Next Sunday, June 20th marks the first home game of the Staten
Island Yankees. In my first column for the Advance last
September, I revealed what a rabid Yankee fan I am so I was
thrilled at the idea of having our very own minor league team.
Last year, the Bronx Bombers were the finest Yankee team ever and
I breathed a sigh of relief when Bernie Williams finally signed
his contract keeping the core of the 1998 team intact. I had
visions of the team achieving even greater statistics this year.
Silly me, I keep forgetting that major league baseball is a
multi-billion dollar business run by pragmatic owners like George
Steinbrenner.
Soon, David Wells, pitcher of the perfect game, was off to
Toronto in exchange for Roger Clemens, presumably the best
pitcher that money could buy and the Yankees, certainly one of
the richest clubs in baseball, could afford it. David Wells'
lifelong dream had been to be a Yankee and he really reveled in
wearing the pinstripes. Roger Clemens on the other hand simply
wants to win a World Series, period. Frankly, I am unimpressed
with his pitching, as his win record is the result of the great
Yankee bats bailing him out of tough situations.
In baseball, there are very, very, rich clubs and there are very,
very poor clubs. It almost mirrors the disparity in the economies
of the western and third world countries. What are we to do? Some
cities are so strapped for cash, that the future of baseball in
their city is imperiled. Well, some have suggested that the
richer clubs be forced to share their profits with the poorer
cities that can't afford to support their home team.
Much as I despise the machinations of Steinbrenner who
micro-manages the Yankees with his wallet, the thought of
enforced subsidies smacks of Marxism. It is true that the wealthy
teams may be stacked with the highest paid, highest quality
players but the beauty of baseball is the magical possibility of
a ``natural '' coming up through the ranks and rescuing a poor
ball club.
The novel ``The Natural'' by Bernard Malamud was the story of Roy
Hobbs, a man with an enormous natural ability to hit home runs.
It is the ultimate baseball story that nourishes every baseball
lover's dream of encountering another Babe Ruth. When Shane
Spencer, the young man from a Yankees minor league team hit three
grand slam homers within 9 days at the end of the 1998 season,
the media speculated whether he was indeed a ``natural''.
While the Yankees can afford to acquire established stars from
other teams, their most successful players have all come to the
Yankees from the minors: Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Phil
Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, and of course, Derek Jeter, to name a few.
The New York Penn League which includes the Staten Island Yankees
can claim among its alumnae: Bernie Williams, Don Mattingly, Andy
Pettitte, Al Leiter (of the Mets) and 1998 phenom Shane Spencer.
Even the great football quarterback John Elway started his sports
career as a minor league Yankee.
The latest reports are that the Staten Island Yankees are getting
the number one and number three draft picks and it's exciting to
think that we have the opportunity of supporting future Yankee
superstars.
Although I couldn't afford a season ticket, box seats are only
$10 and I certainly think I can handle that so I'm looking
forward to cheering them on. Good Luck, Staten Island Yankees.
We're rooting for you.
*********
Hola, mis amigos!
Today, Puerto Ricans are proudly marching down Fifth Avenue. When
I was a teenager in Manhattan, I used to attend the parade with
my sisters. We used to laugh at the ridiculous floats carrying
members of the local social and muscle clubs- men with bare
chests flexing biceps in machismo competition. It was a ragtag
display of ``Jivaros'' (island hillbillies) and the parade was
very poorly organized and just plain tacky.
Over the years the parade has evolved into a more cosmopolitan
and professional demonstration of Hispanic political and societal
achievements. It has even attracted the attention of Hollywood
satirists.
Two years ago, Seinfeld had an episode mocking the parade-goers
and Hispanic leaders were outraged. We in the community itself
were not. We found the episode mildly amusing if inaccurate.
We're not quite as hypersensitive as our community leaders,
posturing for political clout, portray us.
So far, 1999 has been a banner year for Puerto Ricans with
entertainers, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez crossing over into
the mainstream media. We're hot, hot, hot, even though we still
have to remind people that we're American citizens-not
immigrants. If he were alive today, my father, who was born in
Ponce, would be very gratified that Americans are starting to
notice us in a positive way. It's certainly about time.