The 2004 season was the year that baseball not only returned to Tijuana, but actually stepped up in class to Triple-A ball, as Los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, The Owls of the Mexican League, abandoned the Texas-Mexico border and moved west, where they became the Tijuana Toros, the Tijuana Bulls.

Playing in the old stadium at Cerro Colorado, where the Double–A Potros used to hang out before they folded in 1991, the Toros made the playoffs in their debut season and left their new fans with a lot to look forward to for 2005.

And the Mexican League? They were was so impressed with this debut season…that they stripped the Toros owner of his Mexican League franchise and gave it to someone else, who has renamed the club…the Potros.

But wait…it gets better.

The new owner may have the Mexican League franchise, but thanks to the mysteries of Mexican civil laws and contracts, the old owner retains the rights to the Toros name and virtually everything associated with it — including the players. He promptly announced his intention to jump to a small summer league in California, but keep the team in Tijuana…in the same stadium where the “new” Potros plan to play.

So for a time, Tijuana had one baseball owner with a team but no franchise, and another owner with a franchise but no team, and both intending to play in the same venue at the same time.

Obviously, this wasn’t going to work, and it didn’t.

Without any stadium to call home, the Toros eventually bit the dust, as their back–room enemies apparently intended all along. The Potros, once again, are the only game in town — at least where beisbol is concerned.

Los Aguilas de Mexicali made it to the 2004–05 championship finals of the Class–AA Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, only to to be stifled by los Venados de Mazatlan. “Venado” is Spanish for deer, and Mazatlan pitching made venison out of the Mexicali hitters.

This means that Mazatlan will represent Mexico in this year’s Caribbean World Series, which is being played in…

…wait for it…

Mazatlan!

Yep, Mexico’s host team gets to play in its home park before its home fans. It can’t get much sweeter than that.

But who are we kidding? All this really means is that Mazatlan has won the right to lose to the Dominican Republic, just as Puerto Rico and Venezuela probably will. In this series, the other three teams are Davids and the Dominicans are Goliath.

On steroids.

With a gun.

Goliath may be the way to bet, but not when David’s at the plate.

So what happens? What do you think happens when I make an easy prediction? Caribbean World Series.David strikes.

Posse guest columnist Rich Ruybalid offers firsthand accounts of the incredible scene in Mazatlan, as the hometown Double–A ballclub become national heroes, and give Mazatlan something to celebrate besides their annual pre–Lenten Carnaval.

The only people more in shock than your humble Webmaster was the entire Dominican population.