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local Thursday 10 augusT 2023
Short history of the beginnings of baseball in Aruba

ORANJESTAD — Baseball in those games have also
was played on the island been enshrined.
of Aruba in the 1930’s, but
only by United States ex- Luis Aparicio’s father was
patriates working for LAGO the super popular Luis “El
and living inside the LAGO Grande” (the great one)
colony. Jim Bluejacket, the after whom the base-
legendary US Indian who ball stadium in Maracai-
had played in two major bo is named. He and his
league teams, worked for brother owned the pro-
LAGO during 14 years and fessional baseball teams
was a key factor in the “Gavilanes” which later migrants formed the teams managed by Joe Proterra,
growth of the popularity of became the “Aguilas”, “Cerveceria” (named after (former pitcher of “Barnes’
the game in the colony. and the “Cabimas”. the iconic team Cervece- Ramblers”), that would play
There is no record of Blue- ria Caracas), and “Ven- for the first time ever in the
jacket ever playing outside In the early ‘40s, another ezuela”, although not all Amateur Baseball World
the colony. group, mostly immigrants members of these teams Series that took place in
from the Dominican Re- were Venezuelans. This was Havana, Cuba in Septem-
Outside the colony, the public also became very also the year that the team ber. Surprisingly, Aruba won
game of baseball was in- active with pickup teams. sponsored by Roxy Café two of its six games and
troduced to Aruba by Ven- Some of these remained started to play as “Dodg- became the darling of the
ezuelan immigrants and active in baseball well into ers”. Havana fans. Nell Harms
sailors on the Venezuelan the early ‘50s; as umpires, Dodgers became the dom- of the Aruban team was
fishing boats that used Aru- managers even as players. inant baseball powerhouse named the “Outstanding
ba as their home port. They Among these were Nestor till the 1950s. player of the week” for his
formed pick-up teams and “Pantin” Guerrero who also performance against Hon-
played games on Sundays had a musical band. Per- Other teams that entered duras. He allowed just two
on an open field behind haps not so coincidentally, the baseball scene in the hits, struck out 15 and hit
what is now the Court of many of Pantin’s players late 1940s: Pepsi Cola the only homerun of the
Justice. One of the Venezu- were also musicians. Luthai (Oranjestad) and St. Thom- game. Joe Cambria, the
elans that comes to mind is Pantophlet who umpired as Boys (former students of famous scout for the Wash-
Felix Garrido, grandfather many years was a well- St. Thomas College, Oran- ington Senators offered
of our current Prime-Minis- known drummer. Gaston jestad). “Baby Ruth” in him a contract, but Nel
ter. Hazel was a bongo player; San Nicolas played initially was not interested, but the
José Bryson and the broth- under the name “Camel” next year, at the Amateur
In the late 30s the leader of ers Nicholson, Teddy and and “Barnes` Ramblers” Baseball World Series in Ca-
this group was Raúl Apari- Julio, all played several in- the only team consisting of racas, Venezuela, Nel and
cio, a cousin of Luis Apari- struments. Lago Colony players to par- Ruben Phillips did sign and
cio who is now enshrined in ticipate in the Lago Sport in 1954 they played profes-
the Hall of Fame in Cooper- In San Nicolas, baseball Park championships. “Red sional baseball the Geor-
stown. The Aparicios were was played on the grounds Rock Cola” was formed in gia-Florida League and the
evidently very good at next to where the LAGO Oranjestad in 1950. Texas-New Mexico League.
sports. Raúl had two broth- Sport Park (now Laveist In 1952 the team Pepsi They were the first Arubans
ers who also played base- Sport Park) was officially in- Cola became “Nesbitt’s” to play professionally, but
ball, René and Roman. augurated in March 1941. and had players of seven not the only ones.
Rosendo, his only brother countries, including two
who did not play baseball During the WWII years, American expats from During the games in Ha-
became a professional baseball got a big lift from Lago Colony. vana, contacts were made
soccer player in the Ven- the influx of Puerto Rican with the organizers of Little
ezuelan league. Rosendo and US soldiers stationed League Baseball in Cuba
was nicknamed “Cabeza here. As LAGO was play- In 1950 a group of promi- which eventually resulted
de oro” (golden head) for ing a very important role in nent members of the Aru- in the introduction of Lit-
a memorable header he the struggle against Hitler, ba community founded tle League in Aruba. Little
scored to win a game for it was able to get all the the Amateur Baseball Bond League of Aruba has been
his team. sports equipment needed of Aruba (ABBA) to give extremely successful: It has
here to allow more people structure to the manage- produced many players
Interestingly, it was in Aruba to participate. ment of the sport and be- who earned baseball schol-
that Luis Aparicio played came the organizers of of- arships at universities in the
his first game outside of In the ‘40s only the Lago ficial championship games. United States, a few who

Venezuela. This took place Sports Park organized While maintaining the exist- played professionally in the
in 1950 when he played baseball championship ing teams in a league that Netherlands and different
shortstop for the school he games. The first teams to was referred to as A-class, countries in the Caribbe-
attended. Later he played participate were Artraco, ABBA established a B- an and five who reached
for “Cabimas” in a double- (Aruba Trading Co.), Esso class league in which the the major leagues: Calvin
header of the Venezuelan Garage and Botica San “Budweiser’ and “Braves” Maduro, Eugene Kingsale,
Western League. These of- Lucas. In 1945 Venezuelan played the first years. Radhames Dijkhoff, Sydney
ficial games of the league employees of the Lago re- Ponson, and Xander Bo-
were authorized to be finery participated under gaerts one of the brightest
played in Aruba by the the name of “Cafenol”, a By 1952 Aruba became a stars of Boston Red Sox.q
Professional Baseball Or- very popular Venezuelan member of the Internation-
ganization of Venezuela. coffee brand. Two other al Amateur Baseball Asso- Written by Mr. Clyde Harms
Several others who played groups of Venezuelan im- ciation and fielded a team