el juego perfecto...béisbol y cultura latinoamericana

Was he the first foreign-born Hispanic in the Major Leagues? By Ian Herbert Tomado de la edición de Septiembre de la Smithsonian Magazine . A quick glance at baseball's record books reveals nothing special about Louis Castro. His official file says he was born in 1876 in New York City and shows that he played 42 games as a second baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1902 season. He batted .245 that year with one home run and 15 runs batted in, then bounced around the minor leagues. He died in New York in 1941. At a glance, Castro was just another one-season role player from baseball's early days. Yet many baseball historians are interested in his brief, unremarkable career. Dick Beverage, president of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR), describes Castro's story as "a mystery." Gilberto Garcia, who recently finished a biography of Castro for the baseball journal Nine, says Castro is "part of American folklore." And baseball writ...

El desarrollo del béisbol en los países de la cuenca del Caribe y la contribución de nuestros grandes jugadores al más alto nivel es hoy un punto indiscutible para la fecha que escribo estas líneas, el año 2007. El béisbol cosechó sus raíces en la región noreste de los Estados Unidos hace ya más de 150 anos y hoy es una de las actividades deportivas, de recreación y hasta un estilo de vida para millones de seres humanos alrededor del planeta. ¿Pero como surgió todo esto? ¿De donde salió este fenómeno que hoy en día ha convertido a muchos simples deportistas hasta en figuras de la farándula? ¿Quién fue el primer latinoamericano que jugó en las Grandes Ligas? Es una pregunta, cuya respuesta ha sido discutida por décadas. La versión mas aceptada es que el cubano Esteban Bellán fue el primer jugador latinoamericano traído de su país para jugar béisbol profesional en los Estados Unidos. Lo hizo con el Troy Haymakers en la National Association en 1871. Bellán después de jugar 3 años en d...

The development of Latinos in the game of baseball and their contributions in many aspects to the highest levels, not only in the United States, but also around the planet is an issue completely unquestionable by the time I write these words, the year 2007. Baseball created its roots in the northeastern region of the United States over 150 years ago and today is one of the most recognized and followed sports in the globe, serving as a way of entertainment and as a mean of living and a lifestyle for millions of living souls. Latin America quickly got on board with the game that Walt Whitman once praised. Databases and documentations from Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico have shown the presence and beginnings of the game before the arrival of the 20th century creating around this game what today we consider as a cultural connection, a legacy, and a heritage. The best exponents of the game from our countries carry the same heritage these days. Their perseverance and hard work to make a livi...