Podcasts about Cuban League

In February 1947, as the Cuban League pennant race culminated in a dramatic showdown between bitter rivals Almendares and Habana, Brooklyn Dodgers minor leaguer Jackie Robinson arrived on the island with his teammates for spring training. César Brioso joins us to discuss the remarkable confluence of historic events in baseball-mad Old Havana.  Support Baseball by the Book at www.Patreon.com/baseballbythebook 

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of Latinos both on the field and off in MLB, and the interest of MLB to promote its game internationally, particularly in places such as Latin America. The life and career of Bobby Maduro sheds light on both of these topics. First, Maduro was greatly responsible for the Cuban League’s recognition by professional baseball (in the US). Within this framework, many Americanos played baseball in Cuba, and were exposed to the level of talent not only from that nation, but from elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking baseball world. This helped open the door to even more Latinos to make it into the higher levels of the minors, as well as eventually into the Majors. Second, Maduro was responsible for bringing AAA-level competition to Cuba. With the positive response of the fans (even in the midst of revolutionary turmoil), it did seem that, someday, the Sugar Kings’ slogan would come to fruition: “Un paso mas, y llegamos” (“One more step/level, and we’ll arrive”) meaning that Havana would have had its own MLB franchise before cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Unfortunately, as with so many other tragic results of the Castro dictatorship, that dream is now not only on hold, but it is surely dead for at least one or two more lifetimes. Bobby Maduro almost made that dream a reality. An examination of his career, and that of the Sugar Kings, provides great contextualization to the realities of MLB in the early 21st century. Hernandez’s book accomplishes this task very effectively. Jorge Iber is a professor of history at Texas Tech University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The name Oscar Charleston is not familiar to many. An absolute star in baseball’s Negro Leagues, Charleston’s best years came before there was much structure in the Negro Leagues. His prodigious power, spectacular defense and winning ways came before the more popular names of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck O’Neill took the field. Oscar played for the likes of the Indianapolis ABC’s, Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords and even though he never played in Major League Baseball, he still drew comparisons to such legends as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. So, who was Oscar Charleston? Jeremy Beer recently released an incredible biography on Oscar titled, “Oscar Charleston, The Life and Legend of Baseball’s Greatest Forgotten Hero.” This bio, which won the Seymour Medal, which is awarded by the Society for American Baseball Research – SABR – for the best baseball history or biography published in the preceding year, covers so much of Oscar’s life, from his childhood, through his stints in the military, and of course his career. Jeremy shares much of Oscar’s life on this episode of SFH. We discuss such topics as the early days of the Negro Leagues, who the movers and shakers were in the Negro Leagues, Oscar’s forays to the Cuban League, the Hotel League, and how he fared on the diamond when he did get the chance to face Major League pitching. And, by the way, no matter who Oscar faced, he took them deep. The stories of Oscar’s power are legendary, his ability to track down balls and leap over walls to haul them back in are still celebrated today and the stories of his uncanny ability to come up with clutch hits will make you wonder why such a fabulous ball player is so unknown. After listening to Jeremy on this episode of SFH will certainly help you discover one of the greatest ball players ever and help you to understand why, in 1976, Oscar Charleston was elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame and leave you scratching your head as to why it took so long. Links: Sports' Forgotten Heroes website Sports' Forgotten Heroes Patreon Page Sports' Forgotten Heroes twitter © 2020 Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Starting as a 17-year-old in 1952 with the Washington Senators organization, Gonzalo “Cholly” Naranjo has ties to a unique baseball world from his ten-year career in both the United States and Cuba. The Cuban-born former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher recently appeared on the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss the Trump administration canceling the deal between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation, his first meeting with Roberto Clemente, and a host of other wonderful tales from his baseball journey between Cuba and the United States.Cholly Naranjo / 1956 Hollywood StarsPresident Trump's decision to end MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation's relationshipIn April 2019, President Donald Trump ended a four-month-old agreement between MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation that allowed Major League teams to sign Cuban players for a 25% fee over their signing bonus to the Federation, as well as paying their Cuban income taxes. In his 85 years, Naranjo has lived through a variety of regimes in Cuba, as he was one of the few ex-Major League players who stayed in Cuba after the laws changed for professional baseball players in 1961. Naranjo returned to the United States full time in 1995 and feels this decision is a repeat version of an old tale.