Idealism, that is what it is all

about.

I do not know anybody

that enjoys playing more

the game of baseball

than one 77 year old

man by the name of

Orestes Saturnino Arrieta

Armas Minoso, aka

Minnie Minoso who at

the age of 77 walked

last night, playing in an organized game for the seventh decade, a major league record !

By Amaury Pi-GonzálezIf the Rickey Henderson

experiment doesn’t work,

what are the Dodgers going

to do….sign Minnie Minoso ?

Last night the ageless Minnie

Minoso became the first player

to play professional baseball

in seven decades.

Minnie took the field with his

team St.Paul Saints of the

Independent Northern League

against Gary and he walke

in his first at bat.

Minnie Minoso played last night

(July 16,2003)wearing a New

York Cubans uniform on a

promotion of Negro League

Day at St Paul. Minoso became

the first black Latino to play

in Major League Baseball

when he was a rookie in

1949 with the Cleveland

Indians. This was after

several years playing in

the Negro Leagues here

in the United States.

I remember when my father

Joaquin used to take me

to the old Cuban Professional

Winter League in El Estadio

de El Cerro in Havana. There

is when I first saw Minnie

Minoso, playing for the

Tigres del Marianao(Marianao

Tigers).

Minoso became the first

ever to play in six decades

when he batted in 1993 for

the St.Paul Saints.

In a brilliant 16-year major

league career the Cuban

born outfielder-thridbaseman

combined a .298 batting

average. His career ended

with the Chicago White Sox

in 1964, but do not tell him

that to his face !

In the 1980’S during one of

my interviews prior to an

A’S game (when the A’S had

Spanish Radio Broadcasts)I

interviewed Minnie. I remember

telling him If he liked those

ugly solid black Chicago White

Sox uniforms with short pants.

He repplied: “Oye..chico, no, no

me gustan porque mis

rodillas son muy feas y no

quiero que nadie las vea”

(No, no, man I hate this

uniforms because my knees

are very ugly and I don’t

want anybody to see them…”

As a young kid going to the

games every Sunday in

Havana I remember Minoso

as a guy that would play

with such abandon like

he didn’t care If he broke

both legs, he wanted to

win the game he was playing,

his intensity way up there.

My best analogy would be

a combination of Pete Rose

and Miguel Tejada, If you

follow the game, you know

what I mean.

Minoso was one of the first

guys I can remember(going back

to my elementary school years

in the 50’S) that I saw sliding

at first base HEAD DOWN !

and he did it regularly. It is

a miracle he can walk, not

to mention play…at age 77.

Played in the 1940,50,60.

Then in the 1976 for eight

at bats with Chicago again

(he got one hit-he was

54 years old) and then he

came back for two more

at bats in 1980.

My first introduction to

professional baseball was

in that famous Cuban League

where guys like Minnie Minoso,

Camilo Pascual,Sandy Consuegra,

Pedro Ramos,Mike Fornieles,

Tony González,Brook Robinson,

Bob Allison,Rocky Nelson,

Cookie Rojas and many

many more of that era.

Minoso played in Cuba for

the Marianao Tigers. One of

the 4 teams that would play

a round-robin tournament

during the winter. Each

Sunday at Estadio de El

Cerro in Havana, the first

game was: Minoso’s team

Marianao Tigers vs. Cienfuegos

Elephants. Then the second

game the “eternos rivales”

(eternal rivals)something like

Giants and Dodgers or

Yankess vs. Red Sox,

it was the Havana Lions

vs. Almendares Scorpions.

Havana Lions wear red and

white the Almendares Scorpions

white and blue.

In my family our favorite team

was the Habana Lions, there

I remember Adolfo Luque as

a manager. Luque was one

of the first Cubans to play

in the Major Leagues. In 1923

with the Cincinnati Red Dolf

Luque finished the season

with a 27 wins and a 1.93

ERA. Hear that Pedro Martínez?

Luque was manager of the

Havana Lions in Cuba.1950’S.

What memories: I remember

when Marianao would play

Havana and a big tall righthander

that threw fastballs that looked

to me like aspirins, his name

was Wilmer(Vinegar Bend)Myzell

a big starter with control

problems that threw smoke.

And I remeber when Minoso

would come to the plate and

face Myzell.

That old Cuban Professional

League was unique. Nothing like

it since or presently.

Some of the great american

stars played in that league

shoulder-to-shoulder with

great Cuban talent like

Orestes (Minnie)Minoso.

Bill Werle one of the many

scouts that I see at Pac

Bell Park as well as Charlie

Silvera can talk about that

Cuban league and the

talent that used to play

there.

Atention Los Angeles

Dodgers…if 44(?)year

old Rickey Henderson

doesn’t do the job, you

can call St Paul and get

a hold of Orestes (Minnie)

Minoso, he already has

one walk at 77 ! If you

cannot get him in ST.Paul,

call the Chicago White Sox,

Minnie currently works

in Chicago’s community

relations department.

Last season the Hispanic

Heritage Baseball Museum

(who will induct Juan

Marichal and Felipe Alou

this weekend in San Francisco)

inducted Minnie Minoso to

the Hall of Fame on a ceremony

at the field prior to the game.

Viva Minnie Minoso !

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