Last Olympics for baseball, Cuba favored

BEIJING, July 25 (UPI) -- Baseball

Gold medals to be awarded: 1

Dates of competition: Aug. 13-23

Having been voted out of the Olympics along with softball, baseball's originating country is anxious to claim a goodbye gold medal.

Baseball became a part of the Olympics in 1992 and Cuba has won all but one of the gold medals awarded. The exception came in 2000, when a team coached by Tommy Lasorda defeated the Cubans in the gold medal game 4-0.

Ben Sheets allowed the Cubans only three hits that day.

Former major league manager Davey Johnson will guide a group of American minor league players in this year's Olympics.

Cuba, however, is again the heavy favorite among a collection of teams that includes Canada, Japan and South Korea.