Octavio Víctor "Cookie" Rojas Rivas, is a Cuban-American former professional baseball player, coach, manager and current television sports presenter. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman and outfielder from 1962 to 1977, most prominently for the Philadelphia Phillies where he first became an All-Star player, and later with the Kansas City Royals where his veteran experience and leadership played an integral role in helping the young Royals franchise develop into a championship team.
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team plays their home games at 121 Financial Ballpark, which opened in 2003. They previously played at Sam W. Wolfson Baseball Park from 1962 until the end of the 2002 season.
The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Their home stadium was El Gran Estadio del Cerro in Havana.
Leonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso is a Cuban former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1960 to 1975, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he was the starting shortstop for seven seasons.
Throughout the years, a number of teams in the National Football League (NFL) have either moved or merged.
The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known as the "Cuban Winter League." It was always a small league, generally 3 to 5 teams, and was centered in Havana, though it sometimes included teams from outlying cities such as Matanzas or Santa Clara. The league became racially integrated in 1900, and during the first half of the 20th century the Cuban League was a premier venue for black and white players to meet. Many great black Northern American players competed in Cuba alongside native black and white Cuban stars such as José Méndez, Cristóbal Torriente, Adolfo Luque, and Martín Dihigo. After 1947, the Cuban League entered into an agreement with Major League Baseball and was used for player development. Following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, however, tensions rose with the new Communist government, and in March 1961 the government decreed the abolition of professional baseball.
The Cuban baseball league system is not a single baseball league; rather it is a structure of leagues and series that are governed by the Baseball Federation of Cuba and culminate in national championships and the selection of the Cuba national baseball team. In the primary domestic league, the Cuban National Series, players play for the provinces in which they reside, with each province in Cuba represented by a team.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system affiliate of the New York Giants from 1937 through 1950. The Jersey City club played in the International League. They were commonly referred to as the Little Giants.
The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Class B in 1949 for the final 5½ years of its existence.
Regino José Otero Gómez was a Cuban professional baseball player who had a long career in the minor leagues in the United States (1936–53), and played briefly with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball in 1945. He also played 13 years in the Cuban Professional League.
Jacksonville is home to a number of professional sports teams, and the city has a long history of athletics. The Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) compete at the major league level. Additionally, the PGA Tour is headquartered in the suburb of Ponte Vedra Beach, where it hosts The Players Championship every year.
The following is a timeline of franchise evolution in Major League Baseball. The histories of franchises in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), Union Association (UA), and American Association (AA) before they joined the National League are also included. In 1900 the minor league Western League renamed itself the American League (AL). All of the 1899 Western League teams were a part of the transformation with the Saint Paul Apostles moving to Chicago and to play as the White Stockings. In 1901 the AL declared itself a Major League. For its inaugural major league season the AL dropped its teams in Indianapolis, Buffalo and Minneapolis and replaced them with franchises in Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the Kansas City Blues moved to Washington to play as the Senators.
Antonio Aristides Pacheco was a Cuban-born coach and scout in Major League Baseball. A longtime minor league infielder and manager, Pacheco coached in MLB for six seasons for the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros.
Rogelio Álvarez Hernández was a Cuban professional baseball player whose career spanned 18 seasons, including parts of two in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds. Over his career in the majors, Álvarez batted .189 with two runs, seven hits and two runs batted in (RBIs). Álvarez also played in the minor leagues with the Class-C Yuma Sun Sox (1956), the Class-B Port Arthur Sea Hawks (1956), the Class-B Wenatchee Chiefs (1957), the Class-B Clovis Redlegs (1957), the Triple-A Havana Sugar Kings/Jersey City Jerseys (1958–1961), the Triple-A San Diego Padres, the Double-A Macon Peaches (1964), the Double-A Knoxville Smokies (1965–1967), the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons (1966), the Double-A Evansville White Sox, the Triple-A Veracruz Aguila (1968–1971), the Triple-A Poza Rica Petroleros (1972) and the Triple-A Yucatán Leones (1973). During his minor league career, he played 1,706 games. He primarily played first base over his career, but also played outfield and pitcher on occasion.
Enrique Roberto "Hank" Izquierdo Valdés was a Cuban-born professional baseball catcher, coach, manager and scout for almost four decades. He made his playing debut in Major League Baseball at the age of 36 and in his 17th professional season as a member of the Minnesota Twins during their 1967 season, appearing in 16 games played. It was his only MLB playing opportunity.
Joseph Carl Cambria, also known as "Papa Joe," was an American professional baseball scout and executive who was a pioneer in recruiting Latin American players. From 1929 through 1940, he owned several Minor League Baseball teams, as well as the Negro league Baltimore Black Sox. He is best known, however, for his work as a scout for Major League Baseball, especially for his work in Cuba. From the mid-1930s until his death in 1962, he recruited hundreds of Cuban players for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins. Cambria was described as "the first of many scouts who searched Latin America for inexpensive recruits for their respective ball clubs."
Emilio Cueche[eh-mee'-leo / coo-eh'-chay] was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He was nicknamed ″Indio″.
Enrique Maroto is a former professional pitcher who played in Minor League Baseball and the Negro leagues. Listed at 5' 6" (1.68 m.), 165 lb. (74 kg.), Maroto batted and threw left handed. He was born in Havana, Cuba.
