Más Allá del Diamante EP. 11: Oswaldo Blanco y sus inicios en la LVBP
Más Allá del Diamante regresa en una nueva entrega con Oswaldo Blanco, venezolano N°19 en debutar en las Grandes Ligas y además miembro del Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Venezolano.
En esta oportunidad, Blanco conversó con Efraín Zavarce sobre los problemas que enfrentó por causa de la segregación racial que yacía en la ciudad de Birbingham, Alabama durante sus años como pelotero en las Ligas Menores de Medias Blancas de Chicago, además de mencionar su gran relación para el momento con Reggie Jackson, quien fera compañero de equipo.
Asimismo, destaca cómo fue la adaptación a su estreno en Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional con tan solo 16 años de edad con el equipo de Oriente, en donde compartió con grandes estrellas consagradas.
Esto y mucho más en esta segunda entrega de Más Allá del Diamante con Efraín Zavarce y Oswaldo Blanco.
En esta oportunidad, Blanco conversó con Efraín Zavarce sobre los problemas que enfrentó por causa de la segregación racial que yacía en la ciudad de Birbingham, Alabama durante sus años como pelotero en las Ligas Menores de Medias Blancas de Chicago, además de mencionar su gran relación para el momento con Reggie Jackson, quien fera compañero de equipo.
Asimismo, destaca cómo fue la adaptación a su estreno en Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional con tan solo 16 años de edad con el equipo de Oriente, en donde compartió con grandes estrellas consagradas.
Esto y mucho más en esta segunda entrega de Más Allá del Diamante con Efraín Zavarce y Oswaldo Blanco.
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SportsTranscript
00:00During those years, did you ever feel discriminated against for your skin color, for your origin?
00:08Do you know when I realized that in Birmingham, Alabama, there was such a marked problem?
00:14Last year.
00:15Reggie Jackson, everyone knows who Reggie Jackson is.
00:18He was a teammate of mine.
00:20In an interview, he said the problem he had in Birmingham.
00:24And I said, my God, I was in that city without knowing the racial problem there was.
00:30You became a professional baseball player at 16 years old.
00:34When you are in school, when you are studying, when you are playing with your friends,
00:40going to that is a pretty strong shock.
00:44What did I do? I started and saw, this does this.
00:49When we got to the bus stop, Alfonso was sitting quietly.
00:53Hey, you know, you start saying, this guy is a bad guy.
00:57When I got home, I told my mom, mom, everything that happened to me with this guy,
01:01a teammate, a joker.
01:04Well, it would have been better if I hadn't gone to my mom.
01:06We are a huge mess.
01:08He is not there to take care of you or to wake you up.
01:11You have to be responsible for your work.
01:13Do you realize?
01:19Listening to him, I try to put myself in his shoes and all those who,
01:25especially during that time, so controversial in the United States,
01:31at the beginning of the 60s, in the midst of the struggle for civil rights,
01:36had to suffer the scourge of racism.
01:41And I understand that one thing can be to be informed that in a certain area
01:47of a specific country, there is that problem.
01:52And another is to be prepared to endure it.
01:56I start by asking you, were you informed that you could face that?
02:03That you could face that?
02:07It doesn't exist.
02:10Exactly.
02:13I was not prepared.
02:16First, I had no knowledge or I was not prepared for this.
02:21What happens?
02:23We have the strength, not only the Venezuelan, but the Latin American,
02:28who is going to play baseball in the United States.
02:31Our goal is to play baseball, do our best and go to the major leagues.
02:37That is our goal.
02:39We are not concerned if there is a black, a white, a yellow, none of those things.
02:45So, I'm going to tell you when I realized the problem of Birmingham,
02:49specifically.
02:52And knowing, prepared, your condition as a player,
02:58with the dream of reaching the major leagues,
03:01you don't have time to be prepared or have knowledge.
03:05As simple as that.
03:07Do you know when I realized that in Birmingham, Alabama,
03:10there was this problem so marked?
03:14Last year.
03:16People will say, well, why last year?
03:20Or before, but in Birmingham specifically.
03:24Reggie Jackson, everyone knows who Reggie Jackson is.
03:27He was a teammate of mine.
03:29In Birmingham, Alabama.
03:32At that time, he had a $80,000 bonus.
03:37Can you imagine the amount of money he had at that time, in those years?
03:42On the field, he calls me and says,
03:44Ozzy, can I move in with you?
03:46I say, of course, why not?
03:48But he caught my attention and said,
03:50Reggie Jackson, you know, one of the stars of the team,
03:53a prospective boy with that amount of money,
03:56wants to move in with me.
03:58Well, I didn't even ask him why,
04:00I didn't even ask him what happened to him.
04:03Nothing, nothing.
04:04Come on, I have two beds in my room.
04:07And you get there, and the closet has enough space for your clothes.
