Despite deep political and ideological differences over the years, Cuba and the United States always have shared a love of baseball.From the Negro Leagues to the current crop of Cuban stars, the communist island and the U.S. are linked by century-old baseball ties. It was during spring training in 1947 in Havana that the Brooklyn Dodgers got an extended look at Montreal Royals star Jackie Robinson, who later that year became broke the major league colour barrier.Major league teams regularly held spring training camps in Cuba and played exhibition games there, and the Cincinnati Reds even had a Triple-A affiliate in Havana before Fidel Castro banned professional sports.Cuban Hall of Famers Jose Mendez, Martin Dihigo and Cristobal Torriente were some of the biggest stars in the Negro Leagues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and eventual Satchel Paige and Roy Campanella played in Cuba in the 1930s and 40s as parts of careers that led to Hall of Fame induction.President Barack Obamas announcement Wednesday that the U.S. is restoring diplomatic ties with the island nation could usher in a new era in U.S.-Cuba baseball relations, which were strained after the Fidel Castro-led revolution and the U.S. economic embargo. If Congress lifts the trade embargo, American-owned teams might one day return to Cuban soil, and Cuban players could sign with major league teams without defecting.Some key moments in the history of U.S.-Cuba baseball ties:—1864: Baseball is introduced in Cuba by Cuban students returning home from the U.S.—May 1, 1871: Cuban Esteban Steve Bellan becomes the first Latin American player in U.S. baseball, making his debut with the Troy Haymakers of the National Association.—Dec. 29, 1878: First official baseball game in Cuba, between Habana and Almendares. Bellan coached the Habana team, which won 21-20.—1937: New York Giants hold spring training camp in Havana.—1941-42, 1947: Brooklyn Dodgers hold spring training camps in Havana.—1953: Pittsburgh Pirates hold spring training camps in Havana.—1954-60: The Havana Sugar Kings, a Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, play in the U.S. minor leagues. The team was born in 1946 as the Havana Cubans in Class C.—March 21, 1959: Less than three months after Castros revolution, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds play what would be the last game between major league teams in Cuba for the next four decades.—Jan. 14, 1962: Castro bans professional sports in Cuba.—September 1995: Pitcher Livan Hernandez leaves the Cuban national team during a training camp in Monterrey, Mexico, one of the first in a series of high-profile players to defect and sign multimillion dollar contracts with MLB teams.—March 28-May 3, 1999: Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban national team play a two-game series in Havana and Baltimore. Game 1 in the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana was the first time a major league team played in Cuba in 40 years. It was attended by Castro, and Baltimore won 3-2 in 11 innings. Cuba won the second game 12-6 at Camden Yards, led by future Yankees starter Jose Contreras.—Sept. 27, 2000: The U.S. beats favoured Cuba 4-0 in the gold medal game at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.—2012: For the first time since 1996, a Cuban national team and U.S. college players meet in an exhibition series in Cuba.—Nov. 11, 2013: Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is voted the NL Rookie of the Year, the first Cuban to win the award in either league since Jose Canseco in 1986. Jose Abreu wins the AL Rookie of the Year in 2014.—Aug. 23, 2014: Rusney Castillo signs a $72.5 million, seven-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, the largest baseball agreement for a Cuban defector.—Dec. 17, 2014: President Barack Obama announces plans to restore U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties. Kyle Garlick Jersey . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. 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LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.(NLL) - The Toronto Rock re-signed 10 players on Thursday, including forward Kasey Beirnes to a three-year contract and veteran defender Patrick Merrill to a two-year deal. Beirnes will enter his seventh season with the Rock when the NLL season begins for Toronto on January 3 against Calgary at Air Canada Centre. The 33-year old veteran of 12 NLL seasons also spent time with Columbus, Arizona and Minnesota before arriving in Toronto in 2008. "Kasey is as consistent as they come," said Rock general manager Terry Sanderson. "He is a leader in the room and on the floor. He often flies undder the radar, but at the same time that might be part of what makes him so dangerous.dddddddddddd" His 31 goals and 54 points in 2013 represented his best season totals while wearing a Rock uniform. Those season numbers are the third best of his career in the respective categories and the most since scoring 33 goals and 62 points in 2004 with the Arizona Sting, which were both career highs. Merrill signed a two-year agreement while forwards Scott Evans and Rob Hellyer along with defencemen Damon Edwards, Chris White, Scott Johnston, Rob Marshall, Mike Hobbins and Cam Woods signed one-year deals. ' ' '