Vladimir the Hero: In the DR, Guerrero is an icon

By Armando Soldevila

As a fan of the major leagues since I can remember, I’ve enjoyed watching the game and the play of many stars. Ken Griffey Jr. was one of my favorites. But there was another player who proved just as mesmerizing even as he had a different style of play and personality than Griffey, Jr. That player was Vladimir Guerrero.

Guerrero’s story from the beginning of his career with the Montreal Expos to being days away from giving his induction speech at Cooperstown has been changing, always getting better.

You can feel that sentiment when talking to baseball people in the Dominican Republic, where the shy and talented Guerrero has become an inspiration, not just for becoming the first Dominican position player elected to the Hall of Fame, but for his demeanor and the way he has always carried himself.

Always the Same Vlad

“His enshrinement comes at a perfect time when players all over the world that have great talent have failed in other areas of their lives,” says Vitelio Mejía, president of the Dominican Winter League.

Mejía seemed inspired when talking about Guerrero, talking about his humanity, respect for the game and the fans.

“He has been humble his whole life, and he should be an example for the new generation of baseball players from the Dominican Republic,” he said. “It would be ideal if the kids, the prospects, had an attitude toward life, toward the fans, like Vladimir and Pedro Martínez and Juan Marichal had.

“Being a good baseball player doesn´t mean you are above the rules and the law.”

Those words resemble the image that Guerrero carries these days. He is always in his town, Don Gregorio in Nizao. There he plays softball, has multiple businesses run by his family members. He hangs out with his brothers and his friends, doing things just like he did before the spotlight, the contracts and baseball immortality.

That is exactly why people are still amazed by Vladimir.

“He is the most humble person. He came from the bottom through many obstacles. That is why we are all so happy for him. He never had any trouble off the field,” said former major league manager Manny Acta, who coached for the Expos while Guerrero played there.

Felipe Alou’s Influence

Acta is now a coach for the Seattle Mariners. He previously managed the Nationals and Cleveland Indians, knows Vladimir well, and considers the influence of Felipe Alou as an essential part of the former outfielder’s career.

Acta recalled how confident Vladimir was in his game, even during his first years in the majors.

“He always liked to face the best pitchers on rival teams,” Acta said. “One time in Los Angeles Kevin Brown was pitching and even I, as a coach who wasn’t going to face him, was scared of Brown.

“But Vlady started to rub his hands and clap, and said he was going to hit at least one home run. We are talking about the days when there was not a lot of video, and we got to Dodger Stadium and he hit one out on his first at-bat.”

A Silent Star

As a sports journalist, I had to ask a colleague that has experienced many generations of major leaguers, including the careers of Martínez and Marichal for an opinion on Guerrero. Because he was always praised for his talent, but people were sometimes turned off by his lack of communication with the press and the fans.

Plenty of us Dominicans always wondered why Guerrero never learned English or gave interviews in English after so many years playing baseball in the United States. But he rarely gave interviews in Spanish either or spoke in public in any fashion.

“During the mid and late 90s, we used to go to spring training, and it was almost impossible to interview him. He was never available for the media, and that probably hurt his popularity a little,” said Bienvenido Rojas, sports editor for Dominican newspaper Diario Libre and veteran sportswriter who has covered the major leagues for more than 35 years

Rojas compared him to the first two Dominican Hall of Famers by saying that, “Marichal was an idol for the people because he played for many years in the country on the winter ball tournament, and he was probably the first true idol for baseball fans in the island. Pedro was a big TV star with unmatched charisma,”.

Vladimir has always done things his own way. That´s why I felt happy for him when I heard that a big crowd from his hometown of Don Gregorio, Nizao, was going to Cooperstown, N.Y., for his speech and induction.

Many of those people will get there paid by Guerrero himself. He is clearly more than glad to do that for his longtime friends, family and neighbors. That´s who he is, and they love him because he has always been like that.

Even the government, private companies and TV stations will be doing special activities to commemorate his path to baseball immortality. He deserves them all.

After I covered his return home after winning the American League MVP in 2004 with the Angels, it always stood with me that he celebrated his big day in his mother’s house, surrounded by his people, and the only flashy thing around was his brand new Hummer SUV.

Back then, he still had a long way to becoming a hall of famer, but now, just days before his induction Vladimir is, and always will be the man of the people.

Featured Image: La Vida Baseball