BBM EXTRA: Salon de la Fama writer Tommy Morales dies at 85

I'm going to step out of my usual third-person mode to mark the passing of a Mexican baseball writer who can only be described as "legendary," Tomas Morales, on Tuesday at age 85 following bouts with various illnesses in recent years.  Morales produced his "Tommy al Bat" column for five decades and has been a full member of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame since 1990 as a writer and TV/radio commentator.  He covered many World Series and Caribbean Series since breaking in during the early 1950's en route to being considered the Dean of Mexican baseball cronistas, sharing his lifelong love of the Mexico City Diablos Rojos and New York Yankees along with the game itself.  Even in declining health, the passion was always there and while there are many more honors that he picked up along the way, they by no means paint a full picture of the man.

I first became aware of Tommy Morales in 1972 at age 12 when my vacationing family took a day trip from San Diego to Tijuana, where I bought a copy of the SuperHit magazine he edited from a street newsstand.  It was my first real exposure to Mexican baseball and people like Andres Ayon, Angel Macias and, of course, Hector Espino.  Even though I couldn't read a word of the Spanish text, that magazine (which I still have) represented my first window into that world and Tommy's name was on top of a LOT of the articles.  Several years later on a one-day stay in Nogales, I picked up a copy of Hit magazine, another Tommy Morales-led production.  The names had changed but there again was that open window.  I gave no thought at the time that I would someday be writing about Mexican baseball myself, let alone that Tommy Morales would be a subscriber to both my Viva Beisbol and Baseball Mexico newsletters.  I still have a lot to learn about the game south of the border, but always realized what an honor it was to have THAT name on my list of subscribers.

Tommy reflected top American sportswriters Shirley Povich and Roger Angell in that he kept on being productive well into his eighties.  Unlike Povich or Angell, who cut back noticeably in their later years, Tommy remained productive through the Mexican League's 2017 season until his "Tommy al Bat" blog went silent.  I wondered on occasion whether he was in ill health or just mostly taking the winter off (his last entry was on January 20) up until Carlos Fragoso, a mutual friend in Mexico City who deserves huge credit himself for BBM's existence, emailed my Tuesday to let me know Tommy had passed on.  Life is funny sometimes.  As a Christian, I've been a huge Billy Graham fan for decades and always expected to cry when he passed on, but that strangely did not happen when the day arrived last week.  After Carlos' email, however, I did.  At any rate, it's tough to lose two heroes within a week of each other and neither of these men can or will be replaced.

I guess a constructive way to end this extra is to mention that while Tommy Morales is gone, there are several other excellent writers to follow Mexican baseball by.  Tommy's crown, to me, is now passed to Enrique Kerlegand (pictured left), who, like Tommy, has been chronicling the game for decades.  The two were colleagues as writers of the Mexican League's 90th anniversary book a few years ago and, also like Tommy, Enrique's passion and knowledge of baseball shines through in his own "Tiempo de Beisbol" on the Puro Beisbol website.

Kerlegand is one of a stable of excellent scribes at Puro Beisbol.  Editor Fernando Ballesteros has impressed me as perhaps the best scoop-getter in the game down there and his "Zona del Contacto" column is must reading for anyone wanting to stay current on Mexican baseball.  That's where you often will hear something first."  Kudos also to Hector Bencomo, whose "Imparable" has become one of my favorite reads, both for his sense of humor and passion for his subject.  Another very good columnist is David Braverman, whose "Out 27" is a little harder for me to access via Google Translate (my Spanish being still pretty shaky fifty-six years after picking up that copy of SuperHit), but the extra effort is almost always rewarded by insightful and thoughtful observations.  The Solo Beisbol site has some very good scribes, too, such as Gilberto Ruiz Razo ("Septima Entrada"), Jose Zazueta ("Chepe On Deck") and Dr. Tomas Lopez ("Desde La Butaca"), among others, and there's no way I could salute the leading escribars de beisbol without mentioning Beatriz Pereyra (pictured right) at Proceso, who doesn't write nearly as often about baseball as I wish she would but produces some of the best-researched and sourced  stories you'll find anywhere when she does.  I've been really impressed with her work.

You'll find links to those websites in their original Spanish in the right-hand column of this site but if you're like me and struggle to comprende, punching in their names for a Google search and then downloading the translated text is how I've been doing it for years.  Anyone familiar with going that route knows that you usually have to translate the translation and even then, you're not always sure.  Still, when you do it long enough, even though we may never fully understand and appreciate a Tommy Morales, Fernando Ballesteros or Beatriz Pereya in their native tongue, it's possible to pick up on a writer's overall style and vision with enough exposure.  In other words, sometimes you can just TELL.

And as for "Tommy al Bat" and its presence in BBM's right-hand column now that Tommy himself is gone?  I thought about that.  For about five seconds.  As long as his site and archives are online and available, there will always be a place for Tomas Morales on this site.

-Bruce

TOMMY AL BAT on Jorge Pasquel's Last Game

Tomas "Tommy" Morales is a baseball treasure.
Since making his 1956 writing debut for Hit magazine, the 83-year-old Morales is in his seventh decade covering the game in Mexico and North America via his "Tommy al Bat" column. Writers and announcers are given full membership in Mexican baseball's Hall of Fame and Morales was enshrined in 1990.

The Barcelona-born scribe may draw comparisons to the late Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich for their longevity, but where Povich produced one column per week as an octogenarian, Morales still puts out several columns a week.  Also, Povich was a local icon in the D.C. area but Tommy is cherished by Mexicans from Baja California to the Yucatan Peninsula. Perhaps the better comparison would be with Vin Scully, who transcends his Dodgers affiliation.

What follows is a translation of Morales' February 24th "Tommy al Bat" column describing the final game as an owner and baseball power broker for the legendary Jorge Pasquel, a 1951 contest Morales himself attended as a 19-year-old law student in Mexico City.  Apologies in advance if this translation doesn't hit every right note.  Something is always lost when removed from its original language and not being remotely fluent in Spanish presents an extra challenge for me, but I want BBM readers to get at least a taste of one of Mexican baseball's living legends writing now about what became an important event in Mexico's baseball timeline that he witnessed 65 years ago:

On October 8, 1951, exactly the same day as the Giants beat the Yankees, 5-1, in the first game of the World Series that year, Mexico City’s Delta Park that night featured a game that was historically very important, since not only was it the end of the Veracruz Azules but the famous magnate Jorge Pasquel, too.

The Mexican League then stretched their calendar until the Major League World Series.  It was the fifth game of the final series for the crown between the visiting San Luis Potosi Tuneros and the Veracruz Blues. These Azules dominated the series for title success, three games to one.  For this meeting the Tuneros, handled by "Chile" Gomez, opened with southpaw Wenceslao Gonzalez, who would have his chance to pitch in the Major Leagues with the Washington Senators in 1955, while the Azules opened with black American Rufus Lewis.

Jorge Pasquel was in his box next to the dugout of his Azules on the third base side for this game, which could be the coronation.  That year I was studying my senior year of law school at Colegio Cristobal Colon and went with a classmate to see the game.  I remember near the beginning of the game, when we arrived at Delta Park, there was lightning in the distant sky but it never rained. I went to my favorite place, the Shaded General section, on the third base side running into left. There were not many people in the park since the finals had broken down after a big fight that took place in San Luis Potosi and why it was decided that the rest of the series would be played at Delta Park.

In the second inning, the Blues scored the first run of the game when "Kanguro" Jimenez scored after "Bibi" Crespo and pitcher Rufus Lewis both singled. Wenceslao avoided further damage by dominating Felipe Iturralde into a double play groundout.

In the beginning of the fourth, however, the Tuneros scored twice to take the lead, all coming with two outs: Cuban veteran Carlos Blanco, always a good hitter, got a hit, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a single by gradulón Rene Gonzalez.  Singles by catcher Raul Navarro and Claudio Solano pushed across the second run.  For the sixth inning, Rufus Lewis exited as Pasquel called on Ramón Bragaña to relief.  It was a great twist of fate, as the "Professor" was going to win the last game in the history of the Veracruz Azules after 12 years of life as a star pitcher with the Blue team.

It was not until the eighth that the Azules managed the tying second run, an unearned one.  Panamanian Leon Kellman was awarded first base and Angel Castro hit a grounder that looked like a double play, but second baseman Beto Rodriguez made a bad play at short to leave two on with no outs. The bases were filled with a walk to "Kanguro" Jimenez and the tying run came in on a slow grounder produced by "Bibi" Crespo.

After Bragaña put up a zero in the top of the ninth, the Azules came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, starting with a Felipe Iturralde walk, but Wenceslao Gonzalez dominated Chema Castro for a strikeout and a high fly by Leon Kellman that looked like an out was not caught by Fernando Garcia, resulting in a double that left runners on second and third with one out, the runner on third representing the possible championship run for the Blues.  "Chile" Gomez ordered Angel Castro intentionally walked to load the bases loaded and sent to bat the stocky, but strong, Panamanian Archie Brathwaite, a candidate for a double-play grounder savior if he hit one.

But the Panamanian, on a count of a ball and a strike, hit a high fly to short right. Iturralde, a fast player, took off from from third on the hit and came home and beat the throw from outfielder Alfonso Zarate, giving the Azules their crown. Pasquel was already on the ground when the winning run scored and shared hugs and congratulations with his players. As I was watching the celebration,the lights were suddenly turned off at Delta and we were in the dark, a darkness that marked the disappearance of Veracruz Blues and retirement of the famous Jorge Pasquel, who four years later in 1955 died in an accident piloting his own plane.

The Veracruz Azules of 1951, the last Azules, were a different team than what Pasquel had when they commenced in 1940 with players like the great Josh Gibson.  They were both champions, the first and the last. The years have passed rapidly, as usual, and that darkness that came at the end of the coronation game also marked the end of a very important in our beloved Mexican League era.  We all got to ask a few days later: Could the  Mexican League survive without Jorge Pasquel?

Tommy Morales' "Tommy al Bat" blog is available en espanol on the Mexican League website.

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.

LONGTIME BASEBALL SCRIBE MORALES HONORED AT YOUTH LEAGUE GAME

Veteran baseball writer and Salon de la Fama member Tomas Morales was recently honored prior to a youth baseball game in Mexico City. Morales, whose “Tommy al Bat” column has been a Mexican baseball staple for decades (and can still be read in Mexico City’s Esto sports newspaper), was feted at a February 28 contest in the Olmeca League, which he helped form.

Among the attendees honoring the 78-year-old Morales were representatives from the Mexican League, Mexico City Diablos Rojos, the Liga Olmeca and numerous friends and contemporaries of the past 58 years. Morales began in baseball working in 1952 as producer of a Game of the Day broadcast before starting writing his “Tommy al Bat” column for Hit magazine in 1954. He has written and edited for a number of magazines and newspapers since then, and was inducted as a full member of the Salon de la Fama in 1990.

Morales said that although he never had the faculties to play baseball, he was lucky to direct his passion for the sport towards writing. “I will never forget this day,” he added.