by Emily C. Ruíz
Hispanic Link News Service
NEW YORK CITY – Iconic humanitarian and baseball legend Roberto Clemente must have been smiling in heaven Jan. 5. That’s the day Roberto Velázquez Alomar learned he will team with the two other Puerto Rican greats in Cooperstown, New York, joining Clemente and Orlando “Baby Bull” Cepeda as the only Puerto Ricans enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Like pioneer Jackie Robinson before him, Clemente helped break down the barriers of segregation in “America’s pastime,” widening a path for Latinos in the game. He certainly would be proud of Alomar, who will be inducted July 24 at the Clark Sports Center in baseball’s birthplace.
In an interview with Hispanic Link News Service, the 12-time All-Star and 10- time Gold Glove-winning second baseman expressed the sentiment, “I always took great pride in being Puerto Rican and doing everything for Puerto Rico.” Snubbed by a jury of baseball writers in his first year of ballot-box eligibility in 2010, he said, “It means a lot to me, to my family.”
Alomar also will be recognized as a member of another exclusive fraternity this year. He, Willie Mays and Clemente are the only three players in history to have career batting averages higher than.300, earned at least 10 Gold Gloves, played for at least two World Series winners and selected to play in no fewer than 10 All-Star games. He also is extending a family tradition. His father Sandy and his brother Sandy Jr. each enjoyed distinguished careers as players and coaches.
Roberto told Hispanic Link that by age seven, he knew that all he wanted was to play the game. “Being in ballparks all my life, I saw a lot of the great players. Now being elected into the Hall of Fame with some of the same guys I watched when I was a kid is a special treat.” Born in Ponce and raised in Salinas, Alomar broke into the majors in April 1985 as a baby-faced 20-year-old with the San Diego Padres.
The slick fi elding speedster with a bat to match quickly established himself as a rising star. By his third season, he made the National League All-Star team. The rest is history. Seven organizations and nearly 2,800 hits later, Alomar goes down as arguably the greatest second baseman to wear a pair of cleats. Looking back at memorable moments of his career, Alomar told Hispanic Link that World Series championship rings as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993, and playing in his first All-Star game in 1990 stand at the top.
“Playing in my first All-Star game with my father coaching and my brother playing opposite me — I was on the National League and my brother the American League — those were proud moments.” For all the achievements, Alomar wasn’t without some controversy during his 17-year pro career. One incident 15 years ago left a stain for some. On Sept. 27, 1996, in Toronto, he and umpire John Hirschbeck argued heatedly over a called third strike. When Hirschbeck ejected Álomar from the game, Alomar spit in Hirschbeck’s face, claiming the umpire used a degrading slur against him. He reportedly called the star a “faggot” as he was walking away.
They later went public with their apologies by shaking hands at home plate.
“Now we are great friends,” says Alomar, who has suggested that Hirschbeck’s personality had changed since the death of his son from adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). In 1997 Roberto donated $50,000 for ALD research. Hirschbeck has endorsed Roberto’s Hall of Fame induction. Major League Baseball established a fi ve-year waiting period after retirement before a player can be nominated. Some suggest it was that incident which prevented Alomar from being inducted in 2010, his fi rst year of eligibility. Latino Sports Ventures president Julio Pabón told Hispanic Link, “The fact is that some baseball writers decided to punish Alomar by not voting for him because of the incident.
I think that’s ridiculous.” The multi-faceted marketing company joined the Latino Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (LSWBA) in honoring Alomar with the “Puerto Rican Pride” award in New York April 3. Proceeds from the benefit will help the organization charter busses for underprivileged youth to witness Alomar’s induction in Cooperstown. The trip will be a first for Alomar as well.
Now a businessman working on developing a bat company – KR3 – he has returned to the Toronto organization that helped make him a star, taking on the role of special representative. Asked what it means to him to be the third Puerto Rican inducted, he says, “This is a victory for all Puerto Rican people. I always let them know that they are part of this.”
