Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andres Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier

Acknowledgments

241 No words can describe the gratitude I have for everyone in Venezuela who helped make this book possible. Un abrazo fuerte to Andrés Reiner and his staff, including Jesús Aristimuño, Rafael Cariel, Luis Carmona, Eduardo Castillo, César Cedeño, Miguel Chacoa, Pedro Franceschi, Ramón Fereira, Orlando Fernández, Mario González, Rafael Lara, Omar López, Nestor Marrero, Ramón Morales, Juan Oliveros , Wolfgang Ramos, Francisco Ruiz, Lester Storey, Pablo Torrealba , and Euclides Vargas, for being guides and teachers on my many visits to Venezuela. Two staff members, Rubén Cabrera and Oscar Padrón, died before this book was completed. I also want to express my appreciation to my Venezuelan journalist friends who made me feel at home in their country, especially Giner García, Iván Medina, Ibsen Martínez, Humberto Acosta, and Dámaso Blanco; to all of the Astros’ prospects who so generously shared their time, but specifically to Bob Kelly Abreu, Henry Centeno , Raúl Chávez, Carlos Guillén, Richard Hidalgo, and Melvin Mora, and to the many Venezuelans who took time from their busy schedules to visit with me, particularly Rafael and Ligia Avila, Ronnie Blanco, Pedro Caro, John Fitzgerald Castro, Javier González, Saul González, Mikel Pérez, Oscar Prieto, and Jesús Santana. Two individuals provided crucial assistance in helping me make the transition from the classroom to the clubhouse when I began my baseball research in 1987: Rob Matwick, then with the Houston Astros and now vice president of communications for the Detroit Tigers, and John Blake of the Texas Rangers, now vice president for Acknowledgments 242 Acknowledgments media relations with the Boston Red Sox. Thanks Rob and John for providing press credentials and making Houston and Arlington my windows to major league baseball. My traveling companions through Latin American baseball, Alan Klein and Tim Wendel, were always ready to offer advice, expertise, and encouragement at every stage of the project. Thanks guys. Also special thanks to Mary Beckner whose photos appear in the book. I owe a debt of gratitude to my outstanding editors including Ivy McLemore (Houston Post), John Royster (Baseball America), Paul White and Margaret McCahill (usa Today Baseball Weekly), and Joel Horn (Diamondbacks Magazine), who always improved on the copy I sent them. I was deeply saddened by John Royster’s untimely death in 2003. I also want to thank Rob Taylor and Joeth Zucco, my editors at the University of Nebraska Press, for their help and guidance. Thanks to Carol Ness of the San Francisco Chronicle for teaching me how to write for a general, nonacademic audience. Other journalists and colleagues who were unselfish in offering assistance include Joe Arbena, Kevin Baxter, Rod Beaton, Bill Brown, René Cárdenas, Murray Chass, Neil Hohlfeld, Rick Lawes, Will Lingo, Gerry Martin, Tom Miller, Boris Mizrahi, John Morthland, Jim Myers, Eric Nadel, Jorge Ortiz, José de Jesús Ortiz, Bill Plaschke, Michael Point, Tracy Ringolsby, Phil Rogers, Alberto Rondón, Adolfo Salguiero, Billy Sample, and Alan Truex. Thanks to the players, scouts, coaches, managers, general managers , and player development people who so graciously shared their baseball insights. It is impossible to name all of them, but the following deserve particular mention: Manny Acta, Carlos Alfonso, Sandy Alomar Sr., Felipe Alou, Rubén Amaro Sr., Rubén Amaro Jr., Luis Aponte, Sal Artiaga, Ralph Avila, Dick Balderson, Enrique Brito, Al Campanis, Fred Claire, Milton Croes, Mel Didier, Larry Dierker, Arnold Elles, Orrin Freeman, René Gayo, Pat Gillick, David Gottfried , Luchy Guerra, Roland Hemond, Jim Hickey, Gary Hughes, Gerry Hunsicker, Sandy Johnson, Deacon Jones, Tommy Jones, Tom Kayser, Buzzy Keller, Winston Llenas, Julio Linares, Omar Minaya, George Moreira, Fred Nelson, Junior Noboa, Dan O’Brien, José 243 Acknowledgments Oquendo, Willie Paffen, Alfredo Pedrique, Tony Peña, Carlos Pérez, Tim Purpura, Guillermo Ramírez, David Rawnsley, Herb Raybourn, Phil Regan, Paul Ricciarini, Branch Rickey III, Tom Romanesko, Luis Rosa, Aníbal Reluz, Tal Smith, Scipio Spinks, Lew Temple, Alejandro Treviño, Curtis Wallace, Calixto Vargas, Bob Watson, Gene Watson, Paul Weaver, and Bill Wood. Four players I interviewed very early in my research and who have all since died had a profound effect on me: Santos Amaro, Curt Flood, Víctor Pellot Pove (Vic Power), and Willie Wells. All fought the discrimination they faced through the quality of their play on the field and their incredible strength and dignity...