Page 8 - AHATA

Saturday 5 November 2022 locAl
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Short history of the beginnings of baseball in Aruba

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

In 1950 a group of prominent
members of the Aruba commu-
nity founded the Amateur Base-
ball Bond of Aruba (ABBA) to give