Grizzlies are a part of America

vidaenelvalle.comBy Jess M. Gonzalez (Published Wednesday, April, 30, 2003 10:00AM)

Seemingly, they look rather simple to execute -- throwing, hitting, catching and running -- the basic fundamental actions required to play the game of baseball. Even small children, to different degrees of skill, accuracy, speed, power and distance, can usually accomplish them without much trouble.

However, onlookers be warned: looks can be deceiving. Because, if mastering these tasks were easy, baseball would not be the game from which players and spectators alike derive so much pleasure. That said, let's give a big Central California welcome to spring, the season of the year that brings the season of the game that for over 150 years laid claim to being "America's favorite pastime." Though that claim may be somewhat in question today, to people who live and breathe the sport, the only thing that matters is the crack of the bat and all the fun that follows.

Much like birds that fly south for the winter, only to return in the spring, the "boys of summer" are back wearing Fresno Grizzlies uniforms. This is the sixth summer in a row that professional baseball will be played in Fresno after an absence of far too many years. Because of it, things seem to again make sense and have purpose here. Despite the often tragic and unfortunate problems that plague the world, Fresno and Central Californians will again enjoy moments of great fun in the cool of summer evenings seeing baseball at the beautiful and spacious downtown ballpark. For those of us who feel passionate about the game, that makes all the difference in improving our quality of life in our special corner of the globe.

A mere step from the show

Though the Grizzlies have not yet won a Pacific Coast League championship, they've played hard and throughly entertained local fans of all ages and ethnic backgrounds with their high level of play that is a short step from the big leagues. How can we tell? Simple. Teams from both the National and American Leagues are dotted with players that have played for and against the Grizzlies in Fresno. Of course, being the Triple A affiliate of the Giants -- the favorite team of the majority of Central Californians -- most of those players now wear the orange and brown laced uniform of the San Francisco team.

Vida steps to the plate

Recognizing the widespread interest in the Grizzlies and baseball in general by fans in Fresno and throughout the area, Vida En El Valle is stepping to the plate to provide a special weekly report on the Grizzlies throughout the 2003 season. For most fans, familiarity with the players is limited to seeing them perform out on the field. Through this report, Vida En El Valle will go beyond the foul lines and follow the players off the field to provide insight on who they are and what it takes for them to play professionally at the Triple A level. And, yes -- we will touch on the statistics that baseball fans relish, but that will not be our main purpose. For, as we all know, statistics get old and can be impersonal. Instead, we want to deal with the human side of the game -- its players.

More importantly, being a news service that targets the area's large and growing Hispanic community, we will feature "los peloteros," the team's Hispanic ball players. Throughout the team's existence, these talented and colorful players have played an integral part of the team's success and popularity. They hail from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, México, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, Columbia, El Salvador, Costa Rica and, yes, the United States. Most of them arrive in our country with limited English language skills and feel out of place in a society much different from the one they left behind. They suffer from homesickness and tend to stick close to more experienced players who share their culture. Aside from a the unique cultural aspects they bring to the game, they also bring outstanding skill, flair and competitiveness. At the major league level we're all familiar with the stars -- Sosa, Rodríguez, Tejada, Durazo, Soriano, El Duque, Santiago, Vizquel, Martínez, and so many, many more. Yet, it is in the minor leagues where they have to prove and improve themselves. In a manner of speaking, time spent in the minors are their profession's formative years .

While its play action takes places inside its foul lines, throughout its illustrious history, baseball has always reflected the feelings of our society. In fact, it has helped bring about social change. We're all familiar with the great Jackie Robinson, who broke the racial barrier by becoming the first black to play major league baseball in modern times.