Sport: The Winter Leagues

Big-league baseball used to be a seasonal occupation. Come fall, a player could clean up his shotgun, untangle his fishing tackle, or just loaf on the front porch waiting for spring. If he needed spare cash, he could act like a businessman. Then eager-beaver bushers discovered a gold mine: the winter leagues. Across the Caribbean, from Cuba to Colombia, hotheaded Latins were paying good money to watch the Great American Game. A man could keep solvent, keep warm, and keep in practice all winter. Best of all, he could keep on playing baseball.

As...