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Tuesday 17 January 2023 locAl
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Short history of the beginnings of baseball in Aruba

ORANJESTAD — Baseball was formed in Oranjestad in 1950.
played on the island of Aruba in In 1952 the team Pepsi Cola be-
the 1930’s, but only by United States came “Nesbitt’s” and had players
expatriates working for LAGO and of seven countries, including two
living inside the LAGO colony. Jim American expats from Lago Colo-
Bluejacket, the legendary US In- ny.
dian who had played in two major
league teams, worked for LAGO
during 14 years and was a key fac- In 1950 a group of prominent
tor in the growth of the popularity of members of the Aruba commu-
the game in the colony. There is no nity founded the Amateur Base-
record of Bluejacket ever playing ball Bond of Aruba (ABBA) to give
outside the colony. structure to the management of
by Venezuelan immigrants and rero who also had a musical band. the sport and became the orga-
Outside the colony, the game of sailors on the Venezuelan fishing Perhaps not so coincidentally, nizers of official championship
baseball was introduced to Aruba boats that used Aruba as their many of Pantin’s players were also games. While maintaining the ex-
home port. They formed pick-up musicians. Luthai Pantophlet who isting teams in a league that was
teams and played games on Sun- umpired many years was a well- referred to as A-class, ABBA estab-
days on an open field behind what known drummer. Gaston Hazel lished a B-class league in which the
is now the Court of Justice. One was a bongo player; José Bryson “Budweiser’ and “Braves” played
of the Venezuelans that comes to and the brothers Nicholson, Teddy the first years.
mind is Felix Garrido, grandfather and Julio, all played several instru-
of our current Prime-Minister. ments. By 1952 Aruba became a mem-
ber of the International Amateur
In the late 30s the leader of this In San Nicolas, baseball was Baseball Association and fielded
group was Raúl Aparicio, a cous- played on the grounds next to a team managed by Joe Proterra,
in of Luis Aparicio who is now where the LAGO Sport Park (now (former pitcher of “Barnes’ Ram-
enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Laveist Sport Park) was officially in- blers”), that would play for the first
Cooperstown. The Aparicios were augurated in March 1941. time ever in the Amateur Baseball
evidently very good at sports. Raúl World Series that took place in
had two brothers who also played During the WWII years, baseball got Havana, Cuba in September. Sur-
baseball, René and Roman. Rosen- a big lift from the influx of Puerto Ri- prisingly, Aruba won two of its six
do, his only brother who did not can and US soldiers stationed here. games and became the darling
play baseball became a profes- As LAGO was playing a very impor- of the Havana fans. Nell Harms of
sional soccer player in the Venezu- tant role in the struggle against Hit- the Aruban team was named the
elan league. Rosendo was nick- ler, it was able to get all the sports “Outstanding player of the week”
named “Cabeza de oro” (golden equipment needed here to allow for his performance against Hondu-
head) for a memorable header he more people to participate. ras. He allowed just two hits, struck
scored to win a game for his team. out 15 and hit the only homerun
In the ‘40s only the Lago Sports Park of the game. Joe Cambria, the
Interestingly, it was in Aruba that organized baseball championship famous scout for the Washington
Luis Aparicio played his first game games. The first teams to partici- Senators offered him a contract,
outside of Venezuela. This took pate were Artraco, (Aruba Trading but Nel was not interested, but the
place in 1950 when he played Co.), Esso Garage and Botica San next year, at the Amateur Baseball
shortstop for the school he attend- Lucas. In 1945 Venezuelan employ- World Series in Caracas, Venezu-
ed. Later he played for “Cabimas” ees of the Lago refinery participat- ela, Nel and Ruben Phillips did sign
in a doubleheader of the Venezu- ed under the name of “Cafenol”, and in 1954 they played profes-
elan Western League. These official a very popular Venezuelan coffee sional baseball the Georgia-Florida
games of the league were autho- brand. Two other groups of Ven- League and the Texas-New Mexi-
rized to be played in Aruba by the ezuelan immigrants formed the co League. They were the first Aru-
Professional Baseball Organization teams “Cerveceria” (named after bans to play professionally, but not
of Venezuela. Several others who the iconic team Cerveceria Cara- the only ones.
played in those games have also cas), and “Venezuela”, although
been enshrined. not all members of these teams During the games in Havana, con-
were Venezuelans. This was also tacts were made with the orga-
Luis Aparicio’s father was the super the year that the team sponsored nizers of Little League Baseball in
popular Luis “El Grande” (the great by Roxy Café started to play as Cuba which eventually resulted
one) after whom the baseball sta- “Dodgers”. in the introduction of Little League
dium in Maracaibo is named. He Dodgers became the dominant in Aruba. Little League of Aruba
and his brother owned the profes- baseball powerhouse till the 1950s. has been extremely successful: It
sional baseball teams “Gavilanes” has produced many players who
which later became the “Aguilas”, Other teams that entered the base- earned baseball scholarships at
and the “Cabimas”. ball scene in the late 1940s: Pepsi universities in the United States,
Cola (Oranjestad) and St. Thomas a few who played profession-
In the early ‘40s, another group, Boys (former students of St. Thomas ally in the Netherlands and dif-
mostly immigrants from the Domini- College, Oranjestad). “Baby Ruth” ferent countries in the Caribbean
can Republic also became very in San Nicolas played initially under and five who reached the major
active with pickup teams. Some of the name “Camel” and “Barnes` leagues: Calvin Maduro, Eugene
these remained active in baseball Ramblers” the only team consisting Kingsale, Radhames Dijkhoff, Syd-
well into the early ‘50s; as umpires, of Lago Colony players to partici- ney Ponson, and Xander Bogaerts
managers even as players. Among pate in the Lago Sport Park cham- one of the brightest stars of Boston
these were Nestor “Pantin” Guer- pionships. “Red Rock Cola” was Red Sox.q