Cuban Baseball Championship Resumes

Cuba's 54th Baseball Series will resume on Friday after stopping for a while to allow baseball players to participate in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.

The national series stopped on November the 3rd to facilitate the training and participation of the national baseball team at the games in Veracruz. The Cuban baseball team ended first, winning the gold medal.

Although the happiness is not over yet, there is a lot of expectation in the final games of the qualifying phase of this season ending on December 9th.

During the 33 matches disputed by 16 contenders, the eyes of many were on the national champion Pinar del Rio, now out of the qualifying places to play the second stage.

With 14 victories and 15 defeats, Pinar del Rio, Cuba's representative to the next Caribbean Series comes in 10th place, two steps under the established limit to enter the playoffs.

After 45 games, only eight teams will play the second round, with 42 matches to define the four first places to the playoffs.

Matanzas (22-11), Granma (18-11), Artemisa (20-13) and Ciego de Ávila (18-14) are dominating and seem to be definite candidates for the second stage.

But at least another nine teams have a chance to classify among the first eight for the second stage.

With more pressure and little margin for error, are Isla de la Juventud (17-14), Industriales (18-15), Villa Clara (17-15), Guantánamo (16-17) and Santiago de Cuba (16 -17).

Las Tunas (14-17), Holguin (14-17) and Sancti Spiritus (14-18) join the national champion like the teams that, armed with faith and confidence, could change the current order of the qualifying board.

Brazilian Soccer Legend Pele is Walking Again and Continues to Improve

Pele continues to show signs of improvement and is up and walking, nine days after he was admitted to a hospital with a kidney infection.

The Brazilian three-time World Cup winner remains in "semi-intensive care" at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.

Pele, who is 74 years old, was admitted on November 24 after being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that stemmed from an earlier operation to remove kidney stones. He has only one kidney, having had one removed towards the end of his playing career.

A statement from the hospital read: "Patient Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) continues with his clinical improvement and is in semi-intensive care. Clinical tests and laboratory results were adequate and the patient does not need renal support.

"He continues without fever, is walking around in his room and spending much of the day sitting in a chair. He is eating well, without haemodynamic or respiratory changes."

Doctors said Thursday that Pele remains in good condition and continues to improve steadily. He stayed several days in an intensive care unit to undergo hemodialysis to help support his only kidney.

Brazilian soccer club Santos has signed a lifetime contract to use the image of Pele. The club said Thursday it will "continue using the former soccer player's image in its marketing, publicity and social media campaigns."

Pele played for Santos nearly his entire career. He scored 1,091 goals with the club before he moved to the New York Cosmos and then retired. Santos said it has become the "first club in the world to sign a lifetime contract with a former athlete."