MEXICAN BASEBALL FIESTA BEGINS 11TH YEAR

Beto Coyote and friends in Nogales

    The Mexican Baseball Fiesta will return to Tucson for an eleventh year for four nights, beginning this Thursday. The international event mainly comprised of teams from the Mexican Pacific League began in 2011 and completed its ninth year in 2019 before shutting down operations in 2020 due to Wuhan virus health restrictions.

    The MBF involves a partnership with Mexican Pacific League teams, many of which journey to the US for preseason training camps. The event is overseen by Mike Feder, a 30-year minor league general manager (15 of those in Tucson) as President of the MBF, and founder/partner Francisco Gamez, who played ten winters in the Mex Pac, which annually draws many more fans per game than any minor league north of the border.

    Mexican Baseball Fiesta games have an electricity in the air not seen during MLB spring training in February and March with music playing all the time, mascots on the field, fans dancing in the stands and authentic Mexican food like tacos, tortas and burritos instead of hot dogs and peanuts (although those are available at concession stands. Fans follow their teams across the border with such fierce loyalty and pass their love of the game on from generation to generation. It’s not uncommon to see three generations of families enjoying a game together, all wearing replica jerseys of their favorite team.

    From its roots in Tucson, the Mexican Baseball Fiesta has grown throughout Arizona and occasionally into California, Nevada and New Mexico. This year, the Fiesta increased its stay in the Phoenix area with an extra day in Maryvale, where the Hermosillo Naranjeros played single games against a team of Obregon, Navojoa and Guasave players at the Brewers spring ballpark September 23 and 24. That was followed by three doubleheaders in Mesa over the just-concluded weekend at Sloan Park, training camp home of the Cubs.

    The event now moves to Tucson (known to some as “Optics Valley” due to the 150 Tucson companies are involved in the design and manufacture of optics and optoelectronics systems) for seven games between Thursday and Sunday, beginning with an October 6 doubleheader featuring Obregon and Navojoa in the 5:05PM opener followed by a nightcap between Hermosillo and the University of Arizona. 

    In all, four LMP teams (Hermosillo, Obregon, Navojoa and Mexicali) will play in Tucson at Kino Stadium, an 11,500-seat former spring home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox as well as a Tucson Pacific Coast League team. The facility, which opened in 1998, is now used by the Tucson Saguaros, three-time champions of the independent Pecos League.

    Past ticket sales indicate that about 20 percent of the crowd is from Mexico. A few years ago, the Visit Tucson tourism organization did an economic impact study of the event and determined that the MBF generates over $1.5 million to Tucson's local economy. “We’re excited to partner with this great event for the eleventh year to bring Mexican baseball back to Tucson,” said Felipe Garcia, President/CEO of Visit Tucson. “The popularity of this event continues to grow, and we are proud to be a part of something that both locals and visitors look forward to every October. The Mexican Baseball Fiesta is the true definition of a quality cultural event and a boon to our community and economy.”

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE TO OPEN SECOND SEASON

     The Mexican League will operate the Mexican Winter League for a second consecutive season in 2022. This year, the LIM will be split into three divisions: North, Central and South. Its objective, according to the LMB, is to promote the young talent of participating clubs.

   LMB president Horacio de la Vega Flores said in a press release, “We applaud the efforts of the organizations that are part of the LIM in 2022. Likewise, we thank the authorities of the Yucatan State government, their host municipalities, as well as the municipality of Poza Rica, Veracruz, promoters of the development of our young talents.

    “Alejandro Kirk, today a baseball star in the Major Leagues, was forged in this circuit a few seasons ago. Fans will appreciate the players who will shine in the near future, players who will be a source of inspiration, zeal and professionalism of those who came before them and who are currently figures of Mexican baseball.”

