Dominican baseball non-profits: Boston teen takes part in Lindos Suenos program

Like a number of MLB players and teams, the Red Sox are very active in signing Dominican free agents and developing them into big league players. The team is also active in giving back to the Dominican Republic.

They run a non-profit program called Lindos Suenos, or beautiful dreams. The program pairs Boston area teens with Dominican teens in an effort to repair and rebuild houses in Dominican communities. Each year ten Boston teens and ten Dominican teens are paired up and live at a Dominican resort for a couple weeks. In the mornings they rebuild houses and in the afternoons they play baseball at the Red Sox Dominican baseball academy.

American teen Austin Rubino recently participated in the program and says that he went down to learn about Dominican baseball, but mainly to help people. “Definitely working on the homes, that’s the main reason I wanted to be down there, to help these people out,” said Rubino.

The group did get to play some baseball though. They played against other MLB teams’ academy programs as well as a team representing Santo Domingo.

There have been a number of college or church groups get together similar mission work/baseball playing trips, but this is the first program of this nature that the Dominican Baseball Guy has seen put together by an MLB team. It is a great effort by the Red Sox to give back to the Dominican community in which they have a Dominican baseball academy. More teams should follow their lead and have similar programs.

Dominican baseball academies: place to learn baseball and English too

Most followers of the Dominican Baseball Guy, or Dominican baseball in general, know that the Dominican baseball academies of the MLB teams are an important part in the development of Dominican prospects.  Every team now has an academy in the Dominican Republic.

The original point of the Dominican baseball academies was to develop the baseball skills of young Dominican players.  And the academies have done a pretty good job at that over the last twenty plus years.

But recently the need to teach young Dominican players life skills and English has been moved to close to an equal field with the players developing their on-field game.  The Dominican Republic and MLB recently signed an agreement that put forth the steps and the infrastructure necessary to educate young players on English and cultural differences between the Dominican Republic and the United States.  The agreement also allows for the creation of vocational programs to teach Dominican prospects other job skills in case a career in baseball does not work out.

So, the government of the Dominican Republic and MLB seem to be moving in a good direction in regards to educating their Dominican prospects.

More evidence that MLB and their teams are making an effort to better prepare their Dominican players for a life after baseball: a Northeastern University student recently served as an intern with the Red Sox in their Dominican baseball academy, and worked as an education consultant.

Roberto Lavin served as a translator, English teacher, and cultural consultant for the Red Sox Dominican prospects.  According to Lavin, learning English was a focus for all the Red Sox prospects, but especially for catchers:

“The Red Sox would always talk about how essen­tial Eng­lish is for all posi­tion players, but to a catcher, Eng­lish is really a neces­sity,” he explained. “I worked closely with young catchers, tutoring them fre­quently and sim­u­lating catcher-​​pitcher mound interactions.”

But the focus was not only on learning English.  Cultural anthropologists, such as the Dominican Baseball Guy, know the importance of learning about a culture before someone is thrust into a new country and culture full force.  Dominican prospects face culture shock and may have ethnocentric views that inhibit their assimilation into a new culture.  That is where education consultants such as Roberto Lavin serve an important role in the Dominican academies.  Eddie Romero, the Red Sox director of international scouting spoke to this:

“Roberto did a ter­rific job of assisting our young Latin players in not only learning Eng­lish, but also in preparing them for the Amer­ican cul­ture once they got to the States,” said Eddie Romero, the Red Sox director of inter­na­tional scouting.

The Dominican Baseball Guy feels that MLB teams have made a great effort in these regards.  The majority of teams now have a coordinator of cultural immersion for Latin players.  And most prospects that spend some time in a Dominican baseball academy are more prepared to live in the United States, and/or work in a field outside baseball, than they were before entering the academy.  While the teams could spend more money and hire more staff in these areas, the league has come a long way in this regard and seems to be on the right track to grow these programs, as the international presence of the game grows.

MLB team to sign Dominican baseball player Manny Ramirez? Pelotero Dominicano va a jugar en MLB este año?

