THEN AND NOW: A heritage that's filled with pride

THEN AND NOW: A heritage that's filled with pride

Posted:   04/16/2012 07:06:43 PM PDT

An usher at Dodger Stadium told me this story.

At the height of Fernandomania in 1981, a longtime season ticket holder happened to stand up to stretch just prior to a game Fernando Valenzuela was scheduled to pitch.

Stretching in place in his field-level box, the ticket holder happened to look around at the packed stadium.

"Where did all these people come from?" he exclaimed.

Well, the people - La Raza - had been there a long time.

In fact, the phenomena of Fernandomania was a fitting culmination of 100 years of Mexican-American baseball in the Southland.

The Latino Baseball History Project, based at Cal State San Bernardino, has been active in tracing the role the sport played in the area's Mexican-American culture. Largely through their efforts, "Mexican American Baseball in Los Angeles" was published in 2011 by Arcadia Publishing.

Volume 2, entitled "Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire," now is available as part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of Baseball series.

Authors Richard A. Santillan, professor emeritus of ethnic and women studies at Cal Poly Pomona; Mark A. Ocegueda, a graduate student in history at UC Irvine and Terry Cannon, executive director of the Baseball Reliquary have done a remarkable job tracking down photos that capture a time and place and people.

In his dynamic foreword to the book, Jose Alamillo points out baseball to Mexican Americans was a recreational experience and a means of empowerment. Forced into low-paying jobs and enduring Juan Crow conditions, the Mexican American could look forward to Sunday and the level playing field baseball offered.

As Jackie Robinson noted in his autobiography, once accepted as a player, participating in the game was a great release and bigotry and the pressures of being a minority were forced aside. On this playing field, those who hit the ball the most often, ran the fastest and threw the hardest would prevail. Nothing else mattered.

The book by Santillan, Ocegueda and Cannon established the Mexican-American culture in the Inland Empire had a strong affinity to sports, especially baseball. Of special note is the fact Mexican-American baseball was a family experience. The game was passed down from father to son and mother to daughter.

Once Mass let out, Sundays in public parks or, more often, diamonds carved out of vacant lots meant all-day games featuring teams of all ages and both sexes. If you were too young to play, you were a batboy or batgirl. If you were too old to play, you would umpire or coach.

The games would be part of a total family experience of al fresco meals and socialization. Each community developed its own baseball heroes and style of play. The cycle began in the late 1800s and was in place when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

A few Mexican-American players eventually ventured into professional leagues and one - Melo Almada - made it all the way to the big leagues. But for most, starring on the barrio teams were the pinnacle of baseball success. Which was no small accomplishment, for by the 1920s the caliber of play of the most successful Mexican-American teams was remarkable.

The story of Fernando Valenzuela has morphed over the years into the legend of Fernando Valenzuela. However, it should be noted the key to his ascension to the Dodgers was general manager Al Campanis.

Campanis was long a champion of Latin American players and had long sought a Mexican-American player for the Dodgers. As early as 1968, he acquired Azusa native Hank Aguirre. Unfortunately, Aguirre already had pitched pro ball for 15 years at that point and was unable, physically, to pitch more than once a week.

Still, Campanis wanted Aguirre to remain in the organization as a coach or in the front office. However, by then Aguirre had established business contacts in Detroit (he pitched for the Tigers from 1958 to 1967) and requested a trade back to the Midwest.

Aguirre became a highly successful businessman until his death in 1994.

East Los Angeles' Bobby Castillo joined the Dodgers in 1977. He never developed into the standout pitcher Campanis and the Dodgers were hoping for, but he did help teach Valenzuela the big-league ropes when Fernando came up late in 1980.

Valenzuela proved to be a dream come true for the Dodgers. Not only did he win games, he did so with a guile and flare the Southland's Mexican-American fans - schooled for so many years on the game - appreciated.

"Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire" is indeed a celebration of the ethnic identity and community solidarity the game offered an oppressed people. On another more basic level, it presents an image every fan can identify with: page after page of photos of men and women who obviously are proud to have played the game.

POR: Servicios de La Opinión  |   12:29 am  |  04/17/2012  |  La Opinión

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.— Tener la mejor marca en las  Grandes Ligas (9-1) es algo alentador, pero no es ninguna garantía en una temporada que todavía no ha atravesado el umbral del primer mes.

Y eso lo sabe bien Matt Kemp, el actual mejor bombardero  de los Dodgers, que ayer fue elegido por segunda vez el Jugador de la Semana en la Liga Nacional.

“Es muy temprano. Hay un camino largo por recorrer. Lo que tenemos que hacer es seguir empujando hacia adelante”, dijo el tercer bate y jardinero central.

“Cuando uno está caliente todos los lanzadores te quieren dominar a como dé lugar. Es un reto de todos los días”, agregó Kemp, que cerró la semana con promedio de .545.

Con nuevos propietarios  y  Kemp y Andre Ethier acumulando hits y produciendo carreras, las malas vibras que dejó  Frank McCourt están comenzando a desvanecerse.

 Los Dodgers vencieron a San Diego y Pittsburgh en las primeras dos semanas de la campaña. Pero los Padres y Piratas son dos de los equipos más débiles de la Liga Nacional.

“Los triunfos hacen cambiar  todo. No importa quién es el dueño. Tenemos una mejor atmósfera tanto dentro del terreno como en los vestidores”, subrayó Kemp.

Los angelinos salieron ayer a Milwaukee con un balance intacto de 6-0 en el Dodger Stadium y son el único equipo que queda en las Grandes Ligas con una derrota por primera vez desde 1955, cuando los Dodgers ganaron su primera Serie Mundial en Brooklyn.

En su segunda gira de la temporada, los Dodgers abren hoy una serie de tres partidos contra los Cerveceros de Milwaukee.

Encuentran a los Cerveceros con una racha adversa de cuatro derrotaas seguidas, pero se enfrentarán al  estelar derecho Yovani Gallardo.

El mexicano  se recuperó de una mala  salida en San Luis, su primera de la temporada,  con una joya en bruto en el Wrigley Field ante los Cachorros.

 Gallardo (1-1, 5.91 de efectividad), dejó en una carrera a los Cubs y cinco hits en siete entradas.

Previamente, el as de los Cerveceros había sido castigado fuerte por los Cardenales. Le hicieron  seis carreras en apenas tres innings dos tercios.

Fue tan brutal el ataque que Gallardo permitió cuatro jonrones, algo inusual en él y el alto mando de los Cerveceros revisó  el video, pero no encontraron nada anormal.

“Obviamente que no lancé  de la manera que deseaba”, dijo Gallardo,  después de haber logrado su primer triunfo el miércoles pasado.

“Tenía cuatro días para trabajar en lo que quería arreglar y dio resultado”, agregó el oriundo de La Piedad, Michoacán.

Gallardo se las verá con  Kemp que actualmente encabeza las Ligas Mayores en ocho categorías ofensivas: .487 en proemdio de bateo, seis jonrones, 16 carreras impulsadas y 13 anotadas. A Kemp le sigue Ethier que tomará su primer turno hoy con  .289,  tres cuadrangulares y 15 carreras producidas.

Don Mattingly tiene listo para abrir la serie a  Chad Billingsley (2-0, 0.63 de efectividad), quien se impuso a Pittsburgh y San Diego en sus primeras dos aperturas. El pitcher derecho, segundo en la rotación angelina, ha permitido apenas ocho hits y ponchado a 15  en 14 innings un tercio.