MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Despite having no famous players, no high-profile league and inadequate stadiums, football in Nicaragua is starting to awaken, grabbing more and more attention in a nation traditionally crazy about baseball.
HAVANA, Cuba – Cuban baseball stars José Abreu and Yasiel Puig returned home Tuesday for the first time since defecting to join the American big leagues, part of an unprecedented Major League Baseball tour made possible by the thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations.
BALTIMORE, Maryland – The Baltimore Orioles will face the Chicago White Sox in an empty stadium on Wednesday after riots prompted officials to take what is believed to be the unprecedented step of ordering the game played behind closed doors.
Yulieski Gourriel plays in the Cuban league for about $50 a month, even though he's a speedboat ride away from a $10 million-a-year Big League contract.
The political thaw would eliminate the dangerous back channels of defection. The impact on the sport could be immense and, in the words of one team official, "drastic."