    The LIM's ten teams (including four combining players from two LMB clubs) and their home venues for the upcoming campaign are:

North Division
Monclova Acereros (Monclova Stadium), Monclova, Coahuila
Monterrey Sultanes (Estadio Monterrey), Monterrey, Nuevo León
Unión Laguna Algodoneros (Estadio de La Revolución), Torreón, Coahuila

Central Division
Mexico City Diablos Rojos/Oaxaca Guerreros (Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú), Mexico City, DF
Puebla Pericos (Estadio Hermanos Serdán), Puebla, Puebla
Veracruz Aguilas/Leon Bravos (Estadio Heriberto Jara Corona), Poza Rica, Veracruz

South Division
Aguascalientes Rieleros/Tijuana Toros (Campo Aureliano Centeno), Valladolid, Yucatan
Durango Generales (Campo Juan Rivero Alonzo), Tizimín, Yucatan
Guadalajara Mariachis/Tabasco Olmecas (Parque Miguel Hidalgo), Progreso, Yucatan
Yucatan Leones (Parque Eliseo Gómez), Umán, Yucatan

    Games in the North and Central divisions will begin on October 12 and one day later in the South. The regular season will close on November 27 in the South while in the North and Central, the schedule concludes on November 28. North and Central division clubs will play 24 games each while those of the South play a total of 28 contests.

    Central Division games will be played from Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the fial game between Puebla and the Veracruz/Leon team on Monday, November 28. Games in the South will be held Thursdays to Sundays while in the North Division, games will be played without a set pattern with a maximum of two days of rest per team.

    In the Serie del Principe (Prince's Series) the champion will be defined and the best of five games will be crowned between December 3 and 8, closing at the ballpark of the highest-ranked seed. The title matchup will be determined by the top two teams based on the percentage of wins and losses, regardless of which division they belong to. In case of a tie, a run-differential formula will be used. If a team from the South Division reaches the Serie del Principe, they would play in Merida's Kukulcán Park, home of the 2022 King's Series (Serie del Rey) champion Yucatan Leones.

    The rosters will be made up of a maximum of 28 players from the LMB Reserve Lists, as well as players authorized by the Liga office and in the process of signing. The age limit is 25 years, with a maximum of six free agents, among which there may be three foreigners.

    The current defending champions of the LIM (Liga Invernal de Mexico) are the Monclova Acereros, who defeated the Puebla Pericos in five games for the 2021 pennant.

SALON DE LA FAMA 2023 BALLOT ADDS 11 NAMES

    The Salon de la Fama's Pre-candidate Nomination Assembly was held last Friday to implement the voting ballots for the Election of the new immortals of Mexican baseball for its 2023 induction ceremonies in Monterrey.

    Eleven baseball players to be added to the final ballot were announced together with eight unnamed candidates who are being carried over from the last vote in 2020, thus integrating a ballot with fourteen candidates in the Mexican Baseball Players Category and a new Card with five candidates in the Mexican Players Category with a minimum of 7 seasons in Major Leagues. Of the 19 names on the ballot, a maximum of five will be elected.

The eleven ballot newcomers selected were:

Players in Mexican Baseball Leagues: Miguel Flores, Germán Jiménez, Noe Munoz, Miguel Ojeda, Mike Paul, Roberto Ramirez, Javier Robles.

Mexicans with 7+ Years in the Major Leagues: Juan Gabriel Castro, Karim Garcia, Rodrigo López, Ismael Valdez.

    The Nomination Assembly was made up of Electoral Committee president Antonio de Valdes, Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega, Mexican Pacific League president Carlos Manrique, Salon de la Fama director Francisco Padilla Davila and Salon historian Horacio Ibarra.

    Results of the balloting will be announced in February 2023. The most recent election resulted in a Class of 2021 that included players Matias Carrillo, Vinny Castilla, Eduardo Jimenez, Isidro Marquez and Jose Luis Sandoval; veteran William “Bonnie” Serrell and journalist Jorge Menendez Torre.

Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Snapshots

I made it back home to the Pacific Northwest from Tucson Monday night, with a layover in Phoenix where I experienced my first-ever flight delay.  Only a half-hour late, nothing to complain about.  The little bag of mini-pretzels were wonderful.

Since you’ve already waded through four days and thousands of words from the Mexican Baseball Fiesta,  I’ll wrap up BBM’s coverage with 15 pictures taken with a Kodak C-195 during Sunday’s doubleheader.  I’m not a picture-taker by nature and it shows, but I do think they at least give a glimpse of what went on for four days.  One thing you’ll see consistently are smiles.  Lots of them.  These were taken from pregame warmups for the opener between Mexicali and Obregon to the end of the Hermosillo-Los Mochis nightcap.  I’ll just post them in the order they were taken, without captions.  None needed.  It’s Mexican baseball.  

