In my first column in this space, I explored the history of baseball in Japan. Now, as baseball season heats up, fellow contributor Thomas M. Hunt and Stratfor Senior Analyst Matthew Bey (a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan) join me to offer a closer look at the increasingly global all-American game. We begin with a look at the baseball versus soccer divide in Latin America and the historical forces that led to these sports taking root in various locales, including the particularly curious case of communist Cuba becoming a baseball country.

We also consider the modern-day influence of international players on the game, especially those who have emerged from the controversial "academy" system in the Caribbean. For listeners interested in delving deeper into the diffusion of sports around the globe or into baseball in Latin America, there is plenty of literature on both subjects. As a starting point, we recommend National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer by Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist, as well as Sugarball: The American Game, the Dominican Dream by Alan M. Klein. Thank you in advance for listening and, as always, we look forward to hearing your feedback.