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Monday 19 deceMber 2022 locAl
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Short history of the beginnings of baseball in Aruba

ORANJESTAD — Baseball was played on the is- grants from the Dominican Republic also be- In 1952 the team Pepsi Cola became “Nesbitt’s”
land of Aruba in the 1930’s, but only by United came very active with pickup teams. Some of and had players of seven countries, including
States expatriates working for LAGO and living these remained active in baseball well into the two American expats from Lago Colony.
inside the LAGO colony. Jim Bluejacket, the early ‘50s; as umpires, managers even as play-
legendary US Indian who had played in two ers. Among these were Nestor “Pantin” Guerre- In 1950 a group of prominent members of
major league teams, worked for LAGO during ro who also had a musical band. Perhaps not so the Aruba community founded the Amateur
14 years and was a key factor in the growth of coincidentally, many of Pantin’s players were Baseball Bond of Aruba (ABBA) to give struc-
the popularity of the game in the colony. There also musicians. Luthai Pantophlet who umpired ture to the management of the sport and be-
is no record of Bluejacket ever playing outside many years was a well-known drummer. Gaston came the organizers of official championship
the colony. Hazel was a bongo player; José Bryson and the games. While maintaining the existing teams in
brothers Nicholson, Teddy and Julio, all played a league that was referred to as A-class, ABBA
Outside the colony, the game of baseball was several instruments. established a B-class league in which the “Bud-
introduced to Aruba by Venezuelan immigrants weiser’ and “Braves” played the first years.
and sailors on the Venezuelan fishing boats that In San Nicolas, baseball was played on the
used Aruba as their home port. They formed grounds next to where the LAGO Sport Park By 1952 Aruba became a member of the In-
pick-up teams and played games on Sundays (now Laveist Sport Park) was officially inaugu- ternational Amateur Baseball Association and
on an open field behind what is now the Court rated in March 1941. fielded a team managed by Joe Proterra, (for-
of Justice. One of the Venezuelans that comes mer pitcher of “Barnes’ Ramblers”), that would
to mind is Felix Garrido, grandfather of our cur- During the WWII years, baseball got a big lift play for the first time ever in the Amateur Base-
rent Prime-Minister. from the influx of Puerto Rican and US soldiers ball World Series that took place in Havana,
stationed here. As LAGO was playing a very im- Cuba in September. Surprisingly, Aruba won
In the late 30s the leader of this group was Raúl portant role in the struggle against Hitler, it was two of its six games and became the darling
Aparicio, a cousin of Luis Aparicio who is now able to get all the sports equipment needed of the Havana fans. Nell Harms of the Aruban
enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. here to allow more people to participate. team was named the “Outstanding player of
The Aparicios were evidently very good at the week” for his performance against Hondu-
sports. Raúl had two brothers who also played In the ‘40s only the Lago Sports Park organized ras. He allowed just two hits, struck out 15 and
baseball, René and Roman. Rosendo, his only baseball championship games. The first teams hit the only homerun of the game. Joe Cam-
brother who did not play baseball became a to participate were Artraco, (Aruba Trading bria, the famous scout for the Washington Sen-
professional soccer player in the Venezuelan Co.), Esso Garage and Botica San Lucas. In ators offered him a contract, but Nel was not
league. Rosendo was nicknamed “Cabeza de 1945 Venezuelan employees of the Lago refin- interested, but the next year, at the Amateur
oro” (golden head) for a memorable header ery participated under the name of “Cafenol”, Baseball World Series in Caracas, Venezuela,
he scored to win a game for his team. a very popular Venezuelan coffee brand. Two Nel and Ruben Phillips did sign and in 1954 they
other groups of Venezuelan immigrants formed played professional baseball the Georgia-Flori-
Interestingly, it was in Aruba that Luis Aparicio the teams “Cerveceria” (named after the icon- da League and the Texas-New Mexico League.
played his first game outside of Venezuela. This ic team Cerveceria Caracas), and “Venezu- They were the first Arubans to play profession-
took place in 1950 when he played shortstop ela”, although not all members of these teams ally, but not the only ones.
for the school he attended. Later he played for were Venezuelans. This was also the year that
“Cabimas” in a doubleheader of the Venezue- the team sponsored by Roxy Café started to During the games in Havana, contacts were
lan Western League. These official games of the play as “Dodgers”. made with the organizers of Little League Base-
league were authorized to be played in Aruba Dodgers became the dominant baseball pow- ball in Cuba which eventually resulted in the
by the Professional Baseball Organization of erhouse till the 1950s. introduction of Little League in Aruba. Little
Venezuela. Several others who played in those League of Aruba has been extremely success-
games have also been enshrined. Other teams that entered the baseball scene in ful: It has produced many players who earned
the late 1940s: Pepsi Cola (Oranjestad) and St. baseball scholarships at universities in the Unit-
Luis Aparicio’s father was the super popular Luis Thomas Boys (former students of St. Thomas Col- ed States, a few who played professionally in
“El Grande” (the great one) after whom the lege, Oranjestad). “Baby Ruth” in San Nicolas the Netherlands and different countries in the
baseball stadium in Maracaibo is named. He played initially under the name “Camel” and Caribbean and five who reached the major
and his brother owned the professional base- “Barnes` Ramblers” the only team consisting of leagues: Calvin Maduro, Eugene Kingsale,
ball teams “Gavilanes” which later became Lago Colony players to participate in the Lago Radhames Dijkhoff, Sydney Ponson, and Xan-
the “Aguilas”, and the “Cabimas”. Sport Park championships. “Red Rock Cola” der Bogaerts one of the brightest stars of Boston
In the early ‘40s, another group, mostly immi- was formed in Oranjestad in 1950. Red Sox.q