Guerrilla revolutionary and communist idol, Fidel Castro was a holdout against history who turned tiny Cuba into a thorn in the paw of the mighty capitalist United States.

His long-winded political rants were legendary. But Castro also loved burning the midnight oil, the written word, and, ironically, the sport that unites Cuba and its US foe: baseball.

Castro squeezed the maximum out of his 90 years which ended when he died late Friday, getting by on snatched rest, sustained by the passion of his interests and the revolution he nurtured for nearly half a century.

Cuba's revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara, center, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro, left, and Cuba's President Osvaldo Dorticos, right, attend a reception in an unknown location in Cuba.─AP

Castro (L), then 33 years old, chatting with ailing 31-year-old Ernesto "Che" Guevara, at his barracks in Havana, shortly after both led the revolution that overthrew the Batista regime. ─AFP

In this Feb. 26, 1957 file photo, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro stands in an unknown location in Cuba. ─ AP

This file photo taken in the 1960s shows then Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro (L) lighting a cigar while listens Argentine Ernesto Che Guevara.— AFP

Castro speaks with prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion at the sports stadium in Havana, Cuba.─AP

Cuban President, Fidel Castro, points during his lengthy speech before the United Nations General Assembly. — AP

Cuba's leader Fidel Castro addresses a crowd in a park in front of the presidential palace in Havana. ─AP

Castro plays baseball in Havana in this August 1964 file photo. ─Reuters

Castro laughs during the year-end session of the Cuban parliament in Havana. ─Reuters

Former South African President Nelson Mandela (L) hugs Cuba's President Fidel Castro during a visit to Mandela's home in Houghton, Johannesburg. ─Reuters

Cuban former president Fidel Castro (R) shaking hands with Pope Francis in Havana. ─Reuters

Cuban president Fidel Castro (L) welcoming General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev (R) during the official ceremony for Gorbachev's arrival in Havana. — AFP

Cuban President Fidel Castro waving a flag during a visit 27 January, 2001, to the Havana neighborhood of San Jose de las Lajas. ─AFP

Cuban leader Fidel Castro greeted by United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali on his arrival at Bella center conference hall in Copenhagen. ─AFP

A man walks past a graffitti that reads "Long live Fidel" in Santiago de Cuba in this December 29, 2008 file photo.— Reuters

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