Oleksak, Michael M. and Oleksak, Mary Adams

Grand Rapids. 1991. Masters Press. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 0940279355. Foreword by Ernie Harwell. 303 pages. hardcover. Jacket photograph: collection of Charles Monfort. Back flap photograph: Pearce Klevan. Jacket design: Anne Shuart. Jacket photograph: AdoIfo 'Dolf'Luque, Cuban pitcher who won 27 games with Cincinnati in 1923 and 193 games in the major leagues, poses with. keywords: Baseball Latin America History. FROM THE PUBLISHER - Some of the finest ballplayers in the history of Major League Baseball have hailed from Latin America. Their names are etched in our memories: superstar Roberto Clemente, high-kicking ace right-hander Juan Marichal, sluggers Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez, colorful Luis Tiant, pitching sensation Fernando Valenzuela, and speedsters Bert Campaneris and Luis Aparicio. Others, such as Hector Espino, whose dignity and principles kept him in Mexico, and Martin Dihigo, whose color barred him from the major leagues, have remained outside the spotlight of the U.S. press, yet they hold a place near to the hearts of baseball fans in their homelands. Tracing the development of the game in Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, BEISBOL demonstrates why the game has become a source of great national and regional pride for Latin Americans. Bêisbol also traces the development of Latin leagues as a key source of talent for U.S. minor and major league rosters. Finally, BEISBOL examines the cultural, racial, and linguistic barriers facing Latin Americans trying to survive and thrive in Major League Baseball. Written in an informative yet entertaining style and supplemented by two statistical appendices, BEISBOL is a welcome celebration of the vital Latin American contribution to professional baseball. inventory #15517 ISBN: 0940279355.