“You don’t pick where you’re born,” Naranjo said. “You come out wherever you come out, and you’ve gotta go through the rules in the place where you live. You come to the United States, you’ve gotta go by the rules. We come [here] to play baseball, and we don’t pick where we’re born. What can you do?“Now all of that is kind of juggling between baseball and the places where you live. All we wanted to do is play baseball and make a living. It happened before with us. We had that in 1961. The guys who couldn’t accomplish making the big leagues came back to their home. It’s a new copy of what baseball in Cuba is going through with the ballplayers. You’ve gotta face it because you cannot do anything with the laws of the country.”Cholly Naranjo's favorite Almendares teammateNaranjo built his chops playing for Almendares of the famed Cuban Winter League from 1952-1961, serving as a mainstay of their pitching staff for a decade. When asked to choose his favorite teammate, he went out of his way to recognize Willy Miranda. Regarded by many as the premier defensive shortstop of the 1950s, Naranjo told how even Miranda could poke fun at his own light hitting abilities.“I was right beside Willy Miranda for 10 years and Willy was an outstanding guy,” Naranjo said. “He knew more about baseball than you could ever believe. … He came up one time to hit against Vinegar Bend Mizell with three men on. Dick Rand was the catcher. He turned to Dick and said, ‘Do you want to see a home run with the bases loaded?’ [Rand] said, ‘Are you going to hit it?’ He said, ‘No, the guy that’s coming after me [will hit it].’ That’s what kind of guy he was.“He was incredible. Paul Richards said a lot about that. He could get rid of the ball faster than anybody he’d ever seen. He could make that play in the hole out on the left field grass and throw you out.” Naranjo's toughest foes in the Cuban Winter LeagueOn the mound, Naranjo battled established veterans during his Cuban League tenure, even drawing Branch Rickey’s attention for how he improved his curveball in the winter league. Surprisingly, when Naranjo recalled the batters who gave him fits, he pointed to two rookies whom he just could not get out. “Jose Tartabull and Sandy Valdespino, they could read me like they owned me,” he said. “Everybody was a tough hitter for me. Those two guys, they were rookies. The rest, were day in, day out.”Cholly's most cherished Roberto Clemente memoryNaranjo eventually reached the majors in 1956 with the Pittsburgh Pirates after narrowly missing the Washington Senators Opening Day roster in 1954. His time in Pittsburgh opened the door for a relationship with Roberto Clemente, a topic Naranjo frequently encounters. He revealed how they built their kinship before they were teammates during a chance February 1954 meeting in Puerto Rico.“The story about Roberto [was] in 1954,” he said. “We won the pennant in Havana. The year before, I was in Chattanooga and I went to Havana. Manuel Maldonado (Denis), the Puerto Rican pitcher who beat me in Mexico in the Amateur World Series in 1949, he went to Chattanooga when I went to Havana. He was going out with the same girl I was going out with. I came back home after the season ... we won the pennant and we flew out to Puerto Rico because the Caribbean Series was in San Juan. “He [Maldonado] came up to the hotel and he was going to the University of San Juan. He came to see me as a friend. He said, ‘Come on, I’m going to take you to the university, and I’m going to introduce you to a guy who is going to be a hell of a ballplayer.’ You know who it was, Roberto Clemente. He was sitting in the track and field stands by himself. Branch Rickey just signed him and gave him a $15,000 bonus. Rickey was the general manager of the Dodgers. He sent him to Montreal. He told the Montreal manager not to play him. When he went to Havana, the fans in Havana knew a lot of baseball. They were calling the manager a “racista” because he didn’t play Roberto. They didn’t know that Rickey told him not to play because he didn’t want the scouts to see Roberto [so] they could get him in the draft. He already knew that he had the job with the Pirates and got Roberto for $5,000 in the winter meetings of the draft.” During our 40-minute talk, Naranjo shared just a sliver of his baseball treasures that spanned his 85 years of playing and observing the game. He was especially proud that both his mind and body were clear enough to lead an active lifestyle. “I’ve got my health at my age,” he said. “I got this far, and I’m better than when I was playing ball. Can you believe that? Sometimes I think, well, give me the ball; I’m going to get somebody out. “It makes me feel well that I can be a normal person and do all the things necessary to live in the United States and travel. … To me, it’s like a prize that I have proven that it can happen to anybody. ... I’ve lived over there and over here, and I’m clean in both of them. I have lived long enough to show everybody what is what. I feel proud of that inside. … I say Cholly, how old are you? Well, I’ve got more miles than Pan American Airlines!"

