Today is the 60th anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson laced up his cleats, put on his Dodgers jersey and took the field as the first black athlete to play major league baseball.  What Jackie Robinson did was historic. It was groundbreaking.  It opened doors and tore down barriers.  It created the opportunity for us to celebrate the other great minority players that came after him.  From Hank Aaron to Willie Mays to Roberto Clemente to Tony Gwynn, the first step was taken by Jackie Robinson.  

The anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier has been discussed and celebrated all week long.  It has been, and rightfully so, the subject of special segments on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Pardon the Interruption and The Sports Reporters.  It’s been featured in newspapers and magazines, discussed on sports talk radio and mentioned at bars and around water coolers all over the country.  I’ve even heard Jackie’s break into the National League be referred to as “the single most important event in the history of American sports.”

I am Hispanic and, as a result, a minority.  However, I am fortunate to say that I have never been the subject of overt or blatant discrimination.  If my racial background ever served as a reason for which I was held back from anything, I am glad to say I am not aware of it.  With that in mind, I feel I don’t have the same level of appreciation African-Americans or other minorities may have for Jackie’s achievement.  Yet I do appreciate the courage it took for Jackie to endure and persevere through the name calling, taunts and flat-out hatred that was directed at him for playing a game.  

I submit, however, that it was not the single most important event in the history of American sports.  As historically great as Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough was not only for baseball, but also for all sports in our country, the individuals who directed their hatred at number 42 where, for the most part, nobody’s.  Fans, front office personnell and other baseball players do not even begin to compare to the power possessed by the leader of a nation.

Eleven years before Jackie Robinson stood at the plate against the Boston Braves, Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.  What Jesse did in the ’36 Games was the mother of all landmark performances in sports.  He traveled to a country led by a monster whose political platform was the supremacy of his race over the rest of the world.  Jesse competed in front of a nation of individuals who came together through hate and believed he wasn’t worthy of living, let alone competing in their Olympics.  The scope of Jackie Robinson’s accomplishment was one country that, at its worst, had enslaved other human beings based on the color of their skin and still maintained segregation because of this same criterion. The scope of Jesse Owens’ accomplishment, however, was one country that brutally and systematically killed people based on their ethnicity and religious beliefs.

I am honored to be a sports fan in an era where I can cheer for Dontrelle Willis, Jason Taylor and Dwyane Wade, all of which are black players on my favorite teams.  I understand that they, and the other black and minority players, owe a great deal to what Jackie Robinson made possible 60 years ago.  I also believe that Jackie would not have been able to take those first nerve-wracking steps out of the Dodgers dugout had Jesse Owens not proved to the world that black athletes do indeed belong in the arena competing with everyone else.  Like he did four times in Berlin in 1936, when comparing Jackie to Jesse, Jesse continues to come in first.

If you’re Hispanic or a baseball fan – yes, I know that statement can be redundant – then you know there is a lot going on over the recent comments made by Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen.  Ozzie was very critical regarding Alex Rodriguez’ indecision as for whom to play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.  At first, A-Rod said he would not play because he could not choose between the United States and the Dominican Republic, countries in which he maintains dual citizenship.  Alex later changed his position, deciding to represent the United States in this exhibition tournament.  Guillen, who is known for his feistiness as a manager and his candor as a speaker, recently said the following.  "Alex was kissing Latino people's ####…… He knew he wasn't going to play for the Dominicans; he's not a Dominican! ….. I hate hypocrites: He's full of [expletive],"
 
Just to clarify, A-Rod was born of Dominican parents in New York in 1975.  At the age of four, the family moved to the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, they moved back to the States and took up residence in Miami <shout out!> A-Rod was drafted by the Seattle Mariners right out of high school, and the rest, as they say, is history.
 
I can see Guillen’s point of view on this issue, and I admire his matter-of-fact approach to life.  Ozzie is adored in his native Venezuela, and I have to admit that I have a bit of affinity for Mr. Guillen because my ex-wife is Venezuelan.  It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people, and it’s a shame what is going on with the politics down there.  But that’s a different blog entry.
 
That being said, there is nothing hypocritical about A-Rod’s indecision or waffling on this matter.  By birthright, he is an American.  However, the four years he spent living in the Dominican Republic were very formative years, especially for a talented boy growing up in a land whose number one export is baseball players.  We don’t know how often he returned to the D.R. once his family was in Miami.  It’s obvious he loves the land of his parents; otherwise his decision would not have been so difficult. 
 
