José Antonio Casanova
[1] Born in Maracaibo, Zulia, Casanova is regarded as the most successful manager in Venezuelan baseball history.A five-time championship manager, he also led his teams to several international titles in a career that spanned more than three decades.[1] Casanova started his professional career in unaffiliated Venezuelan first division league in 1937, playing for the Centauros, Vencedor, Cardenales and Cervecería clubs, managing also Cervecería to a title in 1943, before joining the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in its inaugural season of 1946.[2] During this stint he also played for the Venezuela national baseball team that captured the 1941 Amateur World Series championship in Havana, in which he won the AWS Most Valuable Player honors.[1] In 2003, José Antonio Casanova was enshrined into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum as part of their first class.