default header
24 February 2006
Latino Contributions to Major League Baseball Exhibited in United States
Touring museum collection pays tribute to Latin American ballplayers
Washington -- Professional baseball, once believed to be the near-exclusive domain of the United States, is launching a five-year campaign to highlight the passion and talent bestowed on the game by ballplayers from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, has joined with the Houston-based Citgo Petroleum Corporation for a series of exhibits about Latino ballplayers that will be showcased at museums and ballparks across the United States.
Sponsors say the campaign, dubbed "Baseball! ¡Béisbol! -- Sharing the Passion," will include a national touring museum exhibit that will provide fans with an "interactive experience recreating the sights, sounds and idiosyncrasies of Latino baseball." The touring exhibit, which organizers say will begin in 2006 but is still in the "operational" stage, will include artifacts from past and present baseball greats from the Latin America-Caribbean region.
Part of the campaign to raise the profile of ballplayers from that region is an exchange program between curators at the Cooperstown Hall of Fame and their counterparts at the Caribbean and Latin American baseball halls of fame. (See related article: Major League Baseball Announces All-Latino All-Star Team.)
In announcing the new campaign at a January 30 news conference in New York, Cooperstown Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark said that for the last 25 years, Latinos have been playing an "increasingly significant role in American life -- and on the baseball field. Today, more than 25 percent of major league players are from Latin America [and the Caribbean], including many of the game's biggest stars. They make the game more exciting -- and better. We are thrilled for the opportunity to share this wonderful story with the American people."
The Citgo Corporation said its involvement in the campaign stems from its "long marketing ties to baseball," with Citgo advertisement signs dominating the landscape at Major League ballparks in Boston and Houston. Citgo President Felix Rodriguez said his corporation is "very pleased to launch this long-overdue effort to pay permanent tribute to Latino baseball."
The Baseball Hall of Fame-Citgo partnership also will include a special forum to commemorate the legacy of Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente from the Pittsburgh Pirates, during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities in Pittsburgh in July. Clemente was a native of Puerto Rico.
In addition, a multicultural advisory panel of experts will be established to ensure that Hall of Fame-Citgo partnership initiatives reflect the uniqueness of Latino baseball. Another aspect of the partnership includes the translation into Spanish of key Hall of Fame documents for visitors to the Cooperstown museum.
"This day is long overdue," said Roberto Clemente Jr., at the press conference in New York where the exhibit was announced. "It's nearly a century in the making."
The younger Clemente, whose father died in a plane crash in December 1972 while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, was joined at the January 30 news conference by Hispanic Hall of Famers representing different regions of Latin America and the Caribbean: Juan Marichal, of the Dominican Republic; Tony Perez, of Cuba; Luis Aparicio, of Venezuela; and Orlando Cepeda, of Puerto Rico.
Roberto Clemente, a 12-time Major League all-star selection and 12-time Gold Glove winner for his fielding prowess, won four batting titles in the 1960s. He also helped the Pirates claim the 1971 World Series, the championship of U.S. professional baseball.
Among those who hailed the new exhibit was U.S. Representative José Serrano (Democrat of New York), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who said in a statement that "baseball is a way of life for many Latinos," adding: "I'm very pleased that the Hall of Fame and Citgo are working together to recognize and honor the impact of Latinos on the game. I am glad that many young people will get to see this exhibit, and get a taste of what it was like to see the past Latino stars in their prime. Their contribution to baseball and to America will not be forgotten."
Pilar O'Leary, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center in Washington, issued her own statement, saying: "Some of baseball's greatest heroes are Latinos. It is historically significant that their role in this vibrant slice of American society is being recognized at the national level. The National Baseball Hall of Fame/Citgo initiative has the potential to provide strong role models for young Latinos in the U.S. and teach all children in this country about the significant contribution by Hispanics to our national sport."
