Behind the Lens: Our favorite interviews of 2018

In 2018, the La Vida Baseball staff interviewed hundreds of fans, players, Hall of Famers, icons, cultural leaders and families. Our conversations took place over the phone, in homes, hallways, Cooperstown, and of course, the ballpark.

As we put a bow on the year, we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some of our favorite interactions.  What are these player really like when the lights aren’t turned on? Let’s start with one of the season’s brightest stars.

Álex Cora

Andy Martinez, graphic designer and writer

Five minutes. That’s all the Red Sox promised us for an interview with their manager, Álex Cora.  It was August 31… the heat of the playoff race.  Managers get tight on time during the final stretch; we get it.

Cora sat down and the answers started flowing.  He blew right through that 5-minute deadline. Not only did he give us more time than we expected, but he didn’t leave without shaking every crew member’s hand and doing some small chit chat with them.

Cora loves his home country and was great talking about the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico se levanta.

Justino Clemente visits the Hall

Adrian Burgos Jr, Editor-at-large

Earlier this fall we got a phone call from Cooperstown. An inducted member of the Hall of Fame was bringing a special guest to the Hall for the first time. They were making the trip all the way from Puerto Rico to upstate New York, and we needed to be there.

The Hall of Famer was Roberto Alomar, whose mission came into focus after Puerto Rican baseball historian Jossie Alvarado called Alomar to let him know that Justino Clemente wanted to meet him. Justino is the brother of Roberto Clemente – The Great One. And he had never been to Cooperstown.

I joined Alomar and Clemente for a tour of the museum and then we spoke, both on stage for a collection of guests and then privately on camera. But beyond the words that we shared, watching Alomar interact with Clemente and his family during the tour revealed his reverence for the Clementes. Alomar would poke in and out of the tour and ask questions, but wanted to be sure that Justino was the focus of everyone’s attention.

The tour spent time at exhibits featuring the Pirates and Roberto Clemente artifacts and then we headed down to the Hall of Fame’s vault, where Justino handled some of his brother’s artifacts. Finally we visited Roberto Clemente’s plaque, where Justino broke down into tears.

This was a trip to the Hall of Fame that I, like Justino, will never forget.

Dodger blue at Fenway

Jesus Ortiz, Senior Editor

It was a rainy evening before Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park, forcing the Red Sox to cancel batting practice. As I strolled through the crowd, I saw a sprinkle of Dodger blue among a sea of Red Sox jerseys.

As I approached the men in Dodger blue, I found that their stories were similar to mine. They made the pilgrimage to Fenway Park to see their beloved Dodgers and cheer for a team that they had learned to love because their fathers and grandfathers had first become fans while cheering for Fernando Valenzuela.

Their story spoke to me because, like them, my father also grew to love the Dodgers and baseball because of Fernandomania.

Anthony Rendon

Henry Pacheco, Social/Digital Editor

We were working on a story about The Baseball Foundation in Washington, DC. One of the players I hoped to talk to for the piece was Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, a Mexican-American like me whose story resonates with the Foundation.

Rendon doesn’t do many sit-down interviews. So when I asked for one, I honestly expected him to pass on our request. But when I told him the focus of the story, he agreed to talk to us.

He was so authentic and comfortable talking to us about being Mexican-American, having family roots in Texas, going to college and the love of baseball. After our interview, he stayed around and talked with my crew and I about the upcoming birth of his daughter and his love of the Houston Rockets.

Four weeks later the Nationals came through to Chicago.  I was waiting inside the Nats locker room and as soon as Rendon turned the corner, he recognized me, gave me a handshake and a hug and told me he read my piece on him.

All I’ve ever wanted to do in my career is elevate the voice of Latinos here in the U.S. and through his interview, I was able to elevate his voice and his Mexican-American baseball experience. Mission accomplished.

Los Rubios

Tab Bamford, Managing Director

Baseball players become jaded with the media. They get tired asking repetitive questions. So when you get them excited, you can’t help but get a little excited yourself.

“Are you excited to have a Los Rubios reunion at the All-Star Game?”

On Media Day before the 2018 All-Star Game, I asked five players – Javy Báez, Francisco Lindor, José Berríos, Yadier Molina and Edwin Díaz – that one question, and each lit up like a Christmas tree.

They loved talking about Los Rubios, the nickname given to Puerto Rico’s team at the World Baseball Classic in 2017.  Even the elder statesman of the group, the stoic Molina, showed enough excitement that his son laughed.

You can just tell by their bodies language that they consider themselves brothers.

Robinson Chirinos’ journey

Gabriel Alexander, producer

Every immigrant has their own story of coming to America. When we sat down with catcher Robinson Chirinos during spring training, his journey to the big leagues and the United States was one that, to me, was shockingly matter-of-fact.

Imagine this scenario: You’re fourteen years old. You’re at a ballpark watching your favorite team. After a long practice of your own, your father turns to you and asks the question: “Do you want to go to school or do you want to play baseball?”

Tough question. On the one hand you get to pursue your dream of playing pro ball, on the other you probably have a glove because, let’s face it, you’re choosing baseball.

That one, simple question that changed Chirinos’ life forever. Like any immigrant will tell you, it doesn’t just happen. There’s a lot of hard work and many obstacles to overcome, but at the end of the day it’s all worth it. As Chirinos says himself, ‘I wouldn’t change anything, man.’

Featured Image: La Vida Baseball