Enjoy.

Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Day Four Report

It’s Monday morning, which means it’s time to finish packing my bag, check out, head to Tucson International Airport and fly back to Portland so I can drive home to the small town my wife Linda and I live in halfway between Portland and Seattle.  The Mexican Baseball Fiesta concluded Sunday as the Mexicali Aguilas bombed the Obregon Yaquis 15-5 in the opener and the Hermosillo Naranjeros topped the Los Mochis Caneros, 7-2, in the second game, marking the last of four days and four doubleheaders at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium with four Mexican Pacific League teams providing the centerpiece to a weekend of entertainment.  Although I began these missives with game reports that were drier than the Arizona air, I finally realized that I was missing the point: The MBF is more about attitude and atmosphere than balls and strikes.  It was worth the trip on a number of levels.

Before I go any further, I should mention that THIS particular missive was intended for a Tuesday posting because I spent Sunday afternoon and evening moving around Kino Stadium with a camera instead of my Chromebook to take photos of numerous things to augment the Day Three Report.  There is only so much a word picture can do for a reader, so I thought I’d give both my fingers and your sense of delirium from reading my text a break and despite having almost zero experience as a photog, I came away with what I think are 14 or 15 pretty good pictures to share.  Unfortunately, my Kodak C195 camera and Chromebook aren’t playing nice with each other so I’ll have to wait to get home and use another laptop so I can post the pictures Tuesday instead.  Sigh. If you're wondering why I have no game reports today, there you are. Consider it a blessing barely disguised.

Traveling to Tucson was not necessary, but I decided a few weeks ago that it would be a good chance to watch some of the teams and players I’ve been writing about off and on about since April 2005, when I covered the Mexican League for the OurSports Central website.  It was only going to be for that one season but, obviously, it’s lasted a little longer than that.  So I finally got to watch Mexican players like Pablo Ortega, Carlos Gastelum, Luis Alfonso Garcia, Carlos Valencia and Sergio Contreras, who were all active in 2005 when I first started writing about Mexican baseball along with others who’ve made their marks in recent years such as Jose Amador, Javier Solano, C.J. Retherford and Jason Bourgeois.  As a baseball fan, it was a blast seeing guys I’d heretofore only read and written about over the past dozen years and I was rarely disappointed. These are good ballplayers, many of whom have played in the majors.

After a little initial confusion when I first arrived at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium last Thursday, I was able to get my media credential and attendant lanyard and headed up to the press box for my first night of covering Mexican baseball in person.  At this point, I should say that Kino Stadium is a very nice facility, definitely AAA in quality.  I was able to get a good location next to a television booth and did my writing on the first two nights from that vantage point.  There isn’t a traditional roof over the main grandstand, so the press box is set above the concourse running behind the box seats behind home plate and above the concessions stands, meaning you’re set farther back from the playing field than the old-school press boxes you see atop grandstand roofs in older ballparks.

As far as attendance goes, I often saw what might be 200 people sprinkled through Kino Stadium at the start of the opening games (which always featured the champion Mexicali Aguilas throughout the weekend), with the stands filling gradually as the second game approached.  Saturday night’s game between rivals Hermosillo and Obregon was easily the best-attended, with what I’d guesstimate as at least 5,000 people in the ballpark.

While play was going on, there were plenty of other things for attendees to take part in.  While an actual ballgame in Mexico isn’t all that much different from what you’ll see in the States, the presentation in the stands can be a little different.  While there was music pumped through the PA system throughout all the games, much like in the USA, the music consisted mostly of Mexican artists (as you’d expect) while English was rarely heard over the loudspeakers, mainly when “The Star-Spangled Banner” was sung.  

What REALLY separated things were the live bands that would play after the games on the concourse next to the main grandstand on the first-base side.   Although teams in the States often do a good job of creating a festive atmosphere during ballgames, they’ve got nothing on our neighbors south of the border.  These folks know how to enjoy themselves.  I’m hoping that more Tucsonans catch on to the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in the future because it goes beyond baseball and is well worth attending.