I have a friend who was born in Turkey, raised in England and now lives here in the United States.  She is not Turkish or British.  She’s American and will be the first to tell you so.  However, she will tell you so while emphasizing she was raised in England because she still feels a connection with that country.  After all, she lived in the UK until she was thirteen, and there is nothing wrong with her feelings of British pride.
 
My mother was born in Cuba.  My dad, although technically born in the US, was raised in Mexico.  I am proud of my heritage.  I draw from and identify with both cultures, although I can’t cook or fix a car to save my life.  Ask me what I am and I will tell you.  I am an American!  If I were fortunate enough to play baseball for a living, there would be no hesitation on my part in determining should I play for Cuba, Mexico or the U.S.  I would pick the U.S. hands down. 
 
However, if I bring the analogy down a couple of levels, it not so clear cut.  I was born and raised in Miami, lived in New Orleans for six years, and have spent the last ten here in Tampa.  Although Miami will always be ‘home’ for me, I maintain an emotional attachment to the cities of New Orleans and Tampa. All three cities have helped shape my life and experiences, as well as my outlook on the rest of the world.
 
I guess what I am saying is that national pride is not necessarily defined by the geographic location in which you are born.  I believe national pride is a matter of sentiment and love for what you hold dear about a particular country.  There is nothing wrong with loving your country AND the country of your parents.  There is nothing wrong about taking pride in where you are now and from where you came.  No matter how great the influence, it is not where we’re from that defines us.  In the end, we are all remembered for who we become as individuals.

Of the four major sports in America - and yes, I am still counting hockey as a major sport - my least favorite to sit and watch is Major League Baseball.  However, baseball is arguably the one of the four richest in tradition, pageantry and history.  Who can forget James Earl Jones' famous soliloquy in Field of Dreams?  Baseball may no longer be the national pastime, but it is indelibly part of the fabric of this country.

Part of the rich tradition of Major League Baseball is all the off-season maneuvering done by most franchises.  Affectionately known as the hot stove league, GM’s from coast to coast spend their winters making trades, signing players and losing sleep over the final ingredients that will deliver a championship to their city.  That is, all GM’s but one. 

Enter Larry Bienfest, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Florida Marlins.  In Mr. Beinfest’s case, the only thing he is losing is excessive salary for his organization.  In the matter of three months, the Marlins have managed to reduce their salary requirements by more than $30 million.  They have done so by trading or refusing to resign star talent such as Carlos Delgado, A.J. Burnett, Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell and Josh Becket, who was the MVP of the 2003 World Series team.  Bienfest calls the series of moves a market adjustment.  Loyal fans, still remembering the moves following the 1997 World Series championship, call it yet another fire sale.

The problem is that both sides are right.  The fans have every right to be upset and see this as just a knee-jerk reaction by team management.  In their eyes, the only thing in which Jeffrey Loria is interested is making money.  The flip side of that argument is that Loria, and the Marlins as an organization, cannot be profitable if the fans don’t come to the games.  From 2001 through 2005, the Marlins never ranked better than 26^th (out of 30 teams) in terms of average attendance per game.  In fact, the ranking of 26^th came in 2004, the year following their World Series victory over the Yankees.  In all other years, they were either 28^th or 29^th.

This does lend some truth to Larry Bienfest’s declaration of a market adjustment.  If winning a World Series does not dramatically increase fan attendance, then why spend so much on player payroll?  If you compare where the Marlins ranked in overall payroll versus average attendance, you would see that from 2001 through 2004, the rankings were never more that four spots apart.  However, for 2005 the Marlins carried the 19^th highest payroll in the league, while ranking 28^th in average attendance.  Only the Devil Rays and Royals were worse draws in the stands.

For the Florida Marlins, partaking in the hot stove league has a different meaning.  After all, it doesn’t get as cold in Miami as it does in places like New York, Boston and Chicago.  For that matter, the tradition of baseball is not as rich in South Florida as it is in other cities, and that partly explains the lack of fan support for the Marlins.  There are other factors in Miami that detract entertainment dollars away from Mr. Loria.  From a night on South Beach to watching Shaq and the Heat to a weekend trip to the keys, Miami locals are spoiled when it comes to how they are going to spend their time and money in pursuit of recreational activities.

I would hate to see the Marlins leave Miami, as has been rumored for some time now.  However, I would completely understand why if they did.  Perhaps South Florida was too fickle a market for MLB expansion?  Perhaps Miami fans demand too much in terms competitive expectations? Maybe the Marlins can field another championship team with a $35 million payroll?  Whatever the situation, the truth of the matter is that Marlins fans can’t expect the franchise to stay home in Miami if they themselves stay home for the games.