So, I am the Dominican Baseball Guy (DBG), not the "Manny Ramirez Guy," even though we have seen tons of Manny Ramirez posts recently.  With that said, any news on Manny Ramirez is news to the Dominican Baseball Guy.  Manny is, after all, one of the most beloved Dominican Baseball players of all-time.

ESPN first reported and the Big Lague Stew blogged that Manny Ramirez wants to return to MLB this year.  Well bloggers are coming out of the woodworks saying they want him on their team.  One article makes a convincing case that there is no downside to signing Manny Ramirez.  Basically he will have to serve a 50 game suspension in the minor leagues, so any team that signs him can send him to the minors and if he does not perform well in triple A then he will not get the call up to the big league squad.  And in the case that he stays in the minors, he will also earn a minor league salary.  So, the article seems to be right on point, not much risk for a big league club in signing him.

Indians bloggers are calling for Manny to return to the Indians.  Mets bloggers want him for their team.   And how about Manny Ramirez with the Yankees?  The Pinstripe Alley bloggers say bring Manny Ramirez to the Yankees.

As the Mets blogger says in a final point, "If nothing else, Manny will provide daily news."  Not exactly an argument a GM wants to hear.  But for a blogger such as the Dominican Baseball Guy, that is a great reason to have him on your team!

Manny Ramirez es de Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana.  Here's hoping he lands somewhere for the upcoming season.

Manny Ramirez rounding the bases with the Red Sox, by Keith Allison  on Flickr

Manny Ramirez talks Albert Pujols new contract with Angels, Manny Ramirez habla sobre Pujols contrato con Angels

And so the world of Manny turns.  And whatever he says, people (like the Dominican Baseball Guy aka DBG) will listen.  Manny Ramirez retired from baseball in April, yet the DBG has found a way to blog about him four times since August.

First, Manny said he will play in the Dominican winter baseball league.  Then he was jailed for domestic disturbance in Florida.  Then Manny Ramirez reiterated the fact that he plans to play in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) for the 2011 season.  And finally, MLB says that he cannot play in the LIDOM because he still has an MLB suspension to serve and LIDOM is affiliated with MLB, so he must serve that 50 game suspension before he can play in LIDOM.

So, as always, Manny Ramirez is in the news, even if he is not playing.  And when Manny speaks, the Dominican Baseball Guy listens.  The latest is that Manny Ramirez praises the Angels for signing Albert Pujols.  O really?  Thanks Manny for chiming in.  Here is the quote from ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com:

"He deserves that contract; he is the best slugger in history. The numbers speak for themselves," Ramirez said during an interview with ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com.

Manny Ramirez batting practice with
the Dodgers, by  pvsbond on Flickr

Wow, some humility from Manny.  The DBG always thought that in Manny's mind he was the best slugger in history.  Some amazing analysis from Manny, 'the Angels were smart to sign Pujols.'  He may have a career as an analyst in the future.

Well that ends another entry of as the Manny turns.  You will always be the favorite slugger of the DBG, even if Pujols is better than you Manny.  Here's hoping your latest comeback attempt is successful, so the DBG can see you play a few more times.

Manny Ramirez es de Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana.

Manny Ramirez can't play in Domincian Winter League, Manny Ramirez no puede jugar en LIDOM

Just last week, the Dominican Baseball Guy and fans of Dominican baseball everywhere were giddy at the possibility of Manny Ramirez playing in the Dominican League of Winter Baseball (LIDOM) this season.  Manny had made contact with his former team the Cibao Eagles, and planned to play with them again.

But alas it was much a do about nothing.  Manny is ineligible to play winter ball in any of the MLB sanctioned leagues, and yes, the LIDOM is an MLB sanctioned league.  He claims that his representatives are working to get the commission to reinstate him for winter ball, but this is doubtful at this point.  MLB rules simply do not allow it.

