1.  Although the game was just an exhibition, for many Cuban players and fans, it carried all the weight of a seventh game of the World Series.

2.  Because Cuba remains communist, scouting Cuban players has been prohibited.

3.  A new generation of Cuban players, including Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro, has made its mark.

4.  But what good is improving relations if the plight of the Cuban players is not improved?

5.  Cuban players who defect are placed in the amateur draft.

6.  Cuban players, however, also receive perks from the government, like free housing, free education and, in some instances, free cars.

7.  For a Cuban player to play for a United States team without defecting, the Cuban government and Major League Baseball would have to reach an agreement on pay.

8.  He was one of many Cuban players the senators had.

9.  If Peter Angelos stands to gain by connecting with Cuban players, there will be two dozen other owners waiting in line with their passports....

10.  If they had sought asylum in the United States, as other Cuban players had done previously, they would have been subject to the draft.