Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings

Roberto “Bobby” Maduro (1916–1986) was a visionary baseball team owner and executive. His dedication to promoting the game internationally from the 1950s through the 1970s remains unrivaled. He headed Havana-based clubs in the Cuban Winter League and teams in the U.S. minor leagues, which helped brand Caribbean baseball in the eyes of North American fans. He co-built the first million-dollar ballpark in Latin America. His Havana stadium was confiscated by Castro’s revolution, along with all his accumulated wealth.
Maduro began a new life in exile in the U.S., first as a minor league owner, then as a front office executive. He founded the short-lived Inter-American League in 1979, composed of five Caribbean-basin teams and one U.S. entry from his adopted hometown of Miami. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn said of his many achievements, “No one was more dedicated, more knowledgeable or more concerned about the game than Bobby Maduro.”

Lou Hernández is the author of several baseball histories and biographies. He resides in South Florida.

Lou Hernández
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 218
Bibliographic Info: 18 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7526-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3482-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 4
Prologue: Establishing Tropical Roots 6
One—Stadium Builder 9
Two—Team Owner 19
Three—Birth of the Sugar Kings 35
Four—“Los Cubanitos” 65
Five—Championship Glory Amid Political Discord 88
Six—End of the Sugar Kings 129
Seven—Starting Over as “a Millionaire in Friends” 150
Eight—Cuban Sugar Kings Foundation 174
Epilogue: Special Latin American Committee and International Hall of Fame Wing 184
Chapter Notes 187
Bibliography 197
Index 201

“Hernandez has produced a biography of a man who is likely unknown to all but the most ardent baseball fans. … Relying on contemporary newspaper accounts, baseball archives, and interviews with surviving players and members of the Maduro family, this book is both thoroughly researched and engaging. …recommended”—Choice