So, the Dominican Baseball Guy has changed his tune since the last time he posted on the ongoing Manny situation when he said: "This is looking more and more like it could happen."  In fact, the Dominican Baseball Guy has done a complete 180.  It is looking more and more likely that this will not happen.  Manny will have to serve his 100 game suspension before appearing in the LIDOM.

Dominican fans are already disappointed about this.  Some have hit up the Dominican Baseball Guy Facebook page saying that he is still going to play, despite these new reports.

It is never boring with Manny.  He is from Santo Domingo, DR, but grew up in New York City's Washington Heights.

Manny Ramirez with the Dodgers, by pvsbond on Flickr

Whose your daddy? Pedro Martinez named 2nd best all-time Latin pitcher, Pedro Martinez el segundo lanzador Latino de todo tiempo

So, apparently this is Hispanic Heritage Month.  And in a salute to this, MLB.com conducted a poll of the greatest Latino pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball.  Only retired pitchers were considered.  They have been announcing one of the top five each day.

Thus far, they have announced Fernando Valenzuela (Mexico), Dennis Martinez (Nicaragua), and Luis Tiant (Cuba).  And then today they released the number two greatest Latin pitcher of all-time, and the honoree is Pedro Martinez.

It is no secret, Pedro is one of the reasons that the Dominican Baseball Guy came into being.  The Dominican Baseball Guy saw him perform in his prime.  He is probably the best combination of performance and entertainment that the Dominican Baseball Guy has seen in any ball player.  No need to dicuss stats with Pedro, but he led his league in Ks three times, ERA five times, and wins once.

Peter Gammons says:

"He was the most dominating pitcher of all time in a span of seven years and the most exciting player I have ever seen." 

And the Dominican Baseball Guy heard Dan Patrick saying today on his radio show today that Pedro's 1999 season could be put up with the bext seasons of any pitcher of all-time, and that Pedro should have won the MVP along with the Cy Young that year.

Pedro is so revered among baseball fans that his picture was put on permanent display in the Smithsonian National Picture Gallery.  In the experience of the Dominican Baseball Guy, Pedro is probably the most popular Dominican player in his home country (current or retired) at the moment.  And that is saying a lot.

So, it is a well deserved honor that he was named the second greatest Latin MLB pitcher of all-time.  The Dominican Baseball Guy has a pretty good idea as to who the number one all-time Latin pitcher will be.  Think San Francisco Giants and Dominican.

Pedro is from Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic.

Pedro Martinez having fun with the Mets, by UCInternational

Manny Ramirez to play in Dominican baseball league, Dominicano Manny Ramirez va a jugar en LIDOM

Well, Manny Ramirez has said once again that he plans to play ball in the Dominican League of Winter Baseball this season.  He recently said, he wants to "play before the Dominican fans and to perhaps motivate other Major League stars to also play in the country."  And the President of his former team, Winston Llenas of the Cibao Eagles confirmed that he plans to start training with the team next week.

This backs up a previous report of Manny planning to play Dominican winter baseball, in which he said: "Now I'm getting ready to defend the 21st crown of the Aguilas (Eagles)."

The Dominican Baseball Guy can hardly contain himself with thoughts of this becoming a reality. If he does decide to play, the stadiums will be filled for all of his games, and the Dominican Baseball Guy will be there to see the craziness. The Dominican stadiums get packed for even marginal stars, so if Manny plays it will be a true spectacle...think playoff like atmosphere for every game.

This is looking more and more like it could happen, as long as his recent legal troubles do not get in the way.

Ramirez says he wants to motivate other big league stars to play. If all the big league Dominican players returned home to play winter ball each year it could even push the Dominican league (LIDOM) to be on par with the NIPON Japanese baseball league, which is widely considered the second best league in the world. Then if they could get some American stars to join them, well it could theoretically be on par with MLB, considering the LIDOM only has six teams to fill.

But alas, this is a pipe dream. The likelihood of a bunch of big league stars following Manny to the LIDOM is small. There is one major hold up, and that is the MONEY. The players make a pittance in the LIDOM, not even reported usually, but it cannot be more than minor league deals. So, until the Dominican economy grows greatly and is able to support teams that can afford to pay millions of dollars to players, we are doubtful to see any major stars in their prime.

