Category: Major League Baseball

Afro Latino, Latinos, Major League Baseball, Sammy Sosa

Say it aint so Sammy!

Many people think I am crazy when I bring up the issue of color within the Latino Community. They tilt their head to the side with a crazy look and say “Really?” I have mentioned several times that most Latinos are color struck and feel that marrying a lighter skin man or woman is a way of raising up our people. But, Sammy Sosa took it to a whole new level.

Sammy Sosa was an icon in the 1990’s with his battle to be the home run king against Mark McGuire in Major League Baseball. Those two men brought back baseball from the dark ages that was caused by the labor strike. It also brought the out the fact that Sammy was Dominican; a very dark skinned Latino.

He has a very good public persona. Despite his issues at the congressional hearing on steroids where he, all of a sudden doesn’t know English, he has always been the type of person to attract attention. I regarded his skin color to very much be apart of who he is, it was apart of his swag as a baseball player and a Latino. Sammy represents Afro-Latinos just as much as Roberto Clemente during his career.

So the question is, how insecure does one have to feel in order to be able make your skin lighter? Was he feeling left out? He shows up to the Latin Grammy’s looking like Mc Lyte. Really Sammy? When I looked up the reason why he went through this transformation, I was shocked with what I found. He went through a skin rejuvenation process that temporarily lightens the skin color. Apparently women do this all the time according to his friends. They say he will be back to his negrito skin color soon.

Let’s break this down. So Sammy decides that he is going to rejuvenate his skin right before one of the biggest Latino events of the year. I would like to know what woman does this and gets the same results as Sosa did. Last time I checked, rejuvenating black skin did not need make it white. Think about all the white people who are desperate to get darker and go to tanning salons so they can be a shade closer to our beautiful black skin.

I am sorry, but I am not buying it. I think it is a piss poor excuse. I think Sammy succumbed to the pressures that of being Afro-Latino in Latin America. He has now become an affront to me and all Afro-Latinos who are proud of our heritage and proud of our appearance.

It is not a good look Sammy. Not at all.

Major League Baseball, Mi Abuelito, New York Mets

Take Me Out to the Ball Game…

Well, I will keep this somewhat brief because it is late. It is the April 8th and it is game 2 into the Major League Baseball season and I am hooked. I watched tonight’s Met’s Game. I was very into it. I cheered. I clapped. I screamed! Ugh! Those damn Mets. They Won!
I am so excited. I always miss Baseball season during the winter. I am not into Football as much as others. The NBA is just not what it used to be. College Basketball does hold me down a little bit. I just love Baseball.
It was the only sport that I could play as a kid. No one could tell me I was too small to play it. The only sport that I could play out in the street that involved just about every kid in the neighborhood. For me, it was about bring different kids together just to play one game, which by the way we never really finished a game.

Watching baseball was one of the few thing that connected me with mi abuelito (grandfather). He lived in Brooklyn way before I was a thought and was a huge Dodger Fan. Once they moved to Los Angeles, he did not have a team. The New York Mets were born in 1962 and he was hooked. I got my passion for baseball from him and watching him yell at the radio as he listen to them play.

So when people ask me why I am a Met fan who lives in the Bronx, well now you know. I used to go to games in Queens. I lived in the part of the Bronx that was by the water (Clason Point). I can see the lights of Shea Stadium. I think about Citifield now and I wish that mi abuelito (God rest his soul) could see how much it looks like Ebbets Field.
So, baseball season is finally here. So let the shit talking commence. The summer rivalries will continue. But, win or lose, this will be a GREAT SUMMER!
Citifeild, Major League Baseball, New York Mets, Shea Stadium

Saying Goodbye To Shea…

I was talking to Brooke the other night about Baseball and she told me something that really made me think. She told me that although the new Citifeild was nice…she will miss Shea Stadium. I had to think about this for a moment. I will miss that place too.

Now, I have been there probably close to 20 times within my life time. But it will always be the first ball park I have ever been too. I remember going to the Mets games at Shea Stadium when I was a boy. Of course, back then everything to me was bigger and grander. So walking though Shea for the first time was just awesome to me.

I consider myself lucky to have been able to have gone to some games last year with the boys. In fact, I am glad I was able to take my nephew you in 2007. That was a great treat for me. I think I had more fun taking him than he did.

