11.   City officials called him a month ago to ask whether his boys wanted to play the Cuban national team as it warmed up for the Olympics.

12.   Cubas is so well-known by now to Cuban baseball officials that he is less inclined to be seen around the Cuban team.

13.   Dennis Springer, Albie Lopez and former Cuban national team star Rolando Arrojo are also candidates for spots in the Tampa Bay rotation.

14.   Echemendia, who is vastly more experienced than Williams, is probably the most technically sound boxer on the Cuban team.

15.   El Duque rode a boat to the Bahamas in December with his girlfriend and six other refugee, including a catcher on the Cuban team.

16.   He drove to the Cuban team hotel, where he was joined by Arrojo, who became the third Cuban Olympian to defect in the past two weeks.

17.   He has taken the place of Livan Hernandez, a good friend since the two pitched together on the Cuban junior national team.

18.   In participation for these Olympics, the Cuban team trained for several months in Japan.

19.   In the case of the Cuban team, there have been defections.

20.   It has been more than a year since Rey Ordonez, a gifted shortstop, defected while the Cuban national team was in Buffalo for a game.