18."
In the years since Curaçao baseball players have risen to world-class status.
"We have guys who have started off really good with their young careers and some who have [already] had great careers like Andruw Jones and Kenly Jansen, who has been in the league about seven years now and is one of the best closers in the game," Meulens said.
"Andrelton Simmons has won three Gold Gloves," he added. "DiDi has taken over beautifully for Jeter in New York. Schoop was an all-star last year at 23 and Albies is an all-star this year at 21. So it must be in the water."
Today Meulens is a leading MLB coach who's interviewing for manager positions this offseason. Beyond the baseball diamond, he spends most winters in his homeland, which he says offers a distinct take on the Caribbean experience.
"Curaçao has the real Dutch influence, so that's different," Meulens said. "The Dutch architecture for sure is different. We have the biggest harbor in the Caribbean and the biggest folding bridge. The entrance to the harbor splits downtown in half, and I think that's kind of unique compared with other [Caribbean] islands."
Of course, Curaçao also features the sunny skies, blue waters and beautiful beaches that are Caribbean hallmarks. "I'm a boater so we go boating on the weekend, and dock at Santa Barbara beach," he said.
"There are some great beaches, some 40 of them on the southern side of the island. My kids are outdoor kids, so they hate staying indoors."
Meulens takes great pride in Curaçao's baseball culture, reflected in the annual Curaçao Baseball Week, which has become a virtual homecoming for the great MLB players who hail from the nation.
"There is something so special about seeing our Major League players coming home to the same fields they played on to teach our kids the fundamentals of the great sport of baseball," he said.
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