Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin on baseball mission to Cuba
Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin on baseball mission to Cuba
Associated Press
Updated 6:10 pm, Monday, February 10, 2014
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Ken Griffey Jr. works with youngsters in Havana on Sunday. Passion for baseball "starts out with 8- and 9-year-olds.
So I wanted to personally see what it was like" in Cuba, he said.
Photo: Franklin Reyes, Associated Press [/font]
Two of baseball's biggest names are in Havana as part of a sports-diplomacy program that aims to foster personal ties between citizens of the United States and Cuba, two nations that have long seen eye-to-eye on little other their shared love for the sport.
Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. - a good bet to be enshrined after he becomes eligible - are holding youth clinics, talking baseball with Cuban fans and taking in a game featuring the powerhouse ballclub, Industriales.
"The passion for baseball is unbelievable here, and for a baseball guy, that's what we want to see," Griffey said.
"You see the (Cubans) that come over (to MLB) and how passionate they are about playing the game, but it starts out with 8- and 9-year-olds," he added. "So I wanted to personally see what it was like. And so far, it's been unbelievable for us."
More:
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Ken-Griffey-Jr-Barry-Larkin-on-baseball-mission-5222681.php