The hot seat occupied by the director of the Cuban baseball team is empty today, since the president of the Cuban baseball federation, Juan Reinaldo Pérez, announced that Armando Johnson was stepping down.

Mandy, a helmsman who led the island’s Pirates to a historic bronze medal in 1999 in the Cuban championship and won gold in the 2003 super league at the helm of Habaneros and in the First Cuban Sports Olympiad with Occidentales, ended his tenure after just over two years.

In international arenas, he also had good performances, winning the world title in 2005 with the 15-16 category, bronze in 2010 with the youth team and the silver medal, and a World Cup ticket in a Pan American under-23 tournament, until he took over the reins of the big team.

Under the gaze of an expectant fan base that had grown accustomed for decades to seeing the four-letter team at the top of foreign events, the Pinero’s tenure – despite some moments of glory – was not as expected in the midst of a very complex context for our national sport.

The first place achieved at the Caribbean Cup 2023 and the meritorious fourth place at the last World Classic went up in smoke, after the disappointing sixth place at the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile 2023 and more recently the penultimate place at the Premier 12, which ended up dynamiting Johnson’s throne.

While fans of this beautiful sport, Cultural Heritage of the Cuban nation, know that the blame for the debacle is not at all the responsibility of this director and depends on many factors, some beyond the sporting sphere, the truth is that the national team was already crying out for another mentor.

Although the fans of this beautiful sport, Cultural Heritage of the Cuban nation, know that the blame for the debacle is not at all the responsibility of this director and depends on many factors, some beyond the sporting sphere, what is certain is that the national team was already crying out for another mentor.

Although it will not be a helmsman who can steer the ship onto a victorious course, as baseball needs, in addition to a great economic boost, too many changes in strategy and mentality, a director can get the best out of his team and put up a fight in the international arena.

Who will be the candidates that the Cuban Federation has in mind, and will there be any available with the necessary tools to recover at least part of the lost space?

For now we cannot answer these questions, but it is necessary that the chosen one has knowledge of the game, mastery of the rules and strategies of baseball, experience in statistical analysis and sabermetrics, and the ability to manage line-ups, pitching rotations and tactical situations.

It is very important that he has the ability to call on those who reside outside the borders or work in professional leagues, that he has leadership skills, is a motivator, manages players with different personalities, can make difficult decisions under pressure and has good communication skills with his disciples, coaching staff, managers and journalists.

Whoever is willing to sit in the hot seat must read the game in real time to make adjustments, know when to make changes, strategise aggressively, maintain harmony and discipline as a whole, resolve conflicts between players, and create a culture of teamwork and commitment.

Whoever is willing to sit in the boiling chair must read the game in real time to make adjustments, know when to make changes, make aggressive strategies, maintain harmony and discipline as a whole, resolve conflicts between players and create a culture of teamwork and commitment.

On top of this, the next manager must adjust to new trends and technologies in baseball, make use of data analytics to improve the performance of his or her squad, and be innovative.

If all this seems too much, I can attest that throughout the history of the sport in Cuba we have had the privilege of having several managers who possess these characteristics.

The challenge now is to identify the one who meets most of these points and give him the real power. There is little to lose and much to gain. See you at the stadium.