El Profe: My Year in Pics
By Adrian Burgos
I communicate mostly with words. No surprise here for El Profe, the University of Illinois history professor. The classroom is a space where I deliver my lectures, and where the students and I discuss the past — who did what, when and why.
An important lesson that I share is really a reminder: We learn history from examining different types of sources. For example, architecture helps us understand the styles and materials of the times. Any changes will reflect new time periods, helping us understand the evolution of a society.
There are, of course, visual artifacts such as paintings, drawings, maps and photos.
I like photos. They capture fleeting moments in time. Add them up and you have a little history lesson. So, for this week, instead of 1,000 or more words, photos will tell my story of the 2017 season.
Talking to Yadi
Spring training, Jupiter, Fla.
Interviewing Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina early in Spring Training ranked among my favorite moments. Taken before he left to join the Puerto Rican national team for the World Baseball Classic, Yadi’s body language — leaning into the interview as we spoke about his life and Latino culture — is what I most enjoyed about this moment.
Javy and Hiram
Wrigley Field, April 15
Jackie Robinson Day took on added significance this year for Puerto Rican fans. April 15 also marked the 75th anniversary of Hiram Bithorn’s debut with the Chicago Cubs as the first Puerto Rican in the major leagues, a legacy that Javy Báez keeps alive on the North Side.
Family Tradition
Guaranteed Rate Park, Chicago
Baseball is family, and family is baseball. The importance of family to Latino players was a consistent theme in our interviews. It makes sense because one of the traditions our family enjoys is to celebrate the end of school and the start of summer by heading to the ballpark for a game. Here are the Burgos girls — Miranda (left) and Julia — while enjoying a White Sox game in late May with their papi.
Latino Legends
Marlins Park, Miami
Major League Baseball honored the living Latino Hall of Famers during a pregame ceremony at this year’s All-Star Game. Watching current Latino All-Stars onto the field to make sure they were the ones to catch the first pitches, from Pudge and the Clemente family, respectively, illustrated the respect they have for tradition and the joy of baseball.
La Vida Magic
Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, Cooperstown
Dominican baseball legend Juan Marichal didn’t know his old friend, golf Hall of Famer Juan “Chi Chi” Rodríguez, was attending Induction Weekend as a guest of Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez. We arranged our interviews with both legends back-to-back. So, when Marichal walked out of The Otesaga Resort Hotel with Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson for his interview and saw someone with a Panama hat being interviewed, he mouthed “Chi Chi Rodríguez?” to Idelson. I subtly confirmed while Chi Chi continued sharing stories, such as his playing on the same team with Roberto Clemente in their youth. Marichal could not contain his glee; it was the first time in years the two legends had seen each other.
Pudge Party
Farm Museum, Cooperstown
We first talked at Yankee Stadium in 1996. Who knew that 21 years later we would get to share a few moments at the Hall of Fame induction party thrown for him by the Texas Rangers? Our conversation then was about the place of baseball in Puerto Rico. In Cooperstown, it was celebrating his entry into the Hall of Fame, joining fellow Puerto Ricans Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and Roberto Alomar.
Talking Baseball
(Hands and All)
SunTrust Park, Atlanta
Reversing roles, Atlanta Braves Spanish-language broadcaster Daniel Cantú interviews me (at top) during a broadcast on Día de los Bravos, where the Atlanta Braves debuted their new home Los Bravos jerseys. There’s a saying in the business: You have a great face for radio.
Yasiel Takes a Moment
Wrigley Field, NLCS Game 3
Yasiel Puig’s journey to the major leagues captures so much of what Latino players and especially Cubans go through: Cultural adjustment, communicating in multiple languages and still maintaining one’s identity. The Wild Horse, who needed several attempts before getting out of Cuba, takes a moment to soak it all in prior to taking his cuts in the cage.
Inset Images: Adrian Burgos Jr.