I have set in several sections and have seen many games. I would say that the best seats I had was when I was behind 3rd base last year, which was cool because we right next to David Wright, but that does not compare to when I was a kid. I sat behind 1st base and saw Keith Hernandez close up. There was nothing better than that.

What will I miss the most? Besides the apple popping up out of center field (which I think they are moving to Citifield)? I am not sure. I want to say the Sausage Sandwiches or perhaps the long ramps one would have to walk up from level to level. Actually…the Diamond club area was nice.

So many memories! But, I know that I will be going to a lot more games in Citifeild and I cannot wait!
Alex Rodriguez, ESPN, Major League Baseball, Sports Illustrated, steriods

The Media Loves Steroids

When I wrote yesterday’s blog, I thought to myself that perhaps I am the only one who shares my sentiment on when will all this steroid crap in baseball will be over. In speaking with my co-worker (who is a Yankee fan) he believes the same thing. We are we going down this road again?

My feeling on the subject is this, the only industry that benefits from any of this is the Media. Sports Illustrated will sell more magazines, ESPN will get more viewers, and Sports Talk shows will sell more advertisements. If you think that I am just blowing smoke rings, I understand. But, how is that this article mysteriously comes out a week after the Super Bowl, which just happens to the be the week before pitchers and catcher report to Spring Training?

I know how this is going to play out. We hear about this all Spring and Summer. Names will come out every so often and people will scoff and be disappointed. Fine. But, this will never end. At least not until they hang Barry Bonds.

What gets me is that Baseball was all but dead by the end of the 90’s. If it wasn’t for Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire in that historic home run chase, we may not be enjoying the same sport. No one complained about the home runs and no one complained when the Yankees dominated during those years. So the issue is why complain now? Major League Baseball had no sanctions on any of this stuff until 2004. They turned their backs.

I still do not like Alex Rodriguez. But, I commend him for admitting taking an enhancement. I do not believe that makes him any less of a player. I am a firm believer that steroids can not make you see the ball better, cannot make you hit it better, cannot make you dive for the ball at the right moment, cannot make you slide the right way, and cannot make you catch/throw the ball more accurately. No one can prove what steroids does in terms of performance. The only thing we know is that it makes you recover faster. Who would not want that?

I am not saying that people need to take steroids, however, none of us really know what that pressure it is, to succeed at a high level. Then you have to take into account that these athletes make millions of dollars and need to perform to justify that pay. So what now? Do you mean to tell me that no one in NBA or NFL are not taking them? Where are those Sanctions?

Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball, steriods

Back on the MLB Steroid Train…

I should be happy about this, but I am not. I stuck answering this question: when does it end? Clearly I am a New York Mets fan, clearly I am not fond of the Yankees, and if you know me well enough then you know I cannot stand Alex Rodriguez. He is arrogant, an asshole, and a liar. I felt that way before this new steroid allegation. I should be excited that he is finally being brought down a notch. But, I am not.

The fact of the matter is, I am huge baseball fan. I live for the sport. I can watch any team play. I am normally in 2-3 fantasy leagues. I can talk all day about baseball. This whole steroids nonsense once again is not good for Baseball. I thought we were past this? Clearly we are not. Reporters feel that this is an issue that needs to be brought up again and again. For what? So that baseball fans can be more upset and not watch America’s Pastime? You would think that the media would understand that many fans don’t care all that much.

Granted, you don’t want a cheater to be on your team but, in 2003 just about everyone was using some form of enhancement. The owners didn’t care, the manager didn’t care and the majority of fans did not care. So here we are back to where we were several years ago when Barry Bonds broke the home run record.

If you read the right articles you see how many people still blame Barry Bonds of all of this. For those who do not know, there was no real testing for steroids until 2004, which was around the time of the Balco investigation that has taken a life of its own.

My feels on the subject is that we need this to end. This can of worms, that has now been re-opened by Sports Illustrated, needs to emptied. Nevermind the fact that A-Rod’s name should have never been leaked in the first place. But, now we might as well hear all of the names that are on the list of 104 players testing positive in 2003. Nevermind the fact that those test were confidential. The person who leaked these names has endangered the existing and future contracts between the players association and Major League Baseball because that confidentiality was breached.