Tia Lencha’s Dispatch: ¡Que Viva Los Doyers! Unlikely Heroes

This has been quite a week for Fernando Valenzuela and Mexican-American Dodgers and Dodger fans.

Tuesday, Valenzuela, one of my childhood heroes, had his number 34 jersey retired.

There was a whole weekend of festivities in his honor, including a video of his brothers and sister congratulating him all the way from Mexico.

His story always made me proud to be Mexican while I was growing up in the 1980s, when it wasn’t a particularly great time to be Mexican.

Mas…Tia Lencha’s Dispatch: ¡Que Viva Los Doyers! Unlikely Heroes

Cuban Reds say Raul Castro-Obama handshake betrayed Revolution


(PNS reporting from HAVANA) El Presidente Comrade Raul Castro’s handshake with imperialist war criminal Barack Obama at the Nelson Mandela memorial service in South Africa was a slap in the face of the workers of the world and a betrayal of Cuba’s Communist Revolution, an old school Communist Bay of Pigs veteran charged Tuesday.

“That handshake marks a Day That Will Live in Infamy,” Ernesto “Little Che” Altacaca, 76, told everyone hanging out at People’s Barbershop #245 on Calle de Los Cadres. “It is like the Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact (photo, below) combined with a very special episode of Chico and the Man.

“Did El Presidente demand the Yanqui perro return Guantanamo?” the long-time area resident asked. “No! Did he demand an end to the embargo that has penalized the people for half a century? Nyet! Did he insist Obama recognize the workers’ rights to self determination without capitalist exploitation and immediately send six dozen complete gasket sets for 1954 Chrysler New Yorkers? No way! And what about Pete Seeger remitting that record business royalty money for the song he stole from the poor people of Guantanamera?”

Mas…Cuban Reds say Raul Castro-Obama handshake betrayed Revolution