The Montclairion September 4, 2001
Baseball's Latinos finding a home

Avila has received enthusiastic support for his project not only from San Francisco officials, but from former and current major league players, too.

"Andres Galarraga knows about the project, Dusty Baker knows about it," Avila says. "I salute the Giants for their fine work in supporting us. The Giants have been very supportive - so have the A's and River Cats (the A's Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento)."

The HHBM opened its inaugural exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library in January. A panel discussion involving Tito Fuentes, Orlando Cepeda and Giants Spanish-language radio announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez highlighted its official opening.

Another exhibit in Sacramento coincided with the opening of the River Cats' season. And in August, the hall presented it first Orlando Cepeda Lifetime Achievement Awards to Florida Marlins manager Tony Perez and broadcasting great Rafael "Felo" Ramirez. Perez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player last year. Ramirez joined the broadcasters wing in Cooperstown this year.

The HHBM promises more, too. A garage sale to benefit the museum will take place in Rio Linda on Sept. 8. And on Sept. 23, the museum will help celebrate Hispanic Awareness Day with the A's at the Network Associates Coliseum.

Avila, who now works for the Veterans Administration, grew up in New York as a fan of the Yankees. But the Bay Area - and especially San Francisco- seems a logical choice for a museum honoring Latino players,

First of all, Avila lives in San Francisco. Moreover, Latin American baseball has strong ties to the city. Ruben Gomez, Cepeda and Felipe Alou were part of the original San Francisco Giants took on a strong Latino identity.

Today, some 30 percent of major-league players either come from Latin America or have a Latino background. They include Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez and a host of other players who rank among their respective league leaders in various categories.

Historically, though, Latino players haven't always generated the respect they deserve. The HHBM surely fills that void.

And in addition to all players born in Latin America, the HHBM will honor those U.S. Born players with Latino roots, a group that includes Hall of Famer Ted Williams, former Giants third baseman Darrell Evans (both partly of Mexican descent) and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (partly of Puerto Rican descent).

Oh - and the celebration of Latino baseball doesn't stop with the major leagues, either.

"We want to recognize womens' baseball, Little League and high school players - and Olympic players," says Avila. "We want to recognize the local kids, too.

a walk through any of HHBM's exhibits reminds one of the rich history and many contributions of Latin American players, Quite simply, the HHBM fill a huge void that has long screamed to be filled, If all goes well ( and so far it has) - San Francisco looks to have landed another major attraction. And players like Bert Campaneris can finally get some long overdue recognition.

POSTSCRIPT
Garage Sale: On Sept. 8 will take place at 1407 G Street, located between Dry Creek and 16th Street in Rio Linda (near Sacramento).

A Local Celebration: Minor League manager Juan Navarette will be honored on Hispanic Awareness Day at the Network Associates Coliseum on Sept. 23; The A's of Miguel Tejada, Olmedo Saenz, Tejada, Ramon Hernandez, Eric Chavez, Gil Heredia and Luis Vizcaino will host the Seattle Mariners of Edgar Martinez, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, Stan Javier, Jose Paniagua and Joel Pineiro in a 1:05 p.m.

Return to News Clips

Earlier this year, A's flag ship station KABL-AM asked its listeners to choose their all - time favorite A's player. For me, the answer required no second thought. Bert Campaneris is my main man when it comes to the A's and - I'm sure the favorite of many others, though I never saw the final poll.

Campy, Tony Oliva, Dave Concipcion, Chico Carrasquel and countless other Latino star have a huge impact on baseball through the decades. Gabe Avila of San Francisco seeks to honor all these players in the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum.

The HHBM is the brainchild of Avila, who established the museum two years ago as a nonprofit organization dedicated to he recognition of Latino players, For many, the museum is a concept long overdue.

"Juan Marichal said that it was about time that it happened," Avila said, recalling a June visit by the Giants' Hall of Fame pitcher.

At the time, Marichal- having been flown from his native Dominican Republic by the Giants - presented the HHBM an autographed game jersey from his days with the Giants.

The HHBM has collected other artifacts, too. Panamanian-born Hall of Famer Rod Carew donated a jersey in July, for instance. For the most part, though, the HHBM has been a traveling exhibit. But a permanent home might soon be a reality.

ABOUT US / FUTURE EVENTS / PAST ACTIVITIES / HALL OF FAME / NEWS CLIPS / AMAURY'S COLUMN