Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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Felipe Alou has not Changed: He is on Top Once Again.


I remember when I first
talked to Alou, when he was
a player and now
as a manager. The man has
not changed (aside from his age)
-and we all do there-.
Felipe is the same
astute baseball man presently
running the Giants on the field.
as he was as a young player
with the Giants in 1958, with
much more knowledge, of
course.

By Amaury Pi-González
San FranciscoWhen you want to talk baseball,
there are few managers that
bring the perspective that
Felipe Alou brings to the
table.

Felipe Rojas Alou was the
very first Dominican to become
a full time manager in the
major leagues. In 1994
he became the first Dominican
and the first Latino to be named
Manager of the Year when he
was with Montreal. In 1994
(strike year)Felipe could
have taken that Expos team
to the World Series. Now
almost 10 years later he
has another shot.

From his very first year in
1958 when he was a rookie
with the Giants Felipe was a
spokesperson for Latin American
ball players. Alou was never
afraid (even in the 1950’s)
to speak against racism toward
himself and other Latino
players like Juan Marichal,
Orlando Cepeda or Roberto
Clemente.

When Felipe Alou was a player
with the Oakland Athletics in
the 1970’s I remember asking
him about his career in
the Major Leagues and I
remember how humble
but proud he was to be
a Latino playing in the
best baseball league in
the world. Mind you in
the 1970’s there were a
few Latino players, not
even close to today’s 33%
of Latino players in both
leagues. Dagoberto Blanco
Campaneris, aka Campy
was a great shortstop for
the Oakland Athletics but
he was always afraid of
talking to the regular media,
his English was limited. I
used to speak a lot with
Campy and he was really
afraid of being quoted
incorrectly and made fun
of. He (like this reporter)
was born in Cuba and we
share the same passion
about the sport of baseball.
Since US Marines introduced
baseball to the island of
Cuba, there are only 3
things that most Cubans
love to talk about:1-Baseball
2-Politics 3-Food. Campy,
once he got goin’ was
a very entertaining person,
however, the Anglo media
never knew that because
of the reasons of the
language and the shyness
of Campy as a man.
Campy told me things
then that If I would have
mentioned on the air or
written about I would
have been considered
an “extremist”. Yet, he
was only telling me the
truth.

But Felipe always spoke
his mind. The regular media
covering Felipe presently
as the manager of the
San Francisco Giants are
amazed as his candid and
open opinions.

Earlier this season when
he was inducted into the
Hispanic Heritage Baseball
Museum Hall of Fame he
told me: “it is about time
this happened in the US
after so many years of
contributions to baseball
by Latinos from a lot of
different countries”.
When he told me how
proud he still was of making
history with his other
two brothers, Mateo and
Jesús on September 15,
1963 at Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh when the three
brothers play the three
outfields in the eight and
ninth inning of a 13-5
victory by the Giants
over the Bucs.

“Ese momento nunca se
me olvidará, me lo llevo
hasta mi tumba” I will
never forget that moment,
that I take unto my grave”.

For the record, the three
Alou brothers played again
in the same game together
the three outfields on the
22nd of September 1963
during the last three
innings at Candlestick Park
when the Giants beat the
Mets 13-3.

On Nick Peters great book
“Giants Dugout” he also
writtes what is not
commonly known, that
on September 10 at the
Polo Grounds the three
brothers established
another first by batting
in succession during an
inning. Pinch hitter Jesús
led off with a grounder
to short, Mateo struck
out as a pinch hitter and
Felipe hit an inning ending
ground ball. (Thanks Nick)

Felipe Alou deserves
the respect he gets from
the Giants of 2003 not
only because he has guided
them into first place, blowing
out the rest of the division
but because Felipe Alou
is 100X100 baseball and he
more than anybody is the
best example of the advancement
of the Latino player in today’s
game. He on a Giants team that
happens to be loaded with
Latino talent.

Before 1947 and even after,
many wrote that Latinos
were not very inteligent
players and that they
will never advance because
of their lack of “mental
skills”in the game of
baseball. Yes, please
tell that to Albert Pujols,
or Manny Ramírez, or
Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy
Sosa or Pedro Martínez
or Miguel Tejada. If those
lack mental skills then
we should “recall”the
present Commissioner.

Felipe Alou came here to
manage the Giants with
a plan, he is not a
“manage as-you-go-type
of manager” he knows
exactly what buttoms to
push in what time. Of
course (like he will tell
you)the best managers
might make a brilliant
move that doesn’t work
or a dumb move that work
because ESTO ES BEISBOL
THIS IS BASEBALL.

In Football the coaches
in the NFL usually have
their first plays scripted
and have an idea what
they want to do. Image
in baseball, which manager
can plan an inning ? Even
Felipe or Bobby Cox or
Tony LaRussa or Art Howe
or any manager with
thousands of games of
experience would dare to
do that? Baseball is a game
of opportunity and a game
of luck and strategy and
Felipe takes advantage of
all of that.

Remember when he used to
visit as Montreal’s manager
and the controversy he
was “stealing signs”from
Dusty Baker’s team ? A good
manager can steal signs, it
is not ilegal to do that, it is
part of the game. Most
managers would rather
be acused of stealing the
signs that have their signs
stolen…

When I walk into Felipe’s
room at Pac Bell Park
Giants clubhouse sometimes
I talk about other issues
-not only sports or baseball-
and he is the most interesting
of man you could meet.

I admire Felipe Alou much
more as a person, a man
with real conviction than just
because of his great skills
as a manager.

I think I mentioned this earlier
here this season. The best
move the San Francisco
Giants made this season
was made in the winter,
when they called Felipe
Alou and offered him the
job as manager. If you
ask Dusty Baker his favorite
manager he will tell
you Felipe Alou is the
man, so even as a PR
move the Giants were really
brilliant in this one.

Just for a minute image
this Giants team managed
by…Jim Fregosi ?
_____________________________________

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