La Vida Voices: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune

Mark Gonzales, the Chicago Tribune’s acclaimed Cubs beat writer, witnessed the power of baseball from a young age. He saw his community rally around the local Santa Clara team make a run at the 1969 Little League World Series title.

He also observed the powerful sway the San Francisco Giants had on his parents. If the Giants were playing, they were tuning in, whether on the radio or occasional televised games.

This also exposed him to the powerful Giants-Dodgers rivalry and how fans of either team did not (could not) root for their archrivals. That was until young Mexican left-hander Fernando Valenzuela challenged that reality in the early 1980s, revealing a national pride that could be just as powerful as team fandom among ethnic Mexicans.

Gonzales did not always envision a career as a sports journalist. He once aspired to be an accountant. Yet instead of spreadsheets, he started writing roundups as he worked his way from high school sports stringer to working the baseball beat for the San Jose Mercury News, Arizona Republic, and, now, the Chicago Tribune.

This journey has given him the distinction of working as a beat reporter covering three different franchises that won World Series titles. He was the Tribune’s White Sox beat writer when Ozzie Guillén became the first Latino manager to lead a team to a World Series title. He also was the lead Cubs beat writer when that franchise won the 2016 title.

La Vida Baseball recently caught up with Gonzales, who shared stories of his journey from Santa Clara to Chicago on the baseball beat.

Adrian Burgos, Jr: What sparked your interest in baseball? Was the game something your family shared during your upbringing? Who was your favorite player or team growing up?

Mark Gonzales: My parents are big baseball fans, and they continue to follow the San Francisco Giants with a strong passion. During the days when baseball was televised only on Sundays or on the Game of the Week, my parents always would have the radio on in the house or garage listening to Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons call Giants games.

What really cemented my interest in baseball was that my local Little League team, Santa Clara Briarwood, reached the 1969 World Series title game. Santa Clara has produced several great athletes in many sports, but that Little League team was a source of pride around the community and convinced me to play the following spring.

I grew up rooting for the Giants and Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal, but I also liked (former Oakland A’s stars) Reggie Jackson and Vida Blue, whom I call every year to wish him a happy birthday.

AB: What inspired you to become a journalist and, more specifically, a sportswriter? How important to your work is the ability to communicate with players in either English or Spanish as well as understanding Latino culture?

MG: I consider myself very, very lucky to have advanced this far. I started as a high school sports stringer nearly 39 years ago, taking statistics, answering phone calls and writing 6- to 18-inch stories/roundups.

My parents educated me very well on the history of Latin players, especially those who were developed in the Giants organization. Many years after Alvin Dark was fired as manager, my mother explained to me about the reasons why Dark got fired and all the good Latin players the Giants once had (the Alou brothers, Orlando Cepeda, José Pagán) who prospered elsewhere.

Talking to several international baseball scouts also has enhanced my understanding of what Latin players experience through their baseball development and assimilation to American culture.

One of the more memorable experiences was covering Giants pitcher Osvaldo Fernández, who left Cuba to pitch for the Giants briefly. Two moments stand out. First, I remember him leaving the team briefly in 1996 to become reunited with his wife in Miami after leaving Cuba.

Second, Fernández suffered a season-ending elbow injury in May of 1997. He was on the major league roster, so he was entitled to a playoff share of about $16,000. You would think that a person who coped with extremely low wages would easily accept the share. But he felt guilty about accepting the money and had to be convinced it was OK.

My Spanish-speaking skills could be better, but many players appreciate the effort.

AB: How has the culture of covering a team changed with the increased presence of Latinos as players, coaches, and managers? Has MLB done enough to address the language and cultural barriers that have existed for Latinos. How have the changes aided the work of journalists?

MG: I’ve noticed the clubhouse culture become more integrated since I covered the 2005 White Sox. Juan Uribe, who is from the Dominican Republic, used to play card games with players of all races and backgrounds. And all his teammates loved him because of his personality and ability to play shortstop well. Mark Buehrle once said he would pay for Uribe’s salary just to keep him on the team.

