CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler played with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez when the two were growing up in Cuba. Air Max 97 Plus Australia . They traveled together to Venezuela for a youth tournament.Soler said Fernandezs ability was obvious, right from the start.Since he was a child, since we were kids, I knew he had something, Soler said through a translator. He had a talent. It was very impressive.Fernandezs death in a boating accident at the age of 24 cast a dark shadow over the major leagues on Sunday. Miamis home game against Atlanta was canceled, and several ballparks observed moments of silence. Wrigley Fields iconic hand-operated scoreboard displayed Fernandezs No. 16 in its pitching column next to Miami.But the loss of Fernandez was felt most acutely in baseballs growing Cuban community.He was one of those guys that everybody loved, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena said. He was one of those guys that everybody knew exactly what he meant to our community. For us, its a big, big loss. Its one of those things where our thoughts and prayers are obviously with his family, the Marlins organization and the fans. But it gets a little bit closer because he was part of our Cuban family.There was very little mention of Fernandezs death by Cuban state media, which were virtually silent with none of the countrys main newspapers mentioning it.The sole state-run evening news program also said nothing about the fatal accident. A brief story in Cubadebate, the countrys main news website, said Latin American baseball and the Major Leagues are undoubtedly in mourning, and many of his followers cant believe the news.The flight of baseball talent for rich contracts in the U.S. remains a sensitive topic in Cuba, where a baseball program that was a source of national pride has been devastated by departures for the Major Leagues. With few exceptions, state media do not mention Cuban players who have gone to the U.S. and games featuring those players are not rebroadcast on government-run TV.There were 23 Cubans on opening-day major league rosters this year, an increase of five over last season and the most since the commissioners office began releasing data in 1995. Many of the players share similar stories when it comes to their perilous journey from the communist country to the majors, and the difficulty of adjusting to life in the United States.A native of Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernandez was unsuccessful in his first three attempts to defect, and spent several months in prison. At 15, Fernandez and his mother finally made it to Mexico, and were reunited in Florida with his father, who had escaped from Cuba two years earlier.He was drafted by the Marlins in 2011, and quickly turned into one of the majors top pitchers.How he was on the mound was a reflection of him, Oakland first baseman Yonder Alonso said. A guy who had a lot of fun, was himself. A very talkative guy, he would come into the room and youd know he was in the room. Never big-leagued anyone, very professional. No matter what, he would talk to you about hitting, because he thought he was the best hitter, and he (would) talk to you about pitching, because he thought he was the best pitcher.Alonso said Fernandezs death was a big-time shock. Yasiel Puig used torn pieces of white athletic tape to display Fernandezs jersey on the wall in the home dugout at Dodger Stadium. Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz, who had known Fernandez since they were little kids, declined an interview request through a team spokeswoman.We Cuban players know each other well and all of us have a great relationship, Pena said. For us, its devastating news when we woke up. We were sending text messages to each other and we were showing support. Its something that obviously nobody expects.Fernandez, who became a U.S. citizen last year, also was beloved for his stature in the Cuban community in Miami.He was a great humanitarian, Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman said through a translator. He gave a lot to the community and I think thats why he got a lot of respect from the community in terms of what a great person he was and always giving, in terms of always willing to help out in whatever way he can to try to better and progress within the community someone that perhaps wasnt as fortunate as he was.The 28-year-old Chapman lives in the Miami-area in the offseason. He said he spent some time with Fernandez while he was home.He would come by my house. I would go by his, Chapman said. We would have long conversations. We would talk a lot. We spent a lot of good amount of time together. It was very special for me.---Associated Press Writer Michael Weissenstein contributed to this report from Havana---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Asics Gel Sale Australia . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Air Max 95 Sale Australia . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. http://www.salenikeshoesaustralia.com/nmd-clearance.html . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. LEXINGTON, Va. -- Domique Allen threw for a touchdown and ran for another, Jonathan King returned a fumble 54 yards for a TD and The Citadel won its 10th straight after downing VMI 30-20 in Saturdays Military Classic of the South.The Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0 Southern Conference), who had their first undefeated conference season, face No. 17 North Carolina next Saturday.Trailing 17-7 at halftime, VMI (3-7, 1-6) rallied to within 23-20 after Tyain Smiths 5-yard scoring run, but The Citadel put the game out of reach in the fourth after Jonathan Dorogys 17-yard TD run. Air Max 97 Off White Australia. Allen was 6 of 14 for 133 yards passing and 113 yards rushing. He threw an 8-yard TD pass to Tyler Renew and scored on a 7-yard run.Jake Paladino threw a 27 yard TD pass to Aaron Sanders and VMI scored on a trick play after backup quarterback Austin Coulling lateraled to tight end Ryan Swingle, who hit Coulling on a 30-yard TD pass. ' ' '