FanNation

Gents, I need to take care of some business at home and at work so I don't know whether or not I will have computer access on Monday; therefore I have to post this much earlier than I'd anticipated. Hope you enjoy it.

What better way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo than to provide my B.B.S. friends with a blended article comprised of a few true 'eh Spanish' related stories from my mundane life as well as some interesting tidbits collected from the internet regarding the Latino contributions to major sports - primarily the first known contributors. I say 'known' because as you are most likely aware the early days of sports saw several light skin minorities pass themselves off as Caucasian in order to participate. In the sports world those days are behind us though we have a long way to go in the sports ranks at the managerial / coaching level and in the business world. Sorry, a little OT.

Passion and style. That's what Hispanic ballplayers brought to Major League baseball since 1902, and the league has never been the same. Hispanic players have combined a fervent love of the game, an instinctive grasp of the fundamentals and natural athletic grace to leave a long and distinguished legacy to the sport.

The first Latin American to enter the big leagues was Luis Castro, an infielder who played in 42 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902.

However, it was during the next decade that Latin American players really "arrived" in the majors, particularly from Cuba, which would in time become a major exporter of baseball players. Catcher Miguel Angel Gonzalez appeared two seasons earlier, also with the Braves, for a period that ended in 1932. He was known as the classical defensive player with little power at bat, but this turned out to be one of the great strategist of his generation. In 1938 he became the first Latin American to manage in the big leagues, taking charge of the St. Louis Cardinals in '38 and '40.

Other notable firsts included the first Mexican in the majors, Mel Almada, an outfielder who wore the uniform of the Boston Red Sox between 1933 and 1939, and the first Puerto Rican, Hiram Bithorn, a hurler who pitched with scrapping Chicago Cubs in 1942.

In 2003 their achievements were greater than ever. The Dominican shortstop Alex Rodriguez was selected as the AL MVP. A-Rod was the homerun champ with 47 and he led the league with 124 run scored. First baseman Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League was selected as the "Player of the Year". He led the league in run scored with 137, 212 hits and 51 doubles. Angel Berroa, shortstop for the Kansa City Royals was selected as the Rookie of the Year of the American League. Tony Peña was selected as the Manager of the Year of the AL, First baseman Carlos Delgado the Toronto Blue Jays lead the league in RBIs with 145 and he became the first Latino player to hit 4 homers in one game. Dominican Sammy Sosa became the first Latino player to reach 500 homers and Rafael Palmiero became the second shortly after. Colombian Edgar Renteria of the Cardinals had a career season with 194 hits, 100RBI and solid .330 batting average. Venezuelan Magglio Ordoñez continued his torrid batting with his 5th consecutive year of hitting over .300. Mexican Esteban Loaiza, of the White Sox won 21 games with a ERA of 2.90. He also led the league in strike outs with 207. Panamanian Mariano Rivera of the Yankees saved over 40 games for the 4th time in his career. Pedro Martinez led the AL with a 2.22 ERA. Puerto Rican Javy Lopez hit 43 homers, 42 as a catcher which established a new MLB record..

It took much sacrifice by many men for these players to get where they are today.

In 2000, Heidi Cadwell contacted the Pro Football Hall of Fame about donating her grandfather's NFL contract from 1927. Her call was of great interest to the Hall because at the time it was widely believed that Jesse Rodriguez, a fullback-punter with the 1929 Buffalo Bisons, was the first Hispanic player in NFL history.

Further research by the Hall of Fame and Hispanic historian Mario Longoria confirmed that, in fact, Ignacio "Lou" Molinet played in the NFL in 1927. Molinet, a native of Chaparra, Cuba, played nine games for the Frankford Yellowjackets that season.

Hispanic American Firsts in the Modern Era

First Hispanic American Drafted by a NFL Club: Joe Aguirre, End (St. Mary's College of California) Picked by the Washington Redskins in the ninth round of the 1941 draft.

Tom Flores - First Hispanic American Quarterback in the NFL: Tom Flores (Pacific), Oakland Raiders (AFL) 1960

First Hispanic American to Win All-League Honors: Tom Fears (Santa Clara/UCLA), Los Angeles Rams, 1949

First Hispanic American to Win Individual League Statistical Championship: Eddie Saenz, Halfback (USC). Washington Redskins 1947 (kickoff return yardage)

Tom Fears - First Hispanic American Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tom Fears, End (Santa Clara/UCLA), Los Angeles Rams 1948-1956, elected 1970

First Hispanic American Selected First Overall in the NFL Draft: Jim Plunkett, Quarterback (Stanford), New England Patriots 1971.

Coaching Firsts by Hispanic Americans

First Hispanic American Head Coaches: Tom Fears, 1967-70 New Orleans Saints and 1974-1975 Southern California Sun (WFL); Tom Flores, 1979-1988 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, and 1992-1994 Seattle Seahawks.