All in all, I’m glad I was able to make it down to Tucson to watch players I’ve become more familiar with over the years than their MLB counterparts in an atmosphere that reflects the culture of people who like to have a good time and know how to do it.  Thanks to MBF co-founder and president Mike Feder for giving me press credentials so I could come in and describe this event to Baseball Mexico’s readers and a special thanks to Steve Rivera, a writer for the AllSportsTucson website and all-around good guy, for giving me a lift back to the Quality Inn I was staying at after the games.  And kudos to the people in Tucson I had the chance to meet the past four days, from cab drivers to Quality Inn employees and the great staff at Kino Stadium.  I can truthfully say that I didn’t meet one crabby person here in Tucson and that reflects well on the city.  It’s a nice place to visit.  But now it’s time to head home, where I can hopefully get those promised photos online Tuesday.

Then there are those Mexican Pacific League season openers next weekend to gear up for.  As I’ve said many times before, Mexico represents Baseball Heaven because there’s never an offseason, and I'm glad I was able to indulge in a slice of it this weekend.

Mexican Baseball Fiesta's Tucson series to open Thursday

The seventh annual Mexican Baseball Fiesta will conclude with eight games in four nights at Tucson's Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, beginning with a Thursday night doubleheader.  The first game will feature the defending Mexican Pacific League champion Mexicali Aguilas and the Obregon Yaquis at 5:30PM PDT, followed by a nightcap between the Hermosillo Naranjeros and a team of Cincinnati Reds prospects.  There will also be 5:30 twinbills on Friday and Saturday nights leading to the final day of MBF action Sunday afternoon at 3:00.

The Mexican Baseball Fiesta is the brainchild of Mike Feder, a two-time Pacific Coast League Executive of the Year while serving as general manager of Tucson teams, and former MexPac player Francisco Gamez, who spent ten years playing in the LMP.  The initial MBF was held in 2011 in Tucson and has since grown to include games in other towns and cities in Arizona, Texas, California and Nevada over the years, as well as a few stops south of the border. This year's Fiesta opened in Las Vegas with two games late last month at Cashman Field (home of the 51s of the PCL) before coming home to Arizona for contests in San Luis (near Yuma), Mesa, Nogales and Douglas. The centerpiece remains in Tucson, however, where the MBF puts on its biggest show.  The four-day event in the Old Pueblo will include more than baseball, with live music, dancers, mascots and many other elements augmenting the games that are not always seen in ballparks in the States.

Hermosillo Naranjeros manager Lorenzo Bundy

The games in Kino Stadium also represent a homecoming for Tucson resident Lorenzo Bundy, who will manage Hermosillo this winter after spending the spring and summer as a coach for the Miami Marlins under manager Don Mattingly.  The 2017-18 season marks the 24th winter Bundy has spent managing in the MexPac, where he tells Tucson's Arizona Daily Star newspaper that he's managed seven of the circuit's eight teams after batting .318 over six winters as a player.  Now 57, the Philadelphia-born Bundy told reporter PJ Brown the MaxPac is "a big part of my life.  It's been good to me, an import, although some guys consider me a 'Mexican' now."

Bundy elaborated on what makes the Mexican Pacific League unique: "Winter ball is extra special.  The music, the skits, the mascots, the spectacular for the fan, plus good baseball.  The mix makes it fun to watch.  As a player, it keeps you going."   All four games involving Bundy's Naranjeros will be broadcast live via the Telemax Sonora page on Facebook.

2017 MEXICAN BASEBALL FIESTA in TUCSON
Thursday, October 5 (1st game at 5:30PM PDT)
Thirsty Thursday: $1 domestic beer sold through Game 1
Game 1: Obregon vs. Mexicali.  Game 2: Hermosillo vs. Cincinnati
Bands: La Picosa and Grupo Conducta

Friday, October 6 (1st game at 5:30PM PDT)
Kids Night (Free tickets for kids 6-16 at all eegee's locations)
Game 1: Mexicali vs Cincinnati.  Game 2: Hermosillo vs. Obregon
Bands: La Membrillera (Magdalena) and La Banda Llegamaz de Guamuchil Sin