Manny is going to play because he has no choice: he faces a 100 game suspension for a failed drug test if he returns to MLB.

 Manny is from Santo Domingo and spent 18 years in the big leagues.

Manny Ramirez runs the bases with the Red Sox, by Keith Allison on Flickr

David Ortiz mentor to Robinson Cano and other younger Dominicans, David Ortiz es mentor para Dominicanos jovenes

David Ortiz has been an ambassador of Dominican baseball and Latin baseball since he busted on the scene with his first all-star campaign in 2004.  While he has been spreading the word of Dominican baseball to American fans and representing the game for all Dominicans, he has also served as a mentor to up and coming Dominican players.

The Dominican Baseball guy blogged on David Ortiz and his relationship with Hanley Ramirez a few months back.  Ramirez came up with the Red Sox and Ortiz showed him the big league ropes early in his career.

Ortiz has a similar relationship with Robinson Cano.  David Ortiz and Robinson Cano first met at a stadium in the Dominican Republic over ten years ago.  Cano remembers the meeting fondly, and says they have had a tight relationship ever since.  Ortiz gives him advice and even picked him for his team in the 2011 home run derby.

According to Ortiz:

“I look at him like a little brother,” said Ortiz. “It’s great. I really try to get along with everybody around me and since the first time I saw him, I saw how hard he was trying to be a good player and came to be who he is today. I always have open hands for people like that.”

Cano hopes to continue the cycle of good will and serve as a mentor to future young Dominican players.

David Ortiz es de Santo Domingo, Robinson Cano es de San Pedro de Macoris, and Hanley Ramirez es de Samana.

David Ortiz bats with the Boston Red Sox

Ex-Pirate Tony Pena elected to Latino Baseball Hall of Fame, Dominicano Tony Pena va a Salon de Fama

The Latin Baseball Hall of Fame, or Salon de la Fama del Beisbol Latino, is based in La Romana, Dominican Republic.  The organization works in coordination with MLB and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

They recently announced their class for 2012.  Aiden Gonzalez of MLB.com covered the story from the perspective of Bernie Williams and the Yankees.  But the Dominican Baseball Guy has not seen one article covering from the perspective of the Dominican inductee and former Pittsburgh Pirate Tony Pena.  Shocking, (the Dominican Baseball Guys knows) MLB and other major media outlets covering the Yankees and not the Pirates.

So, as the Dominican Baseball Guy it is my duty to cover Tony Pena's side of this great honor.  Pena is of course one the most revered Dominican players, and the Dominican Baseball Guy would consider him one of the leaders of what he considers the "modern wave" of Dominicans coming into the big leagues since the 1980s.    He is certainly one of the greatest Dominican catchers to ever play in the big leagues.  You know what, the Dominican Baseball Guy is going to say it: Tony Pena is the greatest Dominican catcher of all-time.

Which bring the Dominican Baseball Guy to another point...THERE ARE NO DOMINICAN CATCHERS nowadays.  The Dominican Baseball Guy noticed this down in the Dominican Republic.  In all the pick up games there is rarely someone playing catcher.  The Dominican Baseball Guy also hypothesizes that there is rarely good catching equipment in La Republica Dominica, so this could be another reason for the dearth of catchers in the country.  Lastly, the Dominican Baseball Guy surmises that "it's just not cool" to play catcher in for young Dominican players.  Just the opinion of the Dominican Baseball Guy, maybe some other reasons for this anomaly.

Pena had a great career that spanned 18 MLB seasons. He came up with the Pirates and went on to play with the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Indians. Tony was known for his defense behind the plate. He won 4 gold gloves and made 5 All-Star teams. He made it to the World Series with the Cardinals in 1987, losing to the Twins.

