GRAND SLAM

May 17, 1999

Cuban Umpire Cesar Valdez's takedown of an anti-Castro protester was a highlight of last week's exhibition between the Orioles and Cuba's national team at Camden Yard It was also a pretty fair demonstration of freestyle wrestling. "That guy has definitely done some wrestling," says former Iowa coach and 1972 Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable. "Only wrestlers know how to do that particular series of actions. It was basically a double-leg takedown on which he got extended a little bit. But then he got his hips under and popped them up in the air. It was a good three-point move. Very impressive." Valdez's machismo impressed another wrestling legend, too. "When a guy comes in the ring, he's fair game," says WCW champ Goldberg. "You've got to take take him out." Still, Goldberg opts for raw power over technical purity. "I would have imprinted my eyebrows on his chest," he says.