The first MLB game since 1961 aired in Cuba — but it was two months old

The first MLB game since 1961 aired in Cuba — but it was two months old
By Mike Oz | Big League Stew
(AP)

Cuba, the baseball-loving country that gave us Yasiel Puig, hadn't shown
an MLB game on its state TV channel since 1961. That changed Sunday.
You might think the people of Cuba got a chance to see Puig, or fellow
defected MLB stars such as Yoenis Cespedes or Aroldis Chapman. In fact,
it was none of those three. It wasn't even a team with a Cuban player.
It was the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. In a game they
played May 2.
According to an Associated Press report, Cubans were excited to see
American baseball on TV, until they realized what it was.
''It's interesting to see how they play, but I can't say it thrilled me
all that much because I don't know any of the players,'' said Diego
Sierra, 67. ''I would really like to see the Cubans, see how they are
developing in that league, really see how well they are doing" ...
''I watched this game for about 45 minutes and didn't think much of
it,'' said Margarita Roman, a 46-year-old devotee of Havana's powerhouse
team, Industriales. ''Besides, there weren't any Cubans. That's what
interests us.''
''But things are changing so I hope the next step is to show a game with
our compatriots, and if it can be live, all the better,'' she added.

(Getty Images)
The game was boiled down to about an hour and a half, with no
commercials and Cuban announcers dubbed over the Americans. The AP said
it wasn't clear whether MLB actually granted permission to show the
game, or if Cuba TV just showed it without approval, as it does with
other American TV.
Cuban baseball fans want to see the Cuban players because it's otherwise
hard to follow their careers in a Communist country with
state-controlled media, which doesn't report on defectors such as Puig
and Cespedes. That could be a reason why two teams with no Cuban players
were shown. Glorifying the defectors might be a no-no.
We'll find out if in another two months Cuba shows a Los Angeles Dodgers
game edited so Puig strikes out every time he's up.

Source: "The first MLB game since 1961 aired in Cuba — but it was two
months old | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports" -
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