Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Around the Horn
George Gmelch and Daniel A. Nathan
Part 1. The Americas
1. Cuba: The Curtain Begins to Fall
Tim Wendel
2. Dominican Republic: From Paternalism to Parity
Alan Klein
3. Puerto Rico: A Major League Stepping-Stone
Franklin Otto and Thomas E. Van Hyning
4. Canada: Internationalizing America’s National Pastime
Colin Howell
5. Mexico: Baseball’s Humble Beginnings to Budding Competitor
Jorge Iber
6. Nicaragua: In Search of Diamonds
Dan Gordon
7. Venezuela: The Passion and Politics of Baseball
Arturo J. Marcano and David P. Fidler
8. Brazil: Baseball Is Popular, and the Players Are (Mainly) Japanese!
Carlos Azzoni, Tales Azzoni, and Wayne Patterson
Part 2. Asia
9. Japan: “No Matter What Happens, Stand Up”
Dan Gordon
10. Japan: Professional Baseball Enters the Twenty-First Century
William W. Kelly
11. Korea: Straw Sandals and Strong Arms
Joseph A. Reaves
12. China: A Century and a Half of Bat Ball
Joseph A. Reaves
13. Taiwan: Baseball, Colonialism, Nationalism, and Other Inconceivable Things
Andrew D. Morris
Part 3. The Pacific
14. Australia: Baseball’s Curious Journey
Rick Burton
15. Tasmania: Baseball Struggles to Survive
George Gmelch
16. New Zealand: Baseball between British Traditions
Greg Ryan
Part 4. The Middle East
17. Israel: From the Desert to Jupiter . . . and Beyond
William Ressler
Part 5. Africa
18. South Africa: The Battle for Baseball
Marizanne Grundlingh
Part 6. Europe
19. Italy: No Hot Dogs in the Bleachers
Peter Carino
20. Holland: An American Coaching Honkbal
Harvey Shapiro
21. Great Britain: Baseball’s Battle for Respect in the Land of Cricket, Rugby, and Soccer
Josh Chetwynd
22. Finland: Pesäpallo, Baseball Finnish Style
Mikko Hyvärinen
Part 7. World Baseball Classic
23. The World Baseball Classic: Conflicts and Contradictions
Robert Elias
Afterword
George Gmelch and Daniel A. Nathan
Source Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index