That’s Amaury News and Commentary
Now José Abreu (a powerful first baseman) signs with the Chicago White Sox, for six years and $68 million, largest first time contract for an international player in Major League history. But wait, there is more Cuban flavor with the Chicago White Sox. Their regular left fielder Dayan Viciedo, is from Cuba, as well as their regular shortstop Alexei Ramírez.
Of course one of the greatest Major League baseball players, still alive at age 88, works for the Chicago White Sox in their front office, Orestes(Minnie) Miñoso. Minoso is the only player to have played professionally in seven different decades. He was the last major leaguer to have played in the 1940s, to play a major league game. He played in the Major Leagues from 1949 until 1980.
For years the Cuban Marxist government has tried to jail and prevent high profile players from escaping the island, but recently from Céspedes, to Iglesias to Puig and now Abreu, their decrepit system of government has much bigger problems than to prevent these players from leaving the island.
All sports in Cuba are under the aegis of the Cuban government, since 1962, Fidel Castro and his cohorts banned professional sports, in the largest of the Caribbean islands. Cuban athletes like regular Cuban citizens do not enjoy the freedom of traveling in and out of the island.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Museum and does News and Commentary each week
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