The odd couple: Minnie Miñoso and Bill Veeck
The relationship between Bill Veeck and Minnie Miñoso will never leave my mind.
I remember Veeck as a flamboyant and formidable baseball man who treasured the friendship of his friend from Cuba for some 40 years. He was a man who likely never encountered barriers to making friends, but was not above making waves. Many may not remember, but Veeck, who had a wooden leg, marched in Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral procession in Atlanta on April 9, 1968.
To me, Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso, the first black Latino star in MLB history, was a person and ballplayer with great passion who contributed immensely in uniting countries and fans at an international level. He was a very gracious person. His impact is still felt in baseball.
The two were titans of baseball and I feel blessed to have gotten to know them while they lived. It was a joy to spend time with them and a pleasure to share my memories and their stories.
United through Baseball
Their backgrounds could not have been more different, one from an American baseball family and the other a poor Cuban. Worlds apart at birth, Veeck and Miñoso are intertwined in baseball history, a pioneering duo, whose impact on the game still brings joy to fans.
Veeck’s dad, William, was a sportswriter who covered the Chicago Cubs from 1916-1933. This paved the way for his son Bill to be a popcorn vendor in Wrigley Field, and, after attending Kenyon College in Ohio, eventually become the Cubs treasurer.
Minnie’s parents, on the other hand, worked in sugar cane plantations on the outskirts of El Perico, a small town in the Province of Matanzas, close to Havana. A young Orestes, with a machete in hand, worked the cane fields to help his parents make ends meet.
He had very little formal education, but Miñoso was gifted with superb abilities when it came to baseball. As with most kids, he played unorganized juvenile baseball. From there, he stepped up to the amateur level then, in 1945, became a professional with the Marianao team in Cuba’s winter league.
The following year, legendary baseball man Alejandro Pompez, born in Key West, Florida (to Cuban parents) signed Miñoso to the New York Cubans in the National Negro League. There the Cuban native began to make his name in U.S. professional baseball.
While scouting the Negro Leagues for Veeck’s Cleveland Indians in 1948, Abe Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, paved the way for Minnie to play in “organized baseball” by acquiring Miñoso from Pompez’s Cubans team. The then third baseman was assigned to Cleveland’s Class A affiliate, Dayton, in the Central League. A year later, the Cuban would make his major league debut on April 19, 1949.
Bill Veeck: MLB Innovator
At different times, Veeck owned three MLB teams: Cleveland Indians (1946-49), St. Louis Browns (1951-53), and the Chicago White Sox (1959-61 and 1975-81). He was a natural showman, believed the fans were of utmost importance to an organization, had the touch of a genius when it came to promotions and never feared speaking his mind.
The Brooklyn Dodgers broke MLB’s color barrier in the National League with Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1947. Exactly 82 days later, Veeck tore down the American League barricade with Larry Doby making his debut with Cleveland on July 5—in Chicago of all places.
On July 9, 1948, Veeck made it possible for African-American pitcher, Satchel Paige, himself a great showman, to become the oldest player ever to make his MLB debut at age 42 years and two days. That pair were able to reach MLB’s pinnacle, winning the 1948 World Series against the Boston Braves.
In 1959, Veeck became owner of the White Sox. The team enjoyed immediate success, winning the American League pennant before losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Believing he had lung cancer, Veeck sold the White Sox to John and Arthur Allyn in 1961.
“If I ever return to baseball, I want you at my side.” – Veeck to Miñoso in 1961.
The “Cuban Comet”
When Miñoso made his MLB debut with Cleveland on April 19, 1949, Veeck was the team owner, but that wasn’t the case when the outfielder played his first game with the White Sox on May 1, 1951. On that occasion, Miñoso became the first black player in White Sox history. During his first at-bat, on the first pitch at Comiskey Park in the bottom of the first inning, he hit a 415-foot homer against Yankees righty Vic Rasche.
That marked the beginning of an everlasting love affair between the “Cuban Comet” and the great city of Chicago.
During his MLB career with Cleveland, the White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Senators, Miñoso was an All-Star three times, recipient of three Gold Gloves and led his league in stolen bases on three occasions.
Released by Washington on July 17, 1964