Description
Book SynopsisExplores the intersection between Cuba and America's pastime from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, when Fidel Castro overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. César Brioso takes the reader through the triumph of the revolution in 1959 and its impact on professional baseball in the seasons immediately following Castro's rise to power.
Trade Review"
Last Seasons in Havana is a much-needed addition to baseball history. . . . The complete history of Cuban baseball may never be known, but Brioso has cracked open the door with some valuable information and insights."—Bob D’Angelo,
Sport in American History"Focusing on the final three seasons of the Cuban League (1958–61) and the final two seasons of the Havana Sugar Kings (1959–60),
Last Seasons in Havana explores how Castro’s rise to power forever altered Cuba and the course of a sport that had become ingrained in the island’s culture over the course of almost a century."—Jason Schott,
Brooklyn Fans"In the 1950's, baseball was at the height of its popularity in Cuba, in both terms of spectator attendance and the quality of baseball played. However, once Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista and took control of the island's government, the fate of the sport changed. These changes which led to the end of the Cuban League and the presence of minor league baseball in Cuba are captured in this interesting book by Cesar Brioso."—Lance Smith,
Guy Who Reviews Sports Books“A well-told history of the swan song of Cuban professional baseball, caught between two dictatorships, Batista’s and Castro’s.”—Roberto González Echevarría, author of
The Pride of Havana and
Cuban Fiestas“Tommy Lasorda, Carl Yastrzemski, Luis Tiant, and Fidel Castro are among the cast of characters in César Brioso’s rich account of the last days of the professional game in Havana. A must-read for baseball and history fans.”—Tim Wendel, author of
Castro’s Curveball and
Summer of ’68“
Last Seasons in Havana is a well-researched examination of the Marxist sociopolitical upheaval that convulsed the island of Cuba in the early 1960s and altered baseball in the Caribbean for the remainder of the century.”—Lou Hernández, author of
Manager of the Giants: The Tactics, Temper and True Record of John McGrawTable of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. The House That Bobby Built
2. Winds of Change
3. Golden Age
4. “This Was a Shipwreck”
5. Year of the Pitcher
6. New Year’s Revolution
7. Caribbean Spice
8. “Bullets Were Falling . . . Like Hailstones”
9. Title Town
10. Regarding Cienfuegos
11. The Last Series
12. International Tensions
13. The Last Season
14. Casualty of the Revolution
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