First Hispanic American Assistant Coaches: Tom Fears, 1959, 1962-1964 Green Bay Packers, 1960-1961 Los Angeles Rams, 1965 Atlanta Falcons; Tom Flores, 1971 Buffalo Bills, 1972-1978 Oakland Raiders; Pete Rodriguez, 1983-1984 Michigan Panthers (USFL), 1985 Denver Gold (USFL), 1986 Jacksonville Bulls (USFL), 1987 Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL), 1988-1989 Los Angeles Raiders, 1990-1993 Phoenix Cardinals, 1994-1997 Washington Redskins, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks.

Interesting to note that a man with UCLA and Raider ties is such a noteworthy Latino trendsetter, cheers mr. Fears!

Slightly OT blurb # 1

Once upon a time a very good friend of mine asked me what was the meaning a song she heard during the holidays. For the life of her she couldn't fully understand what the singer was saying and its significance to Christmas. I asked her to specify the song and she began to sing 'felix the nations' ... upon reflection I realized she meant Jose Feliciano's song, 'feliz navidad.'

As we look around the sports world today we see that MLB should be renamed Mostly Latino Ballplayers and the recent flood of marquee latinos in the NBA can't be overlooked; however you may be shocked to learn that the first Latino in the NBA wasn't quite 30 years ago. Yeah yeah, we tend to be vertically challenged but it's still pretty shocking to me.

Rolando "Ro" Antonio Blackman

No one in Panama believed that Blackman would play in the NBA, but he proved them all wrong when he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1981 Draft. As a four time All Star, Blackman tallied a career scoring average of nearly 20 points per game and led the Mavericks to the playoffs six times. He was the first Latino player to have his jersey, number 22, retired by an NBA team.

In addition to being one of the first widely recognized Latino superstars in the NBA, Blackman is tearing down the barriers of the coaching profession by being an assistant coach in the NBA in 2005 with the Dallas Mavericks.

In the same vein that Ichiro needed to become a superstar in order to open the gates for other Nippon players, Rolando needed to be better than most in order to prove Latinos belong. Without that first tentative step we may never have seen P. Gasol or M. Ginobli contributing to the NBA while still in their prime. These last few years have seen several high profile Latinos in the NBA and I think back to the disappoint first round pick by the Hawks of a Russian star many years ago that didn't quite pan out - he was good, but never great. Consequently we say an aged Sabonis playing for the Blazers with an occasional burst of brilliance ... image what may have been.

Thanks to Ro's dedication and tough game he survived and thrived letting teams know that it was okay to scout south of the border.

You and I both know that there are no frozen lakes in Latin America but that didn't stop Scott Gomez. Who you ask?

"It's an honor being the first Latino to play in the NHL, I'm sure there will more to follow" Latino hockey player Scott Gomez.

Then again, although he has la raza sangre in his system he did have the unique advantage of growing up in el Notre ... muy MUY Notre.

Scott Gomez was born and raised in a modest one family home in Anchorage, Alaska. His father, Carlos Gomez, a native of Mexico, moved there from San Diego in 1972 so he could take a construction job. It was in Alaska where Carlos met and married Dalia, a native of Colombia, who moved there from New York where she lived with her aunt.

Carlos and Dalia Gomez life story sounds like something straight out of Hollywood and is part of the reason Scott's talent has been given the support to strive.

When Scott Gomez was five years old, his father Carlos took him to a hockey game at the University of Alaska. He liked what he saw so he wanted to give it a try. "It was fun and fast and I wanted to play after that."

He family couldn't afford hockey equipment, so when the local Boys and Girls club handed out free equipment his father made sure he was the first on line.

Scott was often the target of racial slurs because of the rarity of his culture in the sport.

When he played for the "Select 16 USA Team," there were kids from different countries playing against each other, but he was the only one of Hispanic descent and he heard racist comments from opposing players.

One of the most vivid events was when a player of Asian heritage called Scott a "Spic" during a playoff game. At first, he didn't know what it meant, so he asked his mother and she told him. At first, it hurt him but then he just laughed it off because he knew he was going somewhere in hockey and those racial comments were usually coming from the worst player on the ice.

The Devils brought Scott to their training camp as an 18-year-old after being noticed during a tour with Team USA and he impressed general manager, Lou Lamoriello. At the age of 19, Scott Gomez was drafted by the New Jersey Devils as their #1 draft choice (27th overall).

When Gomez was drafted in 1999 by the Devils he also became a pioneer by becoming the first Latino ever to be drafted in the NHL. Scott, who doesn't speak fluent Spanish but understands it well, is still honored and proud of having that rare distinction. "It's something I'm proud of" said Scott. "It's a great honor being the first Mexican-American to play in the NHL.

Scott Gomez became the first rookie to win the Calder Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season since Kent Douglas of the Toronto Maple Leafs did it in 1963.

After playing in all 82 games during his rookie season, Scott appeared in first 58 games of sophomore season (2000-2001) to set Devils' record for most consecutive games played at the start of a career.

