It was 1998. As I looked out of the jet's window and watched the lights of night-time Havana draw closer I knew that this trip would be different. Since the Kennedy administration most Americans had been barred from visiting Cuba, our Caribbean cousin located just 90 miles south of Key West, FL. I had family on the island and my request for a legal visa had been … [Read more...] about Jim Stinson Recalls Hunting for Autographs, Memories in Castro’s Cuba
Cuba
Arozarena Rookie Cards a Late Season Sensation
Randy Arozarena has rocketed to prominence during this baseball postseason. But Arozarena’s journey was long and difficult. It included a treacherous trip on a boat five years ago from his native Cuba to Mexico and a positive test for COVID-19 earlier this year, but now the Tampa Bay Rays’ 25-year-old outfielder is living up to the nickname he earned in his native Cuba — El … [Read more...] about Arozarena Rookie Cards a Late Season Sensation
Photo Of The Day: Jackie Robinson in Havana, Spring Training 1947
Pittsburgh Courier sportswriter Wendell Smith wrote an encouraging letter to Jackie Robinson on Feb. 4, 1947. Smith told Robinson, a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league farm team in Montreal, that “You should not worry about the plans they have for you.” “As I see it you are definitely going to get a chance,” Smith wrote. “All you have to do is keep a cool head, … [Read more...] about Photo Of The Day: Jackie Robinson in Havana, Spring Training 1947