Longtime USA Today sports writer/producer César Brioso (Last Seasons in Havana: The Castro Revolution and the End of Professional Baseball in Cuba) joins the show to explore the rich parallel histories of America’s and Cuba’s shared national pastime – and the colorful period of the late 1950s/early 1960s when it appeared baseball in the island nation was mainstreaming its way into eventual US major league status. During much of the ‘50s, baseball in pre‑Castro Cuba was enjoying a golden age. The Cuban League – founded in 1878, just two years after the formation of the National League – was thriving under the auspices of American organized baseball. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, players regularly came from the US major, minor and Negro leagues to play in what was the country’s wholly integrated winter baseball league.  In addition, native-born Cuban teams routinely dominated annual Caribbean Series regional tournaments. In 1946, Havana’s El Gran Estadio del Cerro became home to its own “regular season” US-domiciled (Class C Florida League) minor league franchise called the Sugar Kings.  By 1954, the club had grown to become a competitive member of the AAA International League as an official affiliate of the National League’s Cincinnati Reds (featuring future major league standouts such as Leo Cárdenas, Mike Cuellar, Vic Davalillo, Julián Javier, and Cookie Rojas) – eventually culminating in league and Junior World Series (over the AAA American Association’s Minneapolis Millers) titles in 1959.  The impact of the Sugar Kings’ championships that year went far beyond mere baseball titles; they became de facto moments of national civic pride, as well as indisputable evidence that Havana and Cuba were more than ready for and deserving of a place in America’s major leagues. Of course, the club’s achievements fatefully coincided with – and were ultimately undermined by – the events that year of the Fidel Castro-led Communist revolution over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.  By the end of 1960, the baseball landscape in the country looked much different: professional play was converted to an amateur state-sponsored model; American players stopped participating in the winter Cuban League; and the International League extracted the Sugar Kings from Havana and moved them to US soil, where they became the soon-to-be forgotten (after the 1961 season) Jersey City (NJ) Jerseys.  Please visit our tremendous sponsors: SportsHistoryCollectibles.com, 503 Sports, OldSchoolShirts.com, Streaker Sports, and Audible!

Today we are joined by César Brioso, author of the book Last Seasons in Havana: The Castro Revolution and the End of Professional Baseball In Cuba (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Blending the love for baseball fans in Cuba had during the 1950s with the political upheaval that led to Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, Brioso weaves a fascinating tale. Brioso focuses on the last two seasons of the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League (1958-1959) and the last three seasons of the Cuban League (1958-1961). In the 1950s, Havana was a city teeming with rabid baseball fans, swanky hotels, luxurious casinos, and warm, tropical weather. Influential baseball men in Cuba like Bobby Maduro believed Havana was on the short list to earn a major league franchise when baseball expanded. But what happened politically signaled the death knell for those dreams. Castro may have been a big sports fan, but political events in Cuba would take “a sinister turn” as he and the Communists in his regime tightened their grip on the Caribbean island. Brioso’s extensive research, plus more than 20 interviews with former players, Maduro’s son, and even a man who spent a year as the batboy for the transplanted Sugar Kings in Jersey City, New Jersey, gives the reader a unique perspective about Cuba. Former major leaguers interviewed included Orlando Peña, Pedro Ramos, Cookie Rojas and Luis Tiant. Bob D’Angelo was a sports journalist and sports copy editor for more than three decades and is currently a digital national content editor for Cox Media Group. He received his master’s degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2018. He is the author of Never Fear: The Life & Times of Forest K. Ferguson Jr. (2015), reviews books on his blog, Bob D’Angelo’s Books & Blogs, and has reviewed books for Sport  In American History. Can be reached at bdangelo57@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are joined by César Brioso, author of the book Last Seasons in Havana: The Castro Revolution and the End of Professional Baseball In Cuba (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Blending the love for baseball fans in Cuba had during the 1950s with the political upheaval that led to Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, Brioso weaves a fascinating tale. Brioso focuses on the last two seasons of the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League (1958-1959) and the last three seasons of the Cuban League (1958-1961). In the 1950s, Havana was a city teeming with rabid baseball fans, swanky hotels, luxurious casinos, and warm, tropical weather. Influential baseball men in Cuba like Bobby Maduro believed Havana was on the short list to earn a major league franchise when baseball expanded. But what happened politically signaled the death knell for those dreams. Castro may have been a big sports fan, but political events in Cuba would take “a sinister turn” as he and the Communists in his regime tightened their grip on the Caribbean island. Brioso’s extensive research, plus more than 20 interviews with former players, Maduro’s son, and even a man who spent a year as the batboy for the transplanted Sugar Kings in Jersey City, New Jersey, gives the reader a unique perspective about Cuba. Former major leaguers interviewed included Orlando Peña, Pedro Ramos, Cookie Rojas and Luis Tiant. Bob D’Angelo was a sports journalist and sports copy editor for more than three decades and is currently a digital national content editor for Cox Media Group. He received his master’s degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2018. He is the author of Never Fear: The Life & Times of Forest K. Ferguson Jr. (2015), reviews books on his blog, Bob D’Angelo’s Books & Blogs, and has reviewed books for Sport  In American History. Can be reached at bdangelo57@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are joined by César Brioso, author of the book Last Seasons in Havana: The Castro Revolution and the End of Professional Baseball In Cuba (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Blending the love for baseball fans in Cuba had during the 1950s with the political upheaval that led to Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, Brioso weaves a fascinating tale. Brioso focuses on the last two seasons of the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League (1958-1959) and the last three seasons of the Cuban League (1958-1961). In the 1950s, Havana was a city teeming with rabid baseball fans, swanky hotels, luxurious casinos, and warm, tropical weather. Influential baseball men in Cuba like Bobby Maduro believed Havana was on the short list to earn a major league franchise when baseball expanded. But what happened politically signaled the death knell for those dreams. Castro may have been a big sports fan, but political events in Cuba would take “a sinister turn” as he and the Communists in his regime tightened their grip on the Caribbean island. Brioso’s extensive research, plus more than 20 interviews with former players, Maduro’s son, and even a man who spent a year as the batboy for the transplanted Sugar Kings in Jersey City, New Jersey, gives the reader a unique perspective about Cuba. Former major leaguers interviewed included Orlando Peña, Pedro Ramos, Cookie Rojas and Luis Tiant. Bob D’Angelo was a sports journalist and sports copy editor for more than three decades and is currently a digital national content editor for Cox Media Group. He received his master’s degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2018. He is the author of Never Fear: The Life & Times of Forest K. Ferguson Jr. (2015), reviews books on his blog, Bob D’Angelo’s Books & Blogs, and has reviewed books for Sport  In American History. Can be reached at bdangelo57@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are joined by César Brioso, author of the book Last Seasons in Havana: The Castro Revolution and the End of Professional Baseball In Cuba (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Blending the love for baseball fans in Cuba had during the 1950s with the political upheaval that led to Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, Brioso weaves a fascinating tale. Brioso focuses on the last two seasons of the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League (1958-1959) and the last three seasons of the Cuban League (1958-1961). In the 1950s, Havana was a city teeming with rabid baseball fans, swanky hotels, luxurious casinos, and warm, tropical weather. Influential baseball men in Cuba like Bobby Maduro believed Havana was on the short list to earn a major league franchise when baseball expanded. But what happened politically signaled the death knell for those dreams. Castro may have been a big sports fan, but political events in Cuba would take “a sinister turn” as he and the Communists in his regime tightened their grip on the Caribbean island. Brioso’s extensive research, plus more than 20 interviews with former players, Maduro’s son, and even a man who spent a year as the batboy for the transplanted Sugar Kings in Jersey City, New Jersey, gives the reader a unique perspective about Cuba. Former major leaguers interviewed included Orlando Peña, Pedro Ramos, Cookie Rojas and Luis Tiant. Bob D’Angelo was a sports journalist and sports copy editor for more than three decades and is currently a digital national content editor for Cox Media Group. He received his master’s degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2018. He is the author of Never Fear: The Life & Times of Forest K. Ferguson Jr. (2015), reviews books on his blog, Bob D’Angelo’s Books & Blogs, and has reviewed books for Sport  In American History. Can be reached at bdangelo57@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 21, 2016. César Brioso discussed his book which captures the excitement of the Cuban League's greatest pennant race and the anticipation of the looming challenge to Major League Baseball's color barrier. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7420

In February 1947, the most memorable season in the history of the Cuban League finished with a dramatic series win by Almendares against its rival Habana.  As the celebration spread through the streets of Havana and across Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers -- and a minor leaguer named Jackie Robinson -- were beginning spring training on the island.Robinson was two months away from making his major league debut in Brooklyn.  To avoid racism and harassment from the crowds in Florida during this critical time, the Dodgers relocated their spring training to Cuba.It was also during this time that Major League Baseball was trying to bring the “outlaw” Cuban League under the control of organized baseball.  As the Cubans fought to stay independent, Robinson worked to earn a roster spot on the Dodgers.In Havana Hardball, veteran journalist Cesar Brioso brings together a rich mix of worlds as the heyday of Latino baseball converged with one of the most socially meaningful events in American history.  Listen in to our discussion on a Fall evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...