Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Tribeca film examines Cuba's lost son of baseball
Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:43pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of baseball's greatest showmen returns to the spotlight in a documentary film that infuses the drama of sport with the emotions surrounding Cuba's revolution, isolation and gradual re-opening to the United States.
More significantly for Luis Tiant, he returned to his native Cuba 46 years after getting caught outside the country during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, unable to return without giving up his promising professional baseball career.
"The Lost Son of Havana," which premiers at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival, documents Tiant's 2007 return to Havana. There he was re-united with family, friends and former teammates who alternately embrace him and resent his search for fame while leaving Cuba behind.
U.S. and Cuban authorities allowed him to return in conjunction with an exhibition baseball game.
U.S. President Barack Obama this month relaxed some of the travel restrictions that helped keep Tiant and other Cubans in the United States from visiting their homeland.
Tiant, 68, still wears his big droopy mustache, now turned white, and smokes jumbo cigars, making him a natural for the camera, just as he was in 1975. His magnificent and charismatic performance in the World Series that year as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox made him one of the most popular players in the game.
Many fans recall the 1975 series, in which the Cincinnati Reds defeated Boston in seven games, as the most exciting they have ever seen.
"We love athletes and we love human interest stories and we love Luis, and so it all seemed to mesh when we found out he wanted to go home to Cuba after being away for 46 years," said Bobby Farrelly, co-executive producer with his brother Peter.
The Farrelly brothers are best known for making comedies such as "Something About Mary" and break new ground with "The Lost Son of Havana," directed by Jonathan Hock.
The film covers the diplomatic events that divided Cuba and the United States during the Cold War, forcing Tiant and other Cuban ballplayers to choose between remaining amateurs at home or aiming for the major leagues in the United States.
FATHER'S GREATNESS
It also tells how Tiant's father, Luis "Lefty" Tiant, was denied the chance to play in the major leagues because of the color barrier that kept blacks out until 1947, just as his career ended. Lefty instead became a legend in the pre-integration Negro Leagues and in 1961 advised his son to pursue the major leagues rather than return to Cuba.
After a couple of years in the minor leagues, where the younger Tiant endured the open racism of the segregated South in 1962, he burst into the big leagues with an overpowering fastball in 1964 and soon became one of the best pitchers in the game.
A serious arm injury in 1970 robbed him of his fastball, so he re-invented himself as a finesse pitcher who turned his back to the batter, whipping around and delivering the ball from a different arm angle each pitch.
Deception replaced velocity as his weapon, and he again dominated the pitching mound. But, an apolitical man, he never understood why he could not return home. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
ELO rocker Jeff Lynne working slowly on solo album
also on reuters
Blog: Apple raises ruckus with baby-shaking app
"Banker to the poor" gives New York women a boost
Video
Video: "Best job in the world" a marketer's dream
More Entertainment News
Beyonce says "definitely" wants Broadway role
Woody Allen returns to NY to open Tribeca festival
Tarantino back in Cannes with Almodovar, Campion
| Video
"Idol" Anoop Desai ditches grad school for music
Heart, Bedingfield perform at ASCAP pop awards
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Lewis testified that U.S. urged silence on Merrill deal: report
Bra deflects bullet aimed at woman
Global economic crisis hits German sex industry
Clinton says Cheney not a "reliable source"
Obama calls for credit card reforms | Video
"Banker to the poor" gives New York women a boost
Freddie Mac CFO in apparent suicide: police source | Video
Obama triggers firestorm in CIA interrogation case
FDA eases access to morning-after pill
U.S. pressured B of A to complete Merrill deal: Cuomo
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
"Best job" a marketers dream
Obama touts green jobs on Earth Day
Business Update: Britain's Budget
Freddie Mac acting CFO dead
IMF: Global recession is severe
Clinton: Pakistan abdicating Taliban
Smallest earth-like planet found
Credit card controversy
Terror suspects trial in Germany
Indian prime minister votes
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.