Slightly off topic blurb # 2

Working for a Fortune 300 company head quartered in Europe means that my work takes me to various places around the world and I'm often called upon to represent my department and region at international meetings. This can be a little intimidating since I'm not only an American but worse a minority too. Anyway, the meetings and primary discussions are conducted in English 99% of the time but on break and during side meetings the attendees will often revert to their native tongue. Not so long ago I was in a room with several French and Dutch representatives who decided to have their own quick discussion about one of our projects and disregarded my input by attempting to exclude me from their conversations. At the end of the breakout session I turned to the Dutch contingent and told them that I agreed with one or two of their points but pointed out a potential problem with their third point - in English (thank you Rosetta Stone - FREE PLUG). Then I turned to the Toads and offered some suggestions on how to handle their upcoming negotiations - in French. Finally, I gathered my notes and laptop stood up and said, Vamanos muchachos es tiempo de regresar al nuestro trabajo.

The next breakout session was 100% in English.

MLS

hahaha - just kidding - I may as well have written a paragraph entitled 'The First Greek in the Olympics.'

PGA

Oddly enough despite the amazing success of Lorena Ochoa in the LPGA, Sergio Garcia's doube-dipping in the PGA and European Tour, plus the enduring fondness for Chi Chi Rodriguez there was very little information about Latinos in the PGA. Basically most of the information I did find was about noteworthy victories on the tour by players of Latin descent. My apologies.

My guess is that Juan is either the first pro or at least the first successfull Latino in the PGA. In a career which spans four decades, Chi-Chi won 22 Senior PGA Tour victories, 8 regular PGA Tours and has career earnings of over $7 million dollars.

Chi-Chi Rodriguez was born in Rio Piedras in 1935 and as a young boy helped his father work the hot, dusty sugar cane fields. He began caddying at the age of six and actually learned how to play golf with clubs fashioned out of guava tree limbs and tin cans hammered into balls. From the start he has become one of the most successful and widely recognized names in the game of golf. hi-Chi's golf expertise began at the age of 12, when he shot a 67. Chi-Chi became known for his eye-hand coordination and imagination skills that more than 40 years have help him overcome all kinds of obstacles.

It has been said that pound for pound Chi-Chi is the longest hitter in the history of golf. At 5-7 and weight ranging from 112-130 pounds, the wiry Puerto Rican has at times driven a golf ball over 350 yards. He has consistently been at over 250 yards throughout his career.

"Next to Jackie Robinson, Pancho Gonzáles was the most competitive athlete I've ever known" Legendary sports broadcaster, Howard Cosell. Related Info

When Ricardo Alonzo "Pancho" Gonzáles was the age of 12, he asked his mother for a bike for his birthday. His mom thought riding a bike was too dangerous so she bought him a tennis racket instead. Richard fell in love with the racket and the game of tennis and began playing as often as he could

Pancho Gonzáles will be remembered forever as a fiery competitor, a fearsome opponent with lots of charisma and a strong nerve. Though he had a powerful service, Gonzáles was not the greatest of volleyers or groundstrokers. It was his sheer passion for the game and will to win that made him a champion. In many ways he epitomized what the word champion means. He fought racial prejudice, overcame the stigma of being a school truant and the snobbery of the tennis hierarchy to become one of the game's great champions. Gonzáles was perpetual motion. He never sat still and wasn't happy unless he was on the move. He loved drag racing and poker, but his passion for tennis was second to none.

It is a shame that he was robbed of further Grand Slam success by turning professional. If the game had gone open twenty years earlier then the record books would undoubtedly show the name of Richard Alonzo Gonzáles in the top five on the Grand Slam singles titles leaderboard.

 Adrian Fernandez began his career by racing motorcross at age eight. He entered his first auto race in 1981 at the "24 Hours of Mexico" and at the age of 15 he made the permanent move to cars in 1982. From 1982 to 1984 Fernandez competed in the Formula Vee Championship taking the title in '83 and '84. He also raced in the Formula K Series in 1984, competing in that series through 1986. He finished in the top four in the standings all three years in Formula K. 

In 1987 he ran one race in the Benelux Formula Ford 1600 Championship, one British RAC Formula Ford 1600 Championship race and competed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. From 1988-89 he ran the British RAC and Esso Formula Ford 1600 Championship series before moving to the International F3 Championship for 1990 and 1991. He captured the Formula 3 title in '91.

In 1992 Fernandez came to the United States to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship (now the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship). He finished third in the points winning four races, a rookie record, and took the "Indy Lights Rookie of the Year" honors and made more than two million dollars in prize earnings.

Well, there it is folks an all too brief look at some of the Latin influence on sports. I know that there's a dozen other notables that I failed to point out and you're all welcome to add to the list in your comments - lest we forget.

Until the next time, have fun, take care, and Vive la Raza !!!