August 8, 2005
By Todd D. Milewski
The temperature was well into the 90s on a Sunday afternoon at a dusty ball field on Madison’s east side when Teri Munoz had seen enough of the ball being kicked around on the infield.
From her standing position in one of the few shady spots around, Munoz, sporting a blue Los Angeles Dodgers hat that shares a common color with the K.W. Realty baseball team she supports, called out to the field.
"Hablen, muchachos!"
Talk, boys.
After K.W. Realty closed out a victory over a team called Nicaragua a short time later, Munoz pulled a wooden noisemaker called a matraca out of a bag and let loose with a celebratory twirl.
Heat and a lack of park amenities couldn’t dissuade Munoz, a self-described cheerleader, from her duties.
That’s part of the charm of the Liga Latina de Baseball, Inc., Madison’s 6-year old Hispanic baseball league. It’s based around the game between the lines, but a major component has to do with everyone outside of them.
When league games are played on Saturdays or Sundays, it’s often a gathering spot for family and friends.
"That’s pretty much the whole point," said Francisco Sanchez, the second baseman and manager for K.W. Realty. "You work so hard during the week, you don’t get to see these people at all. You don’t get to talk to them maybe, you don’t get to say hi to them. And when you do, it’s a party going on."
It might be a party, but that doesn’t mean the game itself isn’t important, too.
Teams play an 18-game regular-season schedule, two games each against the nine other teams in the league. Rosters range from 18-to-26 players, with a $50 participation fee that organizers said they’re trying to reduce for coming seasons by finding sponsorships.
Some might play for fun, but tempers have occasionally grown hot during games.
"When you go to play a sport, you always want to win, don’t you?" asked Fidel Mendez, the manager of Los Diablos Rojos (the Red Devils).
Just as the reason for playing varies, so does the level of baseball experience around the league.
"Everybody works Monday to Saturday and after that they’ve got to have a little fun," league president Freddy Lopez said. "Some guys, they’re working two jobs and they want to do something for exercise. That’s why they do it. They want to try professional baseball.
"We’ve got a couple guys that are good ones. Some guys, they don’t know anything about baseball but they’re just starting and learning and they’re doing better."
A big draw is the familiarity around the league, especially in language. Most of the league meetings were conducted in Spanish, and the Spanish-speaking players are able to communicate on the field mostly in their native language.
There’s also enough English being tossed around to keep those without Spanish knowledge in the loop. But for those who prefer Spanish, the league provides a chance to feel comfortable.
"They definitely enjoy playing the game, but this was an opportunity to play among their peer groups," said Miguel Rosales, the manager of Los Tejones, a team mostly made up of students and faculty from the University of Wisconsin. Tejones translates to Badgers in English.
The team names come from various sources. There are Toros (Bulls), Tigres (Tigers) and Cardenales (Cardinals) from the animal kingdom. There are references to Mexican states – Zacatecas and Chiapas. And there are nicknames – for one, Pinoleros (a nickname for someone from Nicaragua).
Lopez, however, is quick to point out that, despite the names of the teams and the league, the group isn’t exclusively Hispanic.
"No matter if he’s a white guy, if he’s from Puerto Rico, if he’s from Mexico, wherever he comes from, if he wants to participate he’s welcome to," Lopez said.
Next year, league organizers are aiming to have a youth league, as well. The obstacle they must overcome with that endeavor is the same they face for the adult games – a shortage of usable facilities.
The league plays games all over the Madison area and as far away as Waterloo – basically, wherever it can reserve a diamond that isn’t already being used by one of the many baseball leagues in the Madison area. Lopez said the ideal situation is to schedule games on Sundays because that’s when most of the players are free, but some games have to be played on Saturdays because of availability.
A common complaint from fans about Kelliher Field, the baseball complex adjacent to Madison East High School where K.W. Realty played Nicaragua recently, was the lack of restrooms.
But that probably wouldn’t keep Munoz and everyone else who attends games away from the diamond. Rosales said the crowds sometimes resemble those at soccer games, with air horns, rattles and other noisemakers.
At one recent game, players and fans sat together outside the fence, listening to a Spanish-language radio station. On the other side of the spectator area, an infant splashed around in a kiddie pool.
Lopez said he has been to other local leagues’ games and noticed the lack of crowd involvement. "The Latino people are not like that," he said.
Munoz, then, is a perfect example. Sanchez said she once received a trophy for her cheerleading.
With two sons playing on the team, Munoz has a natural rooting interest. But she’s there for the whole team.
"The best thing," she said through an interpreter, "is that I’m here cheering on the boys."
Source: The Capital Times
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