MESA, Ariz. -- While soccer is the sport of choice for nearly all of their Latin American neighbors, Nicaragua reveals itself as a baseball-mad scene. Passion for the game runs deep in this nation, its history rich, but resources generally scarce.
A's second baseman Jed Lowrie got a first-hand look in January, conducting three clinics in four days with help from Nicaragua native and Angels pitcher JC Ramirez and former big leaguer John Mayberry Jr., who roomed with Lowrie at Stanford.
That's also where the infielder met his wife, Milessa, who worked at the U.