Baseball in our Heritage
Thank you so much, Dr. Caballero and Santillan, and Cal State San Bernardino. It is such a great blessing to be here.
In my career, I have the honor of working for the San Diego Padres. It is an honor because I am working for a Major League Baseball team, but also because I get to work with the Latino community. As Manager of Latino Affairs, I oversee the Padres’ Hispanic marketing and outreach efforts.
I get to share my love of the game with others. And I do love this game. It is beautiful, it is acrobatic, it is passionate, and it is what shaped my life as an American immigrant.
You see, I was born in Medellin, Colombia in South America. I was part of a generation that was impacted by the morning-sickness medicine called Thylidamide, which was found to cause birth defects. As a result, I was born missing both of my arms and my right leg.
When I was four I moved to the United States so I could receive the proper medical care, including two prosthetic arms and a prosthetic leg. I moved to San Diego, with relatives who had already moved there, and it was a strange, new world. In my first book, “Swinging for the Fences”, I describe how everything was new: the language, the bigger houses, the constant swirl of activity.
I felt like I was on another planet and I felt lost. So I did what every kid naturally does - in my new home I turned on the TV. The first thing I saw was this game being played, men in their majestic white uniforms, playing on lush green grass, whacking this white ball around. I was captivated. Then the next day, it was on TV again. And then the next day. And then the day after THAT. I thought, this is the best NOVELA around.
I started to recognize certain words, like Ball, Bat, Stadium, and Ozzie Smith. Watching baseball on TV is what taught me English.
But it gave me more than a new language. It gave me a purpose. I fell in love with the sport and saw that, although I couldn’t play it, I could still work in it and be a part of it. It gave me a purpose and a passion.
Years later, after completing my undergraduate work at Notre Dame, I took a job in PR and then a second part-time job as an usher for the San Diego Padres. This allowed me to apply for a full-time job within the organization, which I didn’t get. But I Kept Swingin’. I applied again and again, and kept getting turned down. But I Kept Swingin’ and Swingin’. Until finally, on my fourth attempt, I got hired into the front office.
I mention all this because it parallels the Latino experience in baseball. Ours is a history of struggle, and determination, but ultimately success in the game we love. Our community has been downtrodden, and often rejected, yet we persevere. It’s in our blood. It’s in our DNA. From the farm workers in the Central Valley, to the factory workers in Chicago, to hard-working first-generation college students in Southern California. We struggle and we overcome. And baseball is a constant part of our history.
That is why I fell in love with the exhibit here. When I first read “Mexican-American Baseball in Los Angeles” I was amazed. Not surprised, but amazed. I was amazed that teams have been formed in barrios, and in times of war, and as a means of keeping communities together. But I was not surprised at our level of passion, and perseverance, and pride. It’s in our blood. It’s in our DNA.
It is not important to keep this history alive – it is crucial. Today’s youth need to know about the Chorizeros, and Naranjeros, and Chavez Ravine, and Fernandomania. Those are the predecessors to A-Rod and Adrian; Pujols and Panda; Reyes and Ramirez. And the more cities we do this in, Inland Empire and San Diego and Tijuana and beyond, the histories will come alive.
I urge ALL of you to do two things: always keep supporting projects like these; keep the history alive; and the legacy flowing. And use baseball as your inspiration, your catalyst, your fire. Embrace adversity. Embrace struggle. Dream large. Overcome. And always, always Keep Swinging!
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