Welcome To Detroit : aka Caracas Nueva

Ok, I admit – I have really been slipping on this writing thing lately… it was my New Year’s resolution to have more written conversations with you. As you can see, I have failed already due to a multitude of excuses and crap I will not bore you with. 2010 was a rough year for me and now it’s gone (thank God for that!). Today is a new day, a new leaf and a new lineup and all that other positive bologna so… lets get crackin’!

My friends find it funny (and odd) that I have this select little group of players that I adore and I follow religiously through out the year, into the off season and even into the Caribbean Winter Leagues (that is, if they participate). They laugh and roll their eyes at me when I say things like “No I didn’t watch House last night, Venezuela was playing Puerto Rico on the MLB Network!” or “No, I didn’t see the Lakers/Pistons game, I was busy watching USA vs Dominican Republic in the WBC!” I’m happy to report that my friends and I have reached a point of understanding. They know what the answer to their non-baseball questions are about 90% of the time but they feel obligated to make conversation and small talk. I don’t care what they watched last night… nor do they care what baseball game was on my flat screen. They just smile and continue droning on about American Idol at me like I care. And because I am their friend I listen and act interested.  But they are getting wise.  At random times during their babble, they throw in key words that exist in my vocabulary just to see if I am listening to them… words like – Ordonez, Miggy, Martinez, Guillen, Mr. Glass, Cabrera, Maggs . Apparently, or so they tell me, these words illicit a response from me that lets them know that I really am listening… somewhat…

I have a strange love for a select few players on the Tigers roster. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all (well, almost all of them, except for #25 – uncharacteristically strong dislike for our supposed super hero utility player and I have no clue where it comes from either…) but there are a select handful of players that I covet. They are mine… my Tigers, my favorites, my summer family, my little club I like to call them my “Venezuelan Brethren”. Ah, even the sound of their little group name brings a smile to my face in the dead of winter in Detroit – post blizzard. My little group of Latinos warm my cold dead little heart year round.  You other fans can keep your Brandon Inges and Austin Jacksons – Give me Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera any day!!!

Yes, it is true – the Detroit Tigers have an exceptionally high number of players who call Venezuela home. Prior to the trade of Armando Galarraga to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of January, there were 8 players on the 40 man roster from Venezuela. Eight out of forty… that is 20% for those of you who don’t like to do the math. Woah. Now, not all of these fine men are going to make the opening day roster for the big league team. The pitchers are still considered prospects rolling around in AA and AAA. But the bulk of these players will. And they will hold an interesting place in the line up as well.

P – Lester Oliveros
P – Jose Ortega
P – Brayan Villarreal
C/DH – Victor Martinez (slotted 5th in the lineup)
1st – Miguel Cabrera (cleaning up in the 4th slot)
2nd/DH – Carlos Guillen (either 2nd or 6h in the lineup, if he stays healthy)
RF – Magglio Ordonez (table setting for Miguel in the #3 hole)

In case you are not keeping track… out of a 9 man batting lineup, your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th slots are all Venezuelans… that is more than 40% of the lineup, the heart of the lineup, the long ball crushers –  all from the same country. This begs the question – does the Tigers front office have a love affair with the people of Venezuela? I may be wrong, but I don’t think there is another team in the entirety of the MLB that is so full of players from one specific country outside of the USA. Detroit has become the new Caracas – Caracas Nueva…

This is in no way to be construed as a complaint on my part – I’m an advocate of “if you play well, you play… if not, take your bat and glove and go home”.  Bring me more Venezuelans as long as they can pitch under a 3.0 ERA and hit a consistent .300. I would be happy to welcome them to my “Venezuelan Brethren”.  One of the best aspects of “America’s favorite past time” is that it’s not just for Americans… It’s for everyone to love and enjoy.

I wear my World Baseball Classic 2009 Team Venezuela #30 Magglio Ordonez shirt with pride. I love the looks that I get from people who don’t know and don’t understand… But I know. I’m paying homage to my Venezuelan Brethren.  I’m eagerly awaiting the start of Spring Training and those Caribbean League playoffs to start… so I can check out future members of my ever growing “Venezuelan Brethren” and hope that the Tigers front office sees the same things I do, hopefully welcoming them to my little club in the near future.