My wife and I are back from a five day vacation in Puerto Rico with our family. This was a bucket list item (along with the Virgin Islands but prices there in March during Spring Break were outrageous) going back to the time my parents went to Puerto Rico when I was in high school.
My father went there for the gambling and sun. He wasn’t big fan of the island. He was more a Vegas-Atlantic City kind of gambler; craps was his game of choice.
They stayed at the Caribe Hilton, the first “international” hotel in the chain founder Conrad Hilton built. I do recall that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory after the Spanish-American War, as Spain had very little use for the island. Puerto Rico is not a nation—even if island pride bespeaks differently.
Thus, all these years later, it was incumbent on me to stay in the same hotel my parents did. A hotel which has undergone tremendous renovation and expansion, some due to hurricanes and some simply based on the demand to stay in a luxurious and historic place.
The Caribe Hilton claims to have invented the Pina Colada;I had a sip of the real deal and imbibed a mock one. Delicioso.
I went away for vacation. Some rest and relaxation. Mission accomplished.
We toured El Younque National Forest on the eastern end of the island. It is a majestic rain forest with waterfalls, lush vegetation and spectacular vistas. And yes, it actually rained momentarily in the rain forest.
A couple of times we were near or in Old San Juan. The colorfulness of the buildings on narrow, cobblestone streets reeked of a history that was tropical and European. Plus the strategic military position of the island was evident from the forts standing and those in ruins along the northern shore.
The music was everywhere. In the hotel, on the streets, in cars or in restaurants. The Latin beat was omnipresent. Upbeat and metallic, with rapid fire lyrics and abundant spectacular sounds. And no, I didn’t encounter Bad Bunny.
The natives were warm and friendly. They didn’t resent the hordes of tourists who incessantly overpopulate the everyday activities of those who reside in Puerto Rico permanently. Tourism is the number one industry of Puerto Rico and it is well marketed.
The food was exceptional. We went to a variety of different places to sample the island’s better cuisine. We were not disappointed. Even at the hotel continental breakfast or at a downtown bakery/cafe where we had a delicious grilled Swiss cheese sandwich on a croissant-lie roll.
Most of the time, the weather cooperated. Temperatures remained in the mid-80’s during the day and low to mid-70’s at night. The only drawback was the gusty winds which resulted in the issuance of a Small Craft Advisory at the beginning of this week.
Surprisingly, the water in the pools and in the ocean was colder than expected. I thought that it would be closer to bath water. It wasn’t frigid. Just not warm enough for my tastes. The only heated water was in the jacuzzi, which was very much welcomed.
Sports abounds in Puerto Rico. Baseball. Soccer. Basketball. All have a distinct place on the island.
When we arrived at the hotel, much to our surprise we learned that the Caribe Hilton was headquarters for the 2026 Ironman 70.3 competition. Everywhere there were athletes, some wearing official t-shirts, others in team garb or shirts from different races. Expensive bicycles were in the lobby, as the competitors had to go through inspection of their vehicles.
Ironman participants are a tough lot. They look so in shape and ready to do battle. For that matter, a great number appeared to be ex-military.
The course originated in an adjacent lagoon for the early morning swim portion of about 12 miles. The bike part of the triathlon was a 50 mile tour of the scenic coastline into San Juan. The contestants finished the event with a half marathon run.
There was a boisterous celebration at the bar/stage area that night. The winner was from Brazil. I can tell you from riding the elevators that the number of countries represented in this contest was numerous.
The triathletes weren’t the only notables staying at the Caribe Hilton. The 2026 FIBA Women’s Qualifying Tournament was going on while we were there. Puerto Rico was the host team.
Teams from Italy, New Zealand and Spain stayed at our hotel. They received motorcycle police escorts to and from the venue; the buses had the event label on the sides.
We saw the women in the hotel; at the pool and beach; and even in Old San Juan.
TV commercials, signs and billboards promoting the tournament and the Puerto Rican national team were everywhere. Young girls wore the team jersey.
The winner of the tournament was the US team. Caitlin Clark, April Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum and former Rutgers stalwart and current Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper led the way as the team finished 5-0.
The US still is the number one team in the world—for good reason. The assemblage of talent is among the greatest we have ever had. As they get used to playing with each other, this group will actually get better—and they dominated the opposition.
Team USA stayed at the Sheraton, which was much closer to the arena. Our first night’s dinner was close to that building. I think I saw two members of the team at dinner on Sunday night. Otherwise, that’s as close as I came to seeing our team.
Plus there were Caitlin Clark supporters visible in Puerto Rico. They wore Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball shirts.
In what was a busy period for Puerto Rico, our arrival coincided with the conclusion of the Puerto Rico portion of the World Baseball Classic. Pool A was held at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Described as an electric atmosphere originating from the host team’s fans along with those who traveled from Cuba, Canada, Colombia and Panama, the Canadian and Puerto Rican teams emerged from pool play to the quarterfinals.
Seemingly throughout Puerto Rico I observed host team paraphernalia. Stores offered an array of jerseys of different colors and hats were the new fashion. It way outnumbered the MLB team hats and even the Ironman shirts. The pride the people had for their team was apparent.
After all, Puerto Rico has produced a plethora of stars who played in the big leagues. Yankees fans know that Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams were Puerto Rico natives. ( I did see plenty of Yankees hats and a few more Los Angeles Dodgers ones, too, while roaming the island) Places like Santurce and Caguas, which only were names to me, now were before me.
After all these years since his tragic death, Roberto Clemente remains revered on the island. The number 21 is retired in Pittsburgh and Puerto Rico. For good reason. He was a star among stars and a great humanitarian.
As for the WBC, the US survived a stunning loss to Italy and had to sweat out Italy’s game versus Mexico to move forward. A run differential was the tie breaker which allowed the American team to move on.
Japan was eliminated by Venezuela in a major surprise. Team USA held the Dominican Republic bats in check to create a Venezuela-US final.
Venezuela had great pitching, was hungrier and played sold baseball. They effectively silenced the vaunted Team USA bats; Aaron Judge had a horrible night and only Bryce Harper’s two run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning saved the team from an embarrassing shut out. Even after the US tied the score with Harper’s homer, the resilience of the Venezuelans showed as the team scored the winning run in the top of the ninth inning.
Pundits raved about the success of the tournament. Still, they felt cheated that this happened before the regular season.
Buster Olney of ESPN proposed that the preliminary rounds be conducted during Spring Training. Then, in July when all players were up to speed, play the concluding contests during what would have been All-Star Week, which would include the Home Run Derby, Skills Competition and thus generate even more enthusiasm as well as raising the level of play even more. Not a bad idea.
US television was present in Puerto Rico. New York local stations were available to me. I did not want for New York or national sports news.
Of course, I did not miss the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday after Purdue topped Michigan for the Big Ten automatic berth. It is a March Madness staple for me.
I think that the Committee did a commendable job, although I question why 31-1 Miami of Ohio couldn’t have gotten a #10 seed instead of having to face SMU in a play-in game. Which the Red Hawks won handily. Before being ousted in the next round.
My bracket went up in flames beginning with the Tuesday games. I didn’t get either right. Only Miami salvaged the Wednesday’s contests for me.
Picking the right upsets is always hard to do. I learned after the fact that this was the 21st consecutive year that an #11 seed downed a #6 seed. Texas, a play-in victor over NC State, took out BYU and VCU came back from a 19 point deficit to stun North Carolina. Is it time for UNC to move on from Hubert Davis as head coach?
My #6-#11 upset was South Florida defeating Louisville. The Cardinals were simply the better team in ousting USF. I had Tennessee stopping Miami of Ohio in another #6-#11 matchup.
#12 seed High Point outshot #5 Wisconsin, with their three point ace scoring his only two point field goal of the year to eliminate the Badgers in the last seconds of the game. When a #9 seed triumphs over a #8 seed, it is simply not an upset in my mind. So when all #9 seeds made it to the second round, did the committee treat each school just a bit too lightly while maybe overrating the #8 seeds?
Game of the tournament thus far goes to Kentucky-Santa Clara. Santa Clara, in the NCAA’s for the first time in 30 years, stayed with UK. Enough so that with 2.4 seconds left, a three point shot put the Broncos ahead by three points.
It would have taken a miracle for Kentucky to tie the game and send it to overtime. Which happened when a thirty foot desperation shot caromed off the backboard and into the net. The Wildcats had clawed their way back into the game and would not be denied in the overtime session, winning by a score of 89-84.
In Division III women’s action, NYU had its 91 game winning streak stopped by the University of Scranton. While the Violets didn’t match the streak which the UConn women put up of 111 straight victories, it is still very admirable and a DIII record.
It was good to come home to the NCAA Tournament to keep me occupied with the spate of colder weather. But now it is Spring and the NCAA’s move on in basketball, hockey and wrestling with the MLB season ready to start this week. The NBA and NHL are nearing the April homestretch. My daughter returned to Los Angeles and a new project in the film industry to find that there was a name plate over a parking space in the lot she now uses belonging to that movie mogul LeBron James. (The Lakers have been surging since they are all healthy again)
Puerto Rico offered more than enough to keep me going. A nice respite in a sports-crazed territory. Now March Madness insanity is in the air.
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