Pedro Strop, another player from the Dominican, has treated everyone the same regardless of race. He was a behind-the-scenes mentor to Javier Báez and once pointed out the importance of hustling on every ball hit, and I think it made a difference.

Strop posted a photo of the Cubs relievers eating dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz., about three years ago. What stood out to me was that all the relievers – from various cultures and backgrounds – were present. It didn’t have the national magnitude of the famous Sports Illustrated cover of the 1968 Cardinals with the likes of Tim McCarver, Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda, Julián Javier and others dressed in sweaters, but it had the same effect for me.

I think MLB and many teams have made strides in bridging gaps. But I always remember what the late Terry Johnson, a beat writer for the Dodgers in the 1980s and 1990s, said about Fernando Valenzuela and his arrival from Mexico: “If he’s going to make an effort to speak English, then we should make an effort to speak Spanish.”

It should be noted that Dusty Baker made players of all races feel comfortable, including Latin players who would be treated to their country food that he provided.

AB: You have a unique perspective having covered three different World Series championship teams, including on both sides of Chicago. What was it like covering the Chicago White Sox with Ozzie Guillén as manager, especially during the 2005 campaign when he became the first Latino to manage a World Series champion?

MG: First, Ozzie treated everyone fairly. He had to give some tough love to Dámaso Marté, a left-handed reliever from the Dominican, for arriving late to the park in early September when the White Sox struggled but didn’t put him in the doghouse and came back to use him about five days later to get some big outs to win a game.

I think Ozzie treated me well initially because one of my childhood friends played with Ozzie at Triple-A Las Vegas 35 years ago, and Ozzie and I had great respect for the late great Jerry Krause, who was a baseball scout who recommended the White Sox acquire Ozzie from the Padres.

Covering Ozzie Guillén as a manager opened my eyes to the Venezuelan culture, the political strife and his presence in the country.

I was extremely happy for Álex Cora but wish his brother Joey would get a chance to manage a major league team. Joey filled in as manager of the White Sox when Ozzie left for a few days to attend his son’s college graduation, and Joey wasn’t afraid to take chances to try to beat Roy Halladay. Joey is one of the most organized baseball men I’ve been around, and a former general manager told me Joey was the most prepared candidate he ever interviewed for a managerial position.

Rick Renteria, like my parents, is a Mexican-American who grew up in Southern California. During the brief time I covered Rick, I was amused by some of the stories he told about his upbringing. Those were few and far between.

I’m also keeping an eye on Tony Cruz, whom the Twins hired as their bench coach. Pedro Strop raved about Cruz helping him get acclimated to the United States when Cruz was a low-level coach with the Rockies.

AB: Fernandomania was arguably the most significant cultural event for Mexican baseball fans in the United States. What are your memories of Fernando Valenzuela and his amazing rookie season? How did his success inspire Mexicans to celebrate their passion for baseball and country? Will there ever be another Fernando-type figure in baseball?

MG: Funny you ask about Fernando Valenzuela. I was hoping to be an accountant at the time Valenzuela reached the majors, so my allegiances in baseball at that time were with the Giants.

I was shocked to find out the Giants actually beat him during a game in late September. Valenzuela already had beaten them twice in April, allowing one run in 18 innings. What blew me away was that Valenzuela, who isn’t much older than me, attained instant success but didn’t let it go to his head or allow himself to be smothered with endorsements.

Granted, baseball players didn’t have the endorsement opportunities that they have now. But I remember covering some high school games soon after his first few seasons in the majors, and virtually every left-handed kid tried to throw like him – even with the screwball pitch. I know of many guys with childhoods similar to mine that couldn’t root against the Dodgers because of Valenzuela. Fernandomania must have helped the O’Malley family earn hundreds of millions of dollars.

I thought Teddy Higuera had a shot to be nearly as successful as Valenzuela until he experienced arm problems.

AB: Thanks so much for sharing the knowledge and stories from your journey. You can read Mark’s writings as the Chicago Cubs beat reporter for the Chicago Tribune and follow him on Twitter.

Featured Image: Courtesy Mark Gonzalez