A Sports Fan’s Tip Of The Hat To Mothers and Wives

4 Responses to A Sports Fan’s Tip Of The Hat To Mothers and Wives

1. George c says:

   May 8, 2011 at 1:03 pm

   Why not bring up Andrew Sisco as a left handed specialist? He has a 0 era down in scranton as is pitching good so far… Boone Logan needs help and Sisco seems like he can.

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   T.O. Chris Reply:
   May 8th, 2011 at 2:26 pm

   Cashman said that he is doing well numbers wise in the minors but that his velocity isn’t even close to what it was when they signed him, and they signed him because of the velocity. You have to remember that it’s not about the numbers in the minors, it’s about how you get those numbers and sometimes the two don’t coincide.

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2. Kiko Jones says:

   May 9, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Of course, there is the whole throwing-away-the-baseball-cards issue. But seriously, I’ll share this anecdote…

   Whenever my Mom visits you’ll be sure to find her on the couch watching Yankee games with me. Now, this isn’t much of a stretch: Mom’s a baseball fan. Back in the Dominican she’s a lifelong fan of her hometown team, Santiago’s Aguilas Cibaeñas. In fact, a second cousin of hers, Miguel Dilone, is an Aguilas Hall of Famer, and former team manager. Mom doesn’t do it much these days, but she was also known to be at the stadium rooting for her team on a regular basis. So, Mom and I watching the Yankees on TV is no big deal, right? But what really surprised me was how much of a supporter she’s become of none other than Alex Rodriguez.

   At the time, A-Rod was in the midst of a crippling slump that has made him the recipient of constant booing at Yankee Stadium and the focus of endless speculation–-and even a bit of distinctly biased ribbing–by the sports media. My mother had taken up the man’s cause to the point of calling in sports shows in the Dominican to defend him and criticize them for their unfair–and in her opinion, decidedly envious–portrayal of Rodriguez. Our Mother’s fondness for A-Rod is such that my brother and I have taken to refer to him jokingly as “our little brother”.

   But why A-Rod? There are plenty of other guys in baseball that could use the prayers, good will, and support. Why has Mom focused on championing this ballplayer in a way I have rarely, if ever, seen her embrace a stranger before? I watched the whole thing with mirthful bemusement until it finally hit me.

   My numbers could be slightly off, but I would estimate that 99.7% of the Dominican players in MLB were born on the island. Like my brother and I, A-Rod was born in Manhattan’s predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights to working class parents that came to this country looking for a piece of the American Dream. And guess what? He clearly is the American Dream. But like most immigrant success stories there’s the leaving of the homeland behind; the being mostly-raised by a single mother; the money-tight living; and the supportive extended family that many of us born of immigrants have had and that almost all of us can relate to. This is what draws Mom to Mr. Rodriguez: not so much who he is but, more importantly, the circumstances, sacrifices and ultimately, perseverance of his family that led him to be who he is. In other words, that could’ve been me, my brother, or one of my many cousins. Now, I get it.

   So, whatever lows befall Alex in the future I hope I can always join Mom in rooting for no. 13. After all, as Mom’s little lesson has taught me, no matter what uniform A-Rod wears, he’ll always be one of ours.

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   Moshe Mandel Reply:
   May 9th, 2011 at 12:23 am

   Great story. My mom isn’t a fan at all, but should used to ask us to call her in to watch the celebrations at the end of the World Series. She loves to see those. I remember calling her in in 2001 when Mo took the hill. She was so confused when the other team started celebrating.

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