TOMAS "Tommy al Bat" MORALES: We Lost in the Caribbean

Although the new Hispanic Baseball Hall of Fame has commenced on the left foot, it’s very agreeable that Fernando Valenzuela has received a new recognition, since he deserves everything after the great run he had in the Major Leagues. Added to this recognition in a new temple of the immortals, it has left us in a ridiculous situation in which despite many proposals on the matter, Valenzuela still is not in our own Salon de la Fama.

Yes, the great bateador Hector Espino and the magnate Alejo Peralta entered the enclosure of honor on the first ballot, and it should now do the same with Fernando Valenzuela and Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla. The entries of Peralta and Espino were obtained very deservedly in the times of Rafael Dominguez, director of the place.

For a long time the presidents of the two main leagues, the Ligas Mexicana and Pacifico, have had many talks in the years that would cover many subjects, but it seems that in the present (for reasons in the past), that is no longer the same.

We’ve said that the new Caribbean Hall of Fame is on a roll because besides Valenzuela, from the list of Mexican players they chose Chile Gomez, but not Roberto “Beto” Avila. I myself don’t know who voted so this would happen, but on sight they should have to give up their cards as cronistas.

And in the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame, neither “Cananea” Reyes nor Paquin Estrada have been chosen.

And in our own Hall of Fame, I’ll never forget that voters have given more points to Mercedes Esquer than to Teodoro “Teddy” Higuera, who also deserves direct entrance to the enclosure that was inaugurated in 1973 with the election of many stars of yesterday who also entered on the first ballot.

I do not doubt that Esquer should be in the Salon, but that he had more votes than Higuera is a sacrilege that should obligate an investigation into the people who were voting.

It has practically been an insult to have a five-year wait for Higuera, Valenzuela and Vinicio Castilla when we all know they should occupy, as I’ve said before, their own special suite in the place.

from ESTO: 16 February 2011
Translated by BBM Editor Bruce Baskin via BabelFish

TOMMY AL BAT: Tomas Morales column from Esto (en Ingles)

Tomas Morales has been covering baseball in Mexico and the Major Leagues for 56 years, beginning in 1954. He is one of his country's most beloved cronistas both for his regular "Tommy al Bat" column and as a beat reporter and editor with several newspapers and magazines as he works into his sixth decade covering the King of Sports. He was inducted into the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey (where writers are full members) in 1990.

Still as active as ever at age 79, Tommy wrote a "Tommy al Bat" column for Esto earlier this week regarding the Mexican Pacific League finals. This is a Babelfish-aided English translation, which can only give a taste of the full flavor of the original Spanish text:

The Guasave Algodoneros, who lost both of their first two games of the Mexican Pacific League semifinals to the Culiacan Tomateros, ended up winning the next four to put manager Matias Carrillo into the second final of his short career as a manager. Matias was in the 2009 Mexican League final with the Quintana Roo Tigres, losing in six games to the Saltillo Saraperos. In his two years as a manager, Matias has always been in the playoffs, although he is still looking for his first championship.

Now he will arrive at his first winter final like a great gust of wind to face the Yaquis in Obregon on Friday in the series for the LMP crown and a trip to the Caribbean Series in Mayaguez.

It was a great success for the Algodoneros and a monumental failure for the Tomateros, who had a batting order full of famous players (some with experience in the Major Leagues). Between the surprise of Obregon eliminating Hermosillo to send Vinny Castilla into retirement and Guasave eliminating Culiacan, I got caught up in the two series.

The Algodoneros delivered an 8-2 beating to the Tomateros before 13,000 unhappy aficionados in the Culiacan ballpark Tuesday with Mario Valenzuela connecting on his fourth homer and Leo Heras connecting for three hits and bunting the ball for a successful squeeze play.

I’ve seen the resurrection of the squeeze play lately. It’s a very dangerous play but when it comes out right, it’s simply wonderful. In the old days of manager Domingo Santana, who was a very good second baseman (and after whom the ballpark in Leon is named), he often utilized the suicide squeeze and gave it the name of “cerebral magic.” Naturally, the squeeze play is used much less at present because the ball is much more alive than before.

Heras has ended up batting .346 in his first playoffs, while other players from the Mexico City Diablos Rojos in Guasave are homer-hitting Japhet Amador, speedboat Jesus Lopez (the heir to Diablos shortstop Jose “Borrego” Sandoval) and Eduardo Arredondo, who has been traded to the Reynosa Broncos. For the Yaquis, Carlos Valencia and fashionable pitcher Marco Antonio Quevedo are from the Red Devils with Luis Alonso Mendoza heading to the Major Leagues.

By the way, so far neither Rodrigo Lopez nor Elmer Dessens, who had their good moments in the Majors in 2010, have contracts and could return to Mexico City in the summer.

The final series begins at 8 on Friday night and can be seen on cable television.