Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The Insane, Harrowing Story Of Yasiel Puig's Journey To America
Yasiel Puig in action at Dodger Stadium (Photo by scani via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
Ever since his debut in June of 2013, Yasiel Puig has been the most fascinating member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a recent story from Los Angeles Magazine only further adds to the intrigue. Love him or hate him (and most of you love him, as his #66 was one of the best-selling jerseys last year), the 23 year-old Cuban defector has become the favorite topic of sportswriters on both sides of the debate. He'll ruin the Dodgers by showing up late for work, but at the same time he's also "everything great about baseball."
However you feel about Puig and his behavior, this Los Angeles Magazine feature paints another picture of the athlete and his harrowing journey. Because of the American embargo, Cubans have to defect in order to play in the Major Leagues. This sends those ballplayers with Major League aspirations on a treacherous journey that could land them in jail if they are ever caught. It took Puig on his fifth defection attempt to ultimately make it first to Mexico where he would wind up signing with the Dodgers for $42 million all based off one batting practice session.
The story of Puig's defection doesn't end there, as a lawsuit by a man jailed in Cuba has brought much more information to light. Miguel Angel Corbacho Daudinot is serving seven years in jail after being turned in by Puig and his mother when he offered to help him defect, and is suing Puig for ratting him out and subjecting him to the horrors of the Cuban prison system ("overcrowded, unhygienic, and unhealthy" according to Human Rights Watch). A boxer who accompanied Puig on his defection (along with a Santería priest and Puig's then-girlfriend) is now serving as a witness to the lawsuit, detailing the men associated with the Zetas drug cartel that smuggled them into Mexico, the small-time crook from Miami that "rescued" them from Mexico when monetary negotiations went awry, and the mysterious death of one of the smugglers who had previously threatened Puig for payment.
The Los Angeles Magazine piece never goes so far as to accuse Puig of any wrongdoing, but instead reveals the hardships and murky waters that Cubans endure when trying to escape to freedom. Certainly Puig could use a little sanding down on the rough edges of his behavior, but is important to put in perspective that he is still a 23 year old in a country and society that is completely new to him. Let's cut him a little slack, shall we?
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist