For baseball fans across the Upper Midwest, Tony Oliva has become one of the most well known personalities. His infectious smile and broken English endeared him to any smiling face with a hand to shake and a baseball to sign. Tony O has become a legend but it's amazing to think of how close he was to never having a baseball career.

These trials and tribulations form the backdrop of the recent book release, Tony Oliva: The Life and Times of a Minnesota Twins Legend by Thom Henninger. Oliva, a Cuban native, left behind family and friends to pursue his baseball dreams. Shortly after arriving in the United States the pipeline of native Cuban players would be cutoff following Fidel Castro seizing control of the island and the ill-fated Bay of Pig invasion.

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