A similar tale can be told by thousands of Cubans who seem to be gifted in this New World sport: In 1947, in Stamford Connecticut, my father was attending Eastern Military Academy or EMA. Just before graduation, my father and his teammates were called to the sports director's office for a pep talk at 9 p.m. The team's big game the next day would be against LaSalle Military Academy, reputed to be the "best team in the US." (The story continues ...)