NIKE killed shit last year when they released several different styles of kicks to honor the Negro Leagues of baseball. This year they turn back the hands of time and show love to the Cuban League teams and represent for their historic contributions to baseball. Word to LUIS TIANT Sr. and this other dude from that island who used to play baseball. I forget his name…
Baseball is truly a global sport and Cuba has a long and rich history with their love for the game. There are so many legends that inspired past generation to love the game. The Negro Leagues and the Cuban Leagues were both on the fringes of mainstream recognition, but anyone that followed the game knew all about the ridiculously talented players that existed in both leagues. NIKE’s first tribute to the Latin legacy of baseball is a pair of Dunks for the Cuban Almendares club team. Almendares was a little town outside of Havana and they were the chief rivals of the Havana club team. There is a legendary story about an Almendares pitching ace named JUAN MANUEL PASTORIZA who pitched both complete games in a back to back doubleheader. The first game he used his right hand to pitch, and in the afternoon tilt it was with his left.
The second pair of kicks that NIKE is releasing for this program represents the Azules de Veracruz which was a team based in Mexico City that played during the winters in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. It was in the Mexican Leagues where the stars of the Negro Leagues would mix and play with some of the stars of major league baseball. Players like SATCHEL PAIGE and JOSH GIBSON were international baseball legends and they were respected for their talent and sportsmanship. When America finally decided to legalize intergration of their greatest pastime it was unfortunately passed the time for a superstar like GIBSON.
The NIKE Air Max ’90 is one the their most comfortable shoes and the colorways really pay homage to the tropical aesthetic. NIKE along with the Negro League Hall Of Fame keeps hitting grand slams. Word to BUCK O’NEIL.