04:10He moved in.
04:12Which, by the way, favored me the couple of months we played,
04:15because he didn't let me pay anything.
04:17He was also a very generous person.
04:19A lot.
04:20Reggie Jackson is a guy that people who don't know him,
04:23they think he's an arrogant guy.
04:25In reality, he was a star, a maximum.
04:27But he was a good person.
04:29His last name is Martinez, Jackson Martinez.
04:32He has something Latino.
04:34So, last year, I think it was last year,
04:40I was watching TV and I started looking for movies to watch.
04:45And I have the three channels,
04:47Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Channel.
04:53I said, I want to look for something good to watch.
04:55I go to Disney Channel,
04:57and I put the title of the movie,
04:59a documentary, Reggie.
05:01And it caught my attention, Reggie.
05:04Wait, let me see.
05:06When I see it like that,
05:07the photo of the documentary,
05:09there was a player with his cap,
05:11big glasses,
05:12and he put on a cap,
05:14I'm going to watch this documentary.
05:15And I started watching it,
05:16and I watched it like twice.
05:18I watched it,
05:19and in the course of the documentary,
05:21he presents a photo
05:23where we were nine regular people,
05:26and I'm next to him in the photo,
05:28and I say, look, I'm in a documentary.
05:31So,
05:33in an interview,
05:35he says the problem he had in Birmingham,
05:38racial problem,
05:40in the area where he lived,
05:42they made his life impossible
05:44for being black.
05:46So there was nothing to do,
05:47he was distressed,
05:48he even wanted to go home.
05:50Of so many racial problems,
05:51they told him of everything, of everything.
05:54That's when he asked me to live with him.
05:56We lived together,
05:57I said, cool, I love you.
05:59But that's when I realized the problem,
06:01and I said,
06:02my God, I was in that city
06:04without knowing the racial problem.
06:07I never realized.
06:09Because I was not aware of that,
06:10I was aware of the hotel,
06:11the stadium,
06:12the stadium, the hotel,
06:13I played my ball.
06:14We accompany you in your passion for baseball
06:16while you perform your 24-7 sports plays
06:19and much more.
06:21Sellatuparley.com
06:24During those years,
06:25did you ever feel discriminated against?
06:28Did you ever feel treated differently
06:31because of your skin color,
06:33your origin,
06:34your accent?
06:37Look,
06:39I had a guide
06:41who was
06:43a very intelligent person.
06:46It was my mother.
06:49My mother had
06:50a very high self-esteem,
06:53a very noble person.
06:55And those things were what instilled in me.
06:58You have to be very noble,
07:00very simple,
07:03and you have to...
07:04She always had a saying,
07:05man is the size of the problem he faces.
07:08I never forgot that.
07:10So,
07:11when you leave an education,
07:13a training,
07:14it's very difficult
07:16for someone
07:17to run you over on the street.
07:19It's very difficult for someone
07:21to come and
07:22abuse you.
07:24And those things,
07:25I saw it.
07:26That happens here in the United States,
07:27in my country, right?
07:28You understand?
07:29In my country,
07:30we are white,
07:31as I told you,
07:32black, white, whatever.
07:34That's their problem.
07:35If they don't want me in a barbershop,
07:36I go to another one.
07:37If I can't eat,
07:39someone buys me food.
07:40You know,
07:41I saw that
07:42as something secondary,
07:44because mine was
07:45playing baseball.
07:46My mother
07:48taught me many things,
07:50many positive things.
07:53And being humble
07:54was one of the things.
07:56And knowing where I was standing
07:57was another thing.
07:59There's a journalist
08:00I haven't seen in a while,
08:01Humberto Acosta.
08:03Humberto told me,
08:04well, you're always the leader,
08:06people look for you
08:07to defend you,
08:08all that stuff.
08:09I hadn't realized that.
08:12When he told me that,
08:13I said,
08:14hey, why are you telling me this?
08:15Actually,
08:17I couldn't see
08:18injustice
08:19within the team,
08:20the team,
08:22nor anywhere
08:23because I was
08:24the one who went out
08:25to defend people.
08:27But I tell you,
08:28what we were talking about,
08:29for that moment,
08:30that didn't affect me.
08:32That's their problem,
08:33not mine.
08:34You see?
08:35When you leave
08:36a person
08:37for their comment,
08:39for their gossip,
08:40for whatever,
08:41it affects you.
08:42That person
08:43has control over you.
08:45So,
08:46the situation,
08:47if I know it affects me,
08:48the situation
08:49has control over me.
08:50So I don't allow that.
08:52You came to professional baseball
08:54at 16 years old.
08:55Yes.
08:56First,
08:57of course,
08:58you played in Venezuela.
09:00You played with the East.
09:01Right?
09:02Yes.