Saturday, October 7 (1st game at 5:30PM PDT)
Game 1: Mexicali vs. Los Mochis.  Game 2: Hermosillo vs. Obregon
Band: Freddy Vega

Sunday, October 8 (1st game at 3:00PM PDT)
Vantage West Family Day ($10 family vouchers for up to 8 people at all Vantage West locations)
Game 1: Obregon vs. Mexicali.  Game 2: Hermosillo vs. Los Mochis
Band:  Le Llegadoro Banda Sinaloense

Ticket Prices:  $15 box seats, $10 general admission, $6 kids 6-16, seniors 55+, military w/ID

Mexican Baseball Fiesta returns to Tucson; BBM will be there

The Mexican Baseball Fiesta, featuring four Mexican Pacific League teams and a team of MLB prospects, will be back for a seventh year in a row from late September through early October.  The MBF's centerpiece is a four-day stretch of doubleheaders at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Arizona from October 4-8, with other games taking place in several other Arizona cities like Mesa, Douglas, Nogales and San Luis as well as Cashman Field in Las Vegas.

Former Tucson Toros and Padres general manager Mike Feder, who was the Pacific Coast League's Executive of the Year in both 1991 and 2013, is heading the effort in the Old Pueblo.  "We believe it was essential that we continue this fun-filled, cross-border and cultural event in Tucson," says Feder.  "This tournament includes some of the most popular teams in Mexico."  This year, the Hermosillo Naranjeros, Obregon Yaquis, Mexicali Aguilas and Los Mochis Caneros from the LMP will be joined in Tucson by a team of Cincinnati Reds minor leaguers.  The MBF serves a dual purpose of providing MexPac teams a chance to play exhibition games in preparation for next month's season openers while exposing fans north of the border to baseball Mexican-style.  In addition to the game on the field, there will be live music and other elements to bring a little salsa to the ballpark.

Originally known as Tucson Electric Park, Kino Stadium was completed in 1998 with 8,000 permanent seats plus room for 3,500 more on the outfield berm.  It has served as home to not only Tucson's PCL teams but also as a spring training site for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox before both teams joined the Colorado Rockies (who'd used crosstown Hi Corbett Field) in leaving Tucson for the Phoenix area.  Since the Padres departed town for El Paso in 2014 after three seasons, the city of a million metropolitan residents has not had its own PCL minor league baseball team, although the Tucson Saguaros of the independent Pecos League completed their second season at Kino Stadium from May to August this year.

Baseball Mexico (i.e., me) will be on hand in Tucson next month to file daily reports on all eight games played there, marking the first time BBM has ever covered Mexican baseball in person since the old Viva Beisbol column began in 2005, although audio from one of the old BBM programs on Florida shortwave radio station WRMI in late 2009 originated from Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mazatlan.  Options are being explored for broadcasting at least one MBF game live from Tucson on shortwave or the internet.

MEXICAN BASEBALL FIESTA: Tucson schedule
THU, Oct. 5   Obregon vs. Mexicali, Hermosillo vs. Cincinnati (1st game at 5:30pm MT)
FRI, Oct. 6    Mexicali vs. Cincinnati, Hermosillo vs. Obregon (1st game at 5:30pm MT)
SAT, Oct. 7   Los Mochis vs. Mexicali, Obregon vs. Hermosillo (1st game at 5:30pm MT)
SUN, Oct. 8  Mexicali vs. Obregon, Hermosillo vs. Los Mochis (1st game at 3:00pm MT)

Other MBF Dates and Venues
FRI, Sept. 22  Hermosillo vs. Obregon at Las Vegas, NV (7:05pm PT)
SAT, Sept. 23  Obregon vs. Hermosillo at Las Vegas, NV (7:05pm PT)
SAT, Sept. 30  Mexicali vs. Hermosillo at San Luis, AZ (7:00pm MT)
SUN, Oct. 1    Hermosillo vs. Mexicali, Mexicali vs. Los Mochis at Mesa AZ (1st game at 3:00pm MT)
WED, Oct. 4   Obregon vs. Hermosillo at Nogales, AZ (7:30pm MT)
THU, Oct. 5    Hermosillo vs. Los Mochis (7:30pm) at Douglas, AZ (7:30pm MT)