Page 19 - AHATA

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LOCAL Monday 4 March 2024

Short history of the beginnings of baseball in Aruba

ORANJESTAD — Baseball Outside the colony, the public also became very
was played on the island game of baseball was in- active with pickup teams.
of Aruba in the 1930’s, but troduced to Aruba by Ven- Some of these remained
only by United States ex- ezuelan immigrants and active in baseball well into
patriates working for LAGO sailors on the Venezuelan the early ‘50s; as umpires,
and living inside the LAGO fishing boats that used Aru- managers even as players.
colony. Jim Bluejacket, the ba as their home port. They Among these were Nestor
legendary US Indian who formed pick-up teams and “Pantin” Guerrero who also
had played in two major played games on Sundays had a musical band. Per-
league teams, worked for on an open field behind haps not so coincidentally,
LAGO during 14 years and what is now the Court of many of Pantin’s players
was a key factor in the Justice. One of the Venezu- were also musicians. Luthai
growth of the popularity of elans that comes to mind is Pantophlet who umpired
the game in the colony. Felix Garrido, grandfather many years was a well-
There is no record of Blue- of our current Prime-Minis- known drummer. Gaston
jacket ever playing outside ter. Hazel was a bongo player;
the colony. José Bryson and the broth-
In the late 30s the leader of ers Nicholson, Teddy and
this group was Raúl Apari- Julio, all played several in-
cio, a cousin of Luis Apari- struments.
cio who is now enshrined in (Oranjestad) and St. Thom- became the darling of the
the Hall of Fame in Cooper- In San Nicolas, baseball as Boys (former students of Havana fans. Nell Harms
stown. The Aparicios were was played on the grounds St. Thomas College, Oran- of the Aruban team was
evidently very good at next to where the LAGO jestad). “Baby Ruth” in named the “Outstanding
sports. Raúl had two broth- Sport Park (now Laveist San Nicolas played initially player of the week” for his
ers who also played base- Sport Park) was officially in- under the name “Camel” performance against Hon-
ball, René and Roman. augurated in March 1941. and “Barnes` Ramblers” duras. He allowed just two
Rosendo, his only brother the only team consisting of hits, struck out 15 and hit
who did not play baseball During the WWII years, Lago Colony players to par- the only homerun of the
became a professional baseball got a big lift from ticipate in the Lago Sport game. Joe Cambria, the
soccer player in the Ven- the influx of Puerto Rican Park championships. “Red famous scout for the Wash-
ezuelan league. Rosendo and US soldiers stationed Rock Cola” was formed in ington Senators offered
was nicknamed “Cabeza here. As LAGO was play- Oranjestad in 1950. him a contract, but Nel
de oro” (golden head) for ing a very important role in In 1952 the team Pepsi was not interested, but the
a memorable header he the struggle against Hitler, Cola became “Nesbitt’s” next year, at the Amateur
scored to win a game for it was able to get all the and had players of seven Baseball World Series in Ca-
his team. sports equipment needed countries, including two racas, Venezuela, Nel and
here to allow more people American expats from Ruben Phillips did sign and
Interestingly, it was in Aruba to participate. Lago Colony. in 1954 they played profes-
that Luis Aparicio played sional baseball the Geor-
his first game outside of In the ‘40s only the Lago gia-Florida League and the
Venezuela. This took place Sports Park organized In 1950 a group of promi- Texas-New Mexico League.
in 1950 when he played baseball championship nent members of the Aru- They were the first Arubans
shortstop for the school he games. The first teams to ba community founded to play professionally, but
attended. Later he played participate were Artraco, the Amateur Baseball Bond not the only ones.
for “Cabimas” in a double- (Aruba Trading Co.), Esso of Aruba (ABBA) to give
header of the Venezuelan Garage and Botica San structure to the manage- During the games in Ha-
Western League. These of- Lucas. In 1945 Venezuelan ment of the sport and be- vana, contacts were made
ficial games of the league employees of the Lago re- came the organizers of of- with the organizers of Little

were authorized to be finery participated under ficial championship games. League Baseball in Cuba
played in Aruba by the the name of “Cafenol”, a While maintaining the exist- which eventually resulted
Professional Baseball Or- very popular Venezuelan ing teams in a league that in the introduction of Lit-
ganization of Venezuela. coffee brand. Two other was referred to as A-class, tle League in Aruba. Little
Several others who played groups of Venezuelan im- ABBA established a B- League of Aruba has been
in those games have also migrants formed the teams class league in which the extremely successful: It has
been enshrined. “Cerveceria” (named after “Budweiser’ and “Braves” produced many players
the iconic team Cervece- played the first years. who earned baseball schol-
Luis Aparicio’s father was ria Caracas), and “Ven- arships at universities in the
the super popular Luis “El ezuela”, although not all United States, a few who
Grande” (the great one) members of these teams By 1952 Aruba became a played professionally in the
after whom the base- were Venezuelans. This was member of the Internation- Netherlands and different
ball stadium in Maracai- also the year that the team al Amateur Baseball Asso- countries in the Caribbe-
bo is named. He and his sponsored by Roxy Café ciation and fielded a team an and five who reached
brother owned the pro- started to play as “Dodg- managed by Joe Proterra, the major leagues: Calvin
fessional baseball teams ers”. (former pitcher of “Barnes’ Maduro, Eugene Kingsale,
“Gavilanes” which later Dodgers became the dom- Ramblers”), that would play Radhames Dijkhoff, Sydney
became the “Aguilas”, inant baseball powerhouse for the first time ever in the Ponson, and Xander Bo-
and the “Cabimas”. till the 1950s. Amateur Baseball World gaerts one of the brightest
Series that took place in stars of Boston Red Sox.
In the early ‘40s, another Other teams that entered Havana, Cuba in Septem-
group, mostly immigrants the baseball scene in the ber. Surprisingly, Aruba won Written by Mr. Clyde Harms
from the Dominican Re- late 1940s: Pepsi Cola two of its six games and