Our Opinion: Police with ‘beat projects’ might make life better in Valley neighborhoods

web1_TTL122215brass2.jpg

Brass Reflections will bring holiday and classical pieces to Sunday at the Circle concert Dec. 27 at Wyoming Valley Art League in Wilkes-Barre

<p>He played basketball through a severely sprained ankle at Hazleton Area, pitched against premier hitters in District 2 and got off to a splendid start with his college baseball career.</p><p>But taking a trip to Cuba with Penn State&#8217;s baseball team?</p><p>That gave Sal Biasi cause to pause.</p><p>&#8220;I really didn&#8217;t know what to expect,&#8221; Biasi said, &#8220;with the (past) US and Cuba relations.&#8221;</p><p>His trepidation turned into the thrill of a lifetime.</p><p>During Penn State&#8217;s unprecedented four-game series against teams from the Cuban National League last month, Biasi and his Nittany Lions teammates toured Old Havana, visited the Jose Marti Memorial and met with less fortunate people trying to make ends meet at the poverty level.</p><p>&#8220;It was pretty humbling for him,&#8221; said Marty Biasi, Sal&#8217;s father. &#8220;He said it&#8217;s pretty poor compared to how we live here. I think stuff like that probably makes you realize it, moreso than hearing about it, to actually see it and be part of it.&#8221;</p><p>All of that left a lasting impression on Biasi.</p><p>But nothing impressed the former Hazleton Area ace more than Cuba&#8217;s love for the game of baseball.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost like nothing else matters,&#8221; said Biasi, a sophomore starting pitcher for Penn State. &#8220;They had so many people at their games. And they&#8217;re all cheering when somebody does something good for either team. Say, if one of our guys hit a double, their fans will be cheering. Of course, they root for their favorite teams.</p><p>&#8220;But they cheer for the game of baseball.&#8221;</p><p>It turns out, the sport broke the language barrier.</p><p>Biasi said all it took to learn a new way to throw a certain pitch was a Cuban player demonstrating his grip on a baseball.</p><p>&#8220;So we were able to interact and communicate,&#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;At times, it could be difficult. Some of our guys knew a little bit of Spanish. But we were able to communicate.&#8221;</p><p>At least on the field.</p><p>Biasi said throughout Penn State&#8217;s week-long venture to Cuba, which lasted through Thanksgiving, players were not able to phone home - or even send an email.</p><p>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t have any cell phone service or Wi-Fi,&#8221; Biasi said.</p><p>That made his mom, Tina, a little anxious at times.</p><p>&#8220;It was odd because you weren&#8217;t able to communicate with them,&#8221; Tina said. &#8220;Twenty minutes after they left for Miami, that was the last time we communicated with them until they came back to Miami.&#8221;</p><p>Her stress was relieved, Tina said, when the wife of Penn State head coach Rob Cooper sent the parents of Penn State&#8217;s players a text message each day, assuring them everything was going well on the trip.</p><p>And Sal Biasi was bursting with stories when he returned.</p><p>&#8220;When he got off the plane, he was ranting all about these different things,&#8221; Tina said. &#8220;He said the way the people live over there, it was a real eye-opener.&#8221;</p><p>The Nittany Lions team left behind spikes, clothing and equipment as a goodwill gesture to underprivileged Cuban kids.</p><p>&#8220;I think it was a great experience,&#8221; Sal said, &#8220;going down to another culture, just seeing how the people live and realizing how fortunate we are to live in America.&#8221;</p><p>During educational lectures on the trip, the Lions also learned about Jose Marti, a gifted writer and poet twice exiled from his native Cuba, who died on the battlefield in 1895 fighting for Cuba&#8217;s independence from Spain and who is sometimes referred to as &#8220;The Apostle of the Cuban Revolution.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It was interesting to see, pretty much, how important Jose Marti was to Cuba,&#8221; Sal said.</p><p>It was also important, he said, to perform well on the field.</p><p>In his only appearance &#8212; a start limited to three innings by a team-imposed pitch count &#8212; Biasi allowed a first-inning run but retired the final seven consecutive batters he faced in Penn State&#8217;s 2-0 loss to Ciego de Avila, the defending Cuban league champion.</p><p>&#8220;I was excited to go out there and compete and see what I&#8217;ve got,&#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;The team I was pitching against was the number one team in Cuba. I thought it went really well.&#8221;</p><p>So well, Biasi said, he&#8217;d recommend the venture to other college teams.</p><p>&#8220;I really thought it was a great experience to go down there,&#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a really good learning experience.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Penn_State_Cuba_Nov_25_009.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penn State catcher Ryan Sloniger (No. 11) talks with pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6) about their team&#8217;s game against Ciego De Avila at Latin American Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Biasi gave up just one run through his three innings and retired the final seven batters he faced against Ciego De Avila, the defending Cuban league champion, during Penn State&#8217;s 2-0 loss. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Penn_State_Cuba_Nov_25_009.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State catcher Ryan Sloniger (No. 11) talks with pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6) about their team&#8217;s game against Ciego De Avila at Latin American Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Biasi gave up just one run through his three innings and retired the final seven batters he faced against Ciego De Avila, the defending Cuban league champion, during Penn State&#8217;s 2-0 loss. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_biasi-cuba-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Hazleton Area star and current Penn State pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6, wearing sunglasses at far right) joins his Nittany Lions teammates congratulating Christian Helsel (No. 8) after Helsel&#8217;s home run at Nelson Fernandez Stadium in San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba. Penn State beat Mayabeque, 9-3, for the first victory by a United States team against a Cuban National League team on Cuban soil. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_biasi-cuba-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Former Hazleton Area star and current Penn State pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6, wearing sunglasses at far right) joins his Nittany Lions teammates congratulating Christian Helsel (No. 8) after Helsel&#8217;s home run at Nelson Fernandez Stadium in San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba. Penn State beat Mayabeque, 9-3, for the first victory by a United States team against a Cuban National League team on Cuban soil. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_biasi.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Hazleton Area standout pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6) found the week he spent with Penn State&#8217;s baseball team playing a series of games in Cuba a worthwhile experience &#8212; for more reasons than one. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_biasi.jpeg</photo2><caption2>Former Hazleton Area standout pitcher Sal Biasi (No. 6) found the week he spent with Penn State&#8217;s baseball team playing a series of games in Cuba a worthwhile experience &#8212; for more reasons than one. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photos </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Hazleton Area grad Sal Biasi enlightened during baseball tour in Cuba</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>psokoloski@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former Hazleton Area standout Sal Biasi has lasting memories of Penn State’s baseball tour in Cuba