International politics have pretty much been bleached out of the Olympics, what with the breakup of the Soviet Union and a general feeling of intercontinental cooperation. Used to be, the medal count reflected industrial might, religious superiority, even ethnic advantage. It was fiercely attended to. It was how you kept score. In a game fraught with political undertones, Luis played the role of red menace, pitching Cuba to victory and bonking a U.S. batter with his first pitch. photograph by John Iacono One of the few remnants of the old-time rivalries is Cuba versus the U.S. However anachronistic it feels—communism versus capitalism, hasn't that been decided?—the flag-waving is always a little more feverish than usual when these two nations meet. The rivalry is all the more intense since the Cubans tend to dominate the American pastime. Of course, Cuba has what is essentially a Dream Team of grizzled veterans, while the U.S. tends to send to the Olympics freshly scrubbed kids just shy of their first major league contracts. All the same, the Cubans came to Atlanta with a 134-game winning streak in international competition. And no wonder. Throughout the tournament the Cubans had been producing badmintonlike scores. Using aluminum bats, they were arcing shots into the seats with frightening regularity. Orestes Kindelan hit one into the upper deck of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, where prior to the Olympics no ball had gone since 1971. "He has hit longer," said Cuban coach Jorge Fuentes. In the round-robin game against the U.S., the Cuban Muscle Crisis continued to unfold, with two batters homering in the four-run first inning. The 10-run mercy rule loomed. In the same inning Omar Luis drilled Jason Williams with his first pitch. More ill will was evinced later when Cuba's Lazaro Vargas lost his bat on an aborted swing and pitcher Jim Parque refused to retrieve it though it lay at his feet. It was 10-2 after the sixth inning, and it didn't look like capitalism could save the day. But then the U.S. hit four home runs in the next three innings and cut the lead to 10-8. And communism, suddenly, did not look safe. But Cuban closer Pedro Lazo restored world order, striking out the two final batters with two on in the bottom of the ninth. And that was that, for now. A political point had been made once more. That's what this was about, right? "Absolutely," said Fuentes, grinning. Charles Austin displayed a golden arch en route to a later leap of 7'10", making him the first U.S. Olympian to win the high jump since 1968. photograph by John Biever Unbowed by the polio that necessitates her use of a wheelchair, archer Paola Fantato took aim for Italy in the ranking round. photograph by Bob Martin SI Olympic Commemorative Day: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17