• Submitted by: admin
• Sports
• 04 / 07 / 2010

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Yet somehow Cubans know their baseball, which is less of a game and more of a national obsession, far beyond being the "pastime" it is in the United States.

Almost everyone in Havana knows something about baseball, and many can recite the names of the entire Industriales roster as well as the names of other Cuban players and major-leaguers.

They also know the names of former Cuban stars, such as Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who was a standout for Holguín, a city in southeast Cuba, as well as the Cuban national team.

Chapman and all Cuban stars are beloved for their baseball exploits - unless or until they defect.

The tremendous pride in Cuban baseball is a major reason more players don't defect despite the lure of fame and fortune in the major leagues.

A taxi driver, Jose, said: "When the players go, then we don't have any more news about them."

A waiter at the upscale Havana restaurant La Piazza, whose walls are covered in baseball memorabilia, said the restaurant has pictures only of Cuban players who did not defect.

At La Esquina Caliente, or "The Hot Corner," a place in the Central Park of Havana where dozens of men gather to discuss baseball, two men begin to give their thoughts. Yes, they talk about major-league teams and players, including those who have defected, but only among friends.

Some discussions get so animated, the participants virtually shout in one another's faces, displaying an impressive level of passion over even minor arguments. Cuban fans tend to be far more focused on the team than on the player.

Proud history in Cuba

There is great pressure on players to remain in Cuba so they can continue playing on the national team and uphold an almost sacred tradition.

Baseball is one of the primary and most popular leisure activities on the island, and strong fan support influences players to remain loyal.

The Cuban national team was the runner-up in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 but lost in the opening round in 2009, the country's lowest finish ever in a top-level international baseball tournament.

The history of baseball in Cuba is long and distinguished, with 161 major-leaguers having been born on the island, according to Baseball Reference.

Top Cuban players earn only a typical monthly Cuban salary of 300 to 400 Cuban national pesos (not the Cuban convertible pesos tourists use).

That is equal to roughly 12 to 16 U.S. dollars, though the buying equivalent is difficult to calculate because many items are rationed or even prohibited for Cubans to buy.

Source: news.cincinnati.com/