The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball - Hardcover

Gonzalez Echevarria, Roberto

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195069919 ISBN 13: 9780195069914

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999

Synopsis

From the first amateur leagues of the 1860s to the exploits of Livan and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, here is the definitive history of baseball in Cuba. Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria expertly traces the arc of the game, intertwining its heroes and their stories with the politics, music, dance, and literature of the Cuban people. What emerges is more than a story of balls and strikes, but a richly detailed history of Cuba told from the unique cultural perch of the baseball diamond.
Filling a void created by Cuba's rejection of bullfighting and Spanish hegemony, baseball quickly became a crucial stitch in the complex social fabric of the island. By the early 1940s Cuba had become major conduit in spreading the game throughout Latin America, and a proving ground for some of the greatest talent in all of baseball, where white major leaguers and Negro League players from the U.S. all competed on the same fields with the cream of Latin talent. Indeed, readers will be introduced to several black ballplayers of Afro-Cuban descent who played in the Major Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier once and for all. Often dramatic, and always culturally resonant, Gonzalez Echevarria's narrative expertly lays open the paradox of fierce Cuban independence from the U.S. with Cuba's love for our national pastime. It shows how Fidel Castro cannily associated himself with the sport for patriotic p.r.--and reveals that his supposed baseball talent is purely mythical. Based on extensive primary research and a wealth of interviews, the colorful, often dramatic anecdotes and stories in this distinguished book comprise the most comprehensive history of Cuban baseball yet published and ultimately adds a vital lost chapter to the history of baseball in the U.S.

About this title

About the Author

Born and raised in Cuba, Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria is Sterling Professor of Hispanic and Comparative Literature at Yale University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1970. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including The Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories and Myth and Archive: A Theory of Latin American Narrative, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review. A former semi-pro catcher, he plays for the Madison Ravens of the Connecticut Senior Baseball League.

Reviews

Using a wide array of sources including newspapers, interviews, and written memoirs, Mr. Gonzalez has reconstructed a remarkably rich and detailed narrative of the history of baseball in Cuba; from its earliest versions, in the mid-19th century, to its recent triumphs in international competitions.

From the sugarmill leagues to the World Series impact of defectors like Livian Hernandez and ``El Duque,'' this is a catchers-mask view of Cuban culture and history. Gonz lez Echevarra (Hispanic and Comparative Literature/Yale; editor, The Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories,1997) is a former semi-pro catcher who grew up with amateur baseball in Cubas sugarmill country, where it is the local religion. Even Castro couldnt dampen Cubas passion for baseball, which developed there into a patient, artistic game that disdained the American penchant for the beefy slugger and the specialist. Cultural ties with the US were tighter and international issues just as complex in pre-revolution days, when the nations were but a ferry ride apart. The name alone of a Negro League team, the New York Cubans, speaks volumes about the long influence of Cuban baseball, and the race issue, on Americas pastime. Cubans of African descent were often barred from the more professional Cuban leagues before the revolution. Gonz lez Echevarra will surprise fans with the salaries and Hall of Fame names of American ballplayers who played in Cuba (especially as minor leaguers) as early as the 1950s. By the '70s, the Cuban national team often dominated international competition. One solution by rivals was to deny them visas as Communists: ``If you cant beat them, dont let them play.'' Politics and baseball are stitched together here, and fans will find history and sports well served in a solid text covering most of this century, buttressed by research including interviews with sportscasters, managers, and players. Whether or not the authors predicted ``avalanche'' of Cuban players follows any political thaw in US-Cuban relations, his point about Cubas impact on the gameand vice versais strongly made. (20 b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Echevarria, a literary critic and professor of Hispanic and comparative literature at Yale, has written a definitive cultural history of Cuban baseball from 1860 to the present. A former semi-pro catcher born and raised in Cuba, he currently plays in the Connecticut Senior Baseball League. According to Echevarria, baseball filled a void when Cuba rejected bullfighting and other Spanish influences. Despite all the political turbulence, the game has survived to become as much a part of Cuba's social fabric as soccer is for Brazil. The study features an excellent bibliography plus detailed notes for each chapter. The research is exhaustive, based on primary sources and interviews that include numerous anecdotes, making this an engaging read. Although this book is not for everyone, purists and historians of baseball will enjoy it. Buy where demand warrants.ALarry Little, Penticton P.L., B.C.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195069919
• ISBN 13: 9780195069914
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 512