Tony also had a long career in the Dominican Winter Baseball League, playing late into his career with his original team, the Aguilas from Sanitago. The Dominican Baseball Guy could not find any statistics on his career in the DWL, but he played for more than ten years and won several titles with the Aguilas.

Tony went strait into coaching after his career was over, as many catchers do. He has managed the Aguilas for several years, winning DWL in 1998, 2000, 2001, and a Caribbean Series Championship with the team in 2001.  He spent 2002-2005 as the Royals manager and has been the Yankees bench coach for three years. 

Tony is from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. His son Tony Pena Jr. has pitched in the LIDOM and has had a cup of coffee as a pitcher with the Royals, and his other son, Francisco Pena, is in the Mets organization.  He joins Felipe Alou, Juan Marichal, Tetelo Vargas, Rico Carty and Horacio Martinez as the Dominican members of the Latino Hall of Fame.

Tony Pena, Yankees bench coach, by Keith Allison on Flickr

Red Sox-Yankees series features many foreign players

The Red Sox versus Yankees series that took place last week featured 14 foreign born players out of the 50 players on the two teams active and reserve rosters.  The Yankees have six Dominicans, including Rafael Soriano and Robinson Cano.  The Red Sox have just one, David Ortiz.

The two biggest clubs in baseball are always interested in signing a top flight talent, no matter what the cost or country of origin.  The Yankees have featured a number of Dominicans throughout the years, such as Alfonso Soriano and Alex Rodriguez.  The Red Sox championship teams in the 2004 and 2007 of course had two of the best players of their generation in David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, as well as Pedro Martinez among others.

Alfonso Soriano and Cano are both from San Pedro de Macoris, and Ortiz and Ramirez are both from Santo Domingo.  Fans of the Yankees and Red Sox should enjoy this series and enjoy seeing all the great Dominicans play all year.

David Ortiz, by Googie Man

Manny being Manny, Ramirez retires from MLB

It is a sad day in the world of the Dominican Baseball Guy.  His favorite player of all-time has retired, and the Dominican Baseball Guy does not see Manny Ramirez as one to go back on this retirement, especially since he faces a 100 game suspension if he does return.

Manny was the favorite player of the Dominican Baseball Guy first off because he could mash.  No one hits .312 lifetime with 555 home runs and 1831 RBI.  And he was not even a power hitter.  Ramirez generated all those home runs and RBI by hitting line drives, and thats what made him so exciting.  When he did hit a home run, they were just laser shots.

Of course he was also infamous for his on field antics, such as when he used to hang out in the Green Monster when he was in left field for the Red Sox.  The Dominican Baseball Guy was never more excited to see a game than when Ramirez was playing.  He played with a freeness that is unseen in professional sports, and the Dominican Baseball Guy thinks it is a shame that he got ridiculed for simply playing on instinct and having fun. See some of these videos on a recent Dominican Baseball Guy post.

Manny you will be missed, hopefully you can get together with the Dominican Baseball Guy and do an interview at some point.  He ends up as the all time Dominican leader in RBI and second in hits and home runs.  Manny is from Santo Domingo, DR, but grew up in New York City.

See the full article at the Dominican Baseball Examiner

Manny Ramirez, by shgmom56 on Flickr

Dominican player Hanley Ramirez sees David Ortiz as big brother

Hanley Ramirez came up with the Red Sox in 2005 when David Ortiz was in the prime of his career, and Ortiz has been a mentor to the younger Dominican star ever since.  Even though Ramirez only played two games with the Red Sox that year before being sent to the Marlins, the two players built a relationship that has remained strong.  The Dominican Baseball Guy mentioned this relationship during the All-Star game last year.

Ramirez seems to be in the same situation that Ortiz had in 2005: both young Dominican stars in the prime of their career expected to both lead and carry their teams.  So, Ortiz has plenty of advice for Ramirez, and Ramirez seems to be taking much of that advice.  Mainly, stay out of the news and just play your game, leading by example.

Ortiz is from Santo Domingo and Ramirez is from Samana, DR.

Dominican player Hanley Ramirez, by SD Dirk on Flickr