Put another candle on the very crowded birthday cake of Conrado Marrero, the oldest living former major league player. The Cuban pitcher celebrated his nd birthday Thursday at his modest Havana apartment surrounded by family and friends, an unlit Cuban cigar in his mouth and a baseball cap on his head. He was given an enormous blue and white cake, and savored a glass of wine and a sip of Bucanero, Cuba's domestic beer. Marrero smiled as his family applauded and smothered him in hugs. In addition to his longevity, the former Washington Senator has much to celebrate this year.

As Cuba opens its doors to the U. I thought about my cousins in Sagua la Grande, a small town about miles east of La Habana. I finally responded to their emails, which had been piling up in my inbox for the last month. I expected quick replies full of jubilance, reports from the frontlines of hope. I want my America-obsessed cousins to finally reap the economic benefits of their devotion.

Loved your belt in sagua la grande. Video details Living on the coast, the ocean became his playground early on and marine life captivated him immediately. While in Cuba, he worked with a group of oceanographers which would became the catalyst for his adoration for nautical life. In the fall of , Victor set on a journey that would change his life forever.