09:03In that team,
09:04at 16 years old,
09:07there were people
09:08like Ramón Monzán,
09:10like Alfonso Carrasquel,
09:12players who had already
09:13played in major leagues,
09:14the first Venezuelans
09:15in major leagues,
09:17already with races
09:18made super stars
09:20of the sport,
09:22actually,
09:23Venezuelan.
09:26How did you face
09:28that situation
09:29of being a teenager,
09:31practically a child,
09:32being a teammate
09:33in a team
09:35of players
09:36of that category?
09:38You see,
09:39that did affect me
09:40a little
09:41at the beginning.
09:43Because I,
09:4416 years old,
09:46I came practically
09:47from my mother's skirt,
09:49to study,
09:51to become a professional player
09:53and start to get along
09:54with older people
09:56because they were men
09:57made and right,
09:58with a lot of experience.
09:59So, of course,
10:00the habit of them
10:01to the habit of one,
10:03totally different,
10:04that did shock me a lot.
10:06But I,
10:07as an older person,
10:08I respected him.
10:10There was a player
10:11who, too bad,
10:12that he
10:14got carried away
10:15because he was afraid
10:16that the plane
10:17or the arepa,
10:18those things,
10:19that was Camaleón García.
10:21That man was
10:22incredible,
10:23an incredible batter.
10:24That man batted
10:25with knowledge.
10:29He programmed himself
10:30in the home
10:31and said,
10:32I have to get into the curve.
10:33When I get into the curve,
10:34I'm going to hit him
10:35and I'm going to hit him hard.
10:36Those things,
10:37the players do it,
10:38the good batters do it.
10:40That was a way
10:41that Ramírez
10:42batted,
10:43a Dominican.
10:45Manny Ramírez.
10:46Manny Ramírez.
10:47And you saw
10:48the kind of batter he was.
10:49Well, Camaleón García
10:50was the same.
10:51Ramón Monzán.
10:52But what happens?
10:53They are in their group
10:54and I,
10:55I was left out
10:56because he was a boy.
10:58Did you have a group
10:59because he was
11:00the youngest in the team?
11:01No, no,
11:02I was just kidding,
11:03I was the youngest
11:04in the team.
11:05Who were you with?
11:06At that time
11:07there was no,
11:08no,
11:09there was no batting,
11:10batting was not
11:11at that time.
11:12He came later.
11:13We'll talk about him
11:14later.
11:15Yes,
11:16the batting,
11:17I don't remember very well
11:18because it was a long time ago.
11:19There was a ball player
11:20called
11:21Italian,
11:22Vicente Luciani.
11:23I don't remember him.
11:24I don't remember him.
11:25With this,
11:26he was a pretty young
11:27boy too
11:28and he was
11:29with the boys,
11:30well,
11:31the newbies
11:32or those who played
11:33on the bench.
11:34That's where I was.
11:35By the way,
11:36I told him,
11:37hey,
11:38there's no big difference
11:39between a professional
11:40and a youngster.
11:41My first game
11:42was in Valencia
11:43against an
11:44American pitcher
11:47and he hit
11:48the third base
11:49with a bat.
11:50The third base
11:51grabbed him
11:52there in the background,
11:53shot high,
11:54the first base,
11:55still,
11:56it was a hit,
11:57right now it was a hit.
11:58And Luis,
11:59who was a notary
12:00at the time,
12:01he was a journalist,
12:02and he put the ball,
12:03and I said,
12:04well,
12:05then how do you
12:06hit a hit here
12:07in this league?
12:08But that
12:09was hard.
12:10Getting used
12:11to the way
12:12of life
12:13of all
12:14veteran players
12:15did hit me.
12:16You see?
12:17We accompany you
12:18in your passion
12:19for baseball
12:20while you perform
12:21your 24-7
12:22sports plays
12:23and much more.
12:24Seal your Parley.com
12:25You just mentioned
12:26Humberto Acosta.
12:27Humberto Acosta
12:28has always
12:29told us,
12:30he told us
12:31who we were,
12:32who we were lucky
12:33to meet
12:34Humberto
12:35before becoming
12:36professional journalists,
12:37he told us
12:38that
12:39going from
12:40a fan
12:41to a professional
12:42journalist,
12:43going into
12:44the field
12:45of play
12:46as a journalist
12:47could
12:48mean
12:49a shock
12:50because
12:51many times
12:52we were
12:53going
12:54to
12:55play
12:56with
12:57professional
12:58journalists
12:59and we
13:00realized
13:01that
13:02maybe
13:03things
13:04were not
13:05as beautiful
13:06or idyllic
13:07as you
13:08see them
13:09being fans.
13:10That happened
13:11to you
13:12very early
13:13on.
13:14When you
13:15are in
13:16your neighborhood,
13:17I'm from
13:18Sarria.
13:19Here in
13:20Caracas.
13:21Yes,
13:22here in
13:23Sarria.
13:24When you
13:25are in
13:26your
13:27neighborhood,
13:28you
13:29are
13:30surrounded
13:31by
13:32people
13:33who
13:34are
13:35very
13:36strong,
13:37but
13:38very
13:39strong.
13:40What
13:41did I
13:42do?
13:43I
13:44started
13:45and
13:46saw
13:47this
13:48guy
13:49doing
13:50this.
13:51I
13:52remember
13:53there was
13:54a guy
13:55in that
13:56team.
13:57In that
13:58team,
13:59because he
14:00was a more
14:01committed person,
14:02more serious.
14:03His brother.
14:04Yes,
14:05he was a
14:06person,
14:07he was a
14:08one-way
14:09road.
14:10I
14:11listened to him
14:12a lot
14:13and I
14:14asked him,
14:15ok,
14:16but I
14:17say that
14:18you don't
14:19have to
14:20adapt.
14:21If you
14:22go out
14:23to that
14:24team,
14:25to
14:26leave the
14:27community,
14:28it's small,
14:29with us,
14:30I don't remember
14:31his name,
14:32in professional
14:33when you
14:34make a
14:35mistake
14:36and you
14:37lose the
14:38game,
14:39the teammates
14:40or whoever
14:41makes the
14:42mistake
14:43is left
14:44calm,
14:45because
14:46there is
14:47a worry
14:48and there
14:49is a
14:50distress,
14:51hey,
14:52I made
14:53a mistake
14:54I
14:55don't
14:56know
14:57what
14:58I
14:59should
15:00do,
15:01I
15:02don't
15:03know
15:04how
15:05I
15:06should
15:07play.
15:08I
15:09don't
15:10know
15:11what
15:12I
15:13should
15:14do.
15:15It's
15:16a
15:17distress
15:18and
15:19there
15:20is a
15:21worry
15:22and the ball fell to him and they gave us the field.
15:25When we got to the house, no one said anything to him.
15:28Then we talked to him.
15:31Can you believe that
15:34that
15:35caused him to feel
15:38hurt,
15:40rejected
15:41and he didn't serve as a player anymore?
15:43After he was called a player, he trembled, he was afraid, that traumatized him 100%.
15:48So
15:49you have to start adapting to where you are.
15:54And if no one wants to talk to you,
15:55or if they don't talk to you because you lost the game, well, tomorrow there's another game.
15:59I'm going to try to do my best.
16:00But you have to be crazy.
16:03You have to be very strong.
16:04That's why they call it the six tools.
16:06The one on the field and the one off the field is your behavior and your intelligence.
16:10You tell me that you paid a lot of attention to Pelayo Chacón.
16:13Was he the one who helped you the most?
16:14Who talked to you the most during that first season?
16:17Pelayo Chacón.
16:19With Alfonso Carragel.
16:24With Alfonso,
16:25I have an anecdote,
16:28in Chicago, at Comiskey Park Stadium,
16:30which is the old stadium in Chicago.
16:32I have an experience with Alfonso.
16:34He's not very present, but I'm going to tell you that.
16:37We played a few games in the East.
16:42And in a room,
16:44they put
16:45Luis Peñalvén,
16:48Alfonso Carragel,
16:50and me in a single room.
16:54We played and the next day we left early
16:57to the airport, or the bus left for Caracas.
17:00We accompany you in your passion for baseball,
17:03while you perform your 24-7 sports plays and much more.
17:08Seal your Parley.com.
17:12And I hear the noise that the buses make when they accelerate.
17:17And I wake up and I do like this for the bed.
17:21Peñalvén sleeping and Alfonso's bed empty.
17:25Luis, Luis, Luis is going to the bus.
17:26Well, thank goodness we had left everything ready the night before.
17:29There, without getting caught, because the bus was leaving, they left us.
17:33When we got to the bus,
17:35Alfonso was sitting quietly.
17:39Hey, you know, you start to say, well, this guy is a bad person.
17:43When I got home, I told my mom,
17:45Mom, everything that happened to me with this guy,
17:47a fellow player, a joker.
17:50Well, it's better if I hadn't told my mom.
17:52We were in a huge mess.
17:54He's not there to take care of you,
17:56nor to wake you up.
17:57You have to be responsible for your work.
17:59Do you realize that?
18:01And I, cold, I said, Mom, you're right.
18:04He's not there to wake me up,
18:06nor if you're going to eat, none of those things.
18:08Each one in his own.
18:10In the big leagues, in the time I played,
18:12they gave you a tour,
18:1410 days, 8 days,
18:15they gave you an itinerary.
18:17The bus was late, the hotel was late,
18:20everything.
18:21You were asking yourself, they told you everything there.
18:23It was your responsibility.
18:24That taught me that moment.
18:27And you're right.
18:27Oh, yes, yes, yes.