Cuba back in Caribbean Series after 54-year absence
From Daniel Trotta at Reuters.com on January 31, 2014, with quotes from SABR member Peter Bjarkman:
Cuba returns to the Caribbean Series of baseball for the first time in 54 years this weekend at a time of time of high interest in Cuban talent after some of its best players defected in recent years in search of multimillion-dollar contracts.
The Cuban team Villa Clara, reinforced with some of the best players from other teams in the Cuban league, will compete on the Venezuelan island of Margarita starting on Saturday against winter league champions from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico in the annual tournament.
The Cuban Baseball Federation is eager to find venues to prove its players can compete on the world stage, especially since the Olympics dropped baseball as a sport after the 2008 Games.
“Since their entire baseball enterprise is built around showcasing the quality of their game in the international arena, these tournaments mean a lot,” said Peter Bjarkman, a leading expert on Cuban baseball and author of several books on the topic.
Read the full article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/us-cuba-baseball-idUSBREA0U16J20140131
Originally published: January 31, 2014. Last Updated: January 31, 2014.