There is no other way to describe it. Adolfo Cambiaso (A.C.) is the man of polo. He is the John Elway and Joe Montana of the past. Adolfo knows how to run a team and he does it so often. We have atheletes like Tiger Woods and Roger Fedder, who do it in individual sports and depend on no one. Polo, however, is a team sport. There is almost always an amateur on the team who does this for a hobby. The amateur also has the luxry of two other pros, but so does the other team. With Adolfo Cambiaso its just looks like he is alone on the field as he stands above all the rest. He is 31 yrs old and maybe the best polo player for a good while longer.
We have always had one person above the others for quite a long time and maybe they were just as good, but it is hard to tell with todays media and stats and all the modern things. Was Juan Carlos Harriot as good or his heir Gonzalo Pieres? They were all magicians in an era where it was different. They played patrons horses, they did not have the ability to get horses to wherever they needed to be. It was just different.
In a semifinal day in Palm Beach today, there were some very strange things happening and this was not strange. In the first semi it was Crab Orchard team with Adolfo Cambiaso beating Gillian Johnson’s team Bendabout which is by all rights very good. They also have a 10-goal player who has won the U.S. Open recently, but thats not the way it was. Crab Orchard beat Bendabout by 9 goals and that is a team that beat all of their opponents by approx. 5 to 9 goals before this game. So who knows. If Adolfo is 10-Goals how can there be other 10’s? Either drop everyone else or handicap him. Like a reporter said today “make his patron take all penalty shots for his team.” That may be an answer, but it may not be enough.
In the other game, which has really lit up the Polo World, it was Victor Vargas and Lechuza Caracas versus the “Open King” Memo Gracida and La Herradura. Something is wrong here and it is being said that the La Herradura may be suspended for their action on the field in this game. I think this is impossible by law, but I am not sure. Here is the way I was told the story or how the strangeness played out. Keep in mind this is the 26-goal USPA Gold Cup, which is the second most important tournament in the U.S.A. It was 3 young and growing players Frederick Mannix, Jr., Kris Kampsen and Julio Gracida playing with La Herradura. For some unknown reason 20 seconds or less after first throw in Frederick Mannix, Jr. left the field for the rest of the game. Lechuza Caracas got up by 2 at the end of the 1st chukker and 3 more by the end of the second. Then it got worse. The reports say La Herradura just galloped around the field and lost by 11. Something is not right and the committee is upset and may try to do something for this problem. Its unfortunate that this happenend and obviously not too good for polo fans and our sport in general, so we will see what happens. Maybe it was just something else all together, but it will be finals time on Sunday and there are some super players in this one. Here we go with the final 8 and it happens at IPC at 3 P.M. Sunday 25th
Lechuza Caracas (26) – Victor Vargas (1), Sebastian Merlos (10), Pite Merlos (9), Jeff Blake (6)
Patron – Victor Vargas a bullet with a mission.
Pros – Sebe Merlos born tough and he likes it. Jeff Blake the iron man of polo! Pite Merlos He was 10 and he has been here
Crab Orchard (26) – George Rawlings (0), Matias Magrini (9), Adolfo Cambiaso (10), David Stirling Jr. (7)
Patron – George Rawlings he is steady and able.
Pros – Adolfo Cambiaso simply the BEST. Matias Magrini he is an M&M and so sweet. David Stirling he is amazing already.
So if you can get there to the Final it will not be a wipeout. I Guarantee! See ya.