Ballplayer watches a country in turmoil
www.bayarea.com Posted on Tue, Feb. 25, 2003 By RICK HURD Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
PHOENIX - Ramon Hernandez had only one thing on his mind when he hopped on a plane and headed home to Venezuela this winter. He said he wanted to wipe away the memory of a disappointing 2002 season.
"I just wanted to forget it," he said. "Sometimes, that's just the best thing you can do."
He had no idea how easy that would be. Hernandez's winter was marked by snapshots of fights in the streets, protests in the capital, long lines for gas and food, military marches and general unrest.
Turned out the only thing on his mind was keeping his family safe.
"It was sad, very sad," he said. "I've never seen anything like it before. I hope I never see it again."
What Hernandez witnessed was a crippling nationwide strike that nearly tore apart his country. Workers throughout Venezuela went on strike to protest the policies of president Hugo Chavez, and the fallout was tumultuous.
Violence erupted in Venezuela in December, shortly after the strike began. The importing and distribution of gasoline and oil is a huge industry in Venezuela, Hernandez said, and the strike left the country with a huge shortage.
Thus, he said, workers in other industries who relied on gas were unable to earn money.
"You'd see hundreds and hundreds of people lined up for gas. It might take two or three days to get some," Hernandez said. "But if you drove a taxi, then you can't work. So people like that would go hungry. There were lots of people in my country who couldn't get food."
Hernandez wasn't one of them. He said the country's baseball players are considered among the elite citizens of Venezuela and that he "had ways around" the mess that was causing so much misery. But the violence that resulted wasn't lost on him.
"I'd turn on the TV, and you'd see the army marching in the capital city (of Caracas), and you'd see fights between (Chavez's) supporters and opponents breaking out all over the place," he said. "It was very scary."
So scary, Hernandez said, that his family rarely left its home. Hernandez said his home was several miles on the outskirts of any big city, and that his neighborhood was relatively safe.
"But you couldn't take any chances," he said. "You never knew where it might be dangerous."
That point hit home early in December, when a fellow major league became a victim. Houston Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo was shot in the left arm during a carjacking attempt in early December.
"It's a scary thing, what happened to him," Hernandez said. "It could've happened to anyone."
The turmoil also wrecked something else that was so close to Hernandez's heart. The Venezuelan winter league was canceled after only two weeks, because adequate security to protect the players couldn't be found. Hernandez had been named the league's MVP in 2001.
Thus, he said, the dawn of spring training was more welcome than ever. He reported to Arizona with his wife, Bellatrix, and son, Randy, but the rest of his extended family remains in Venezuela.
"I was glad to get started," he said. "I talked to family, and they say things are getting much better down there. It was getting better before I left, so hopefully it keeps going in that direction."
As for baseball, Hernandez said he hopes his offense moves in a better direction this season, too. He hit only .233 after signing a four-year, $9.5 million contract in March. He hit just seven home runs after totaling 29 over the previous two seasons.
"Hey, guys have bad years sometimes," manager Ken Macha said. "Hopefully, that was one of his. But that still doesn't take away from the work he did for us handling our pitching staff. He's as big a reason for our pitchers' success as any. As long as he keeps doing that, we'll be happy."
Hernandez seems happy already. He said he has put the memory of 2002 out of his mind. And he said the memory of his 2002 winter will be a nice reminder that some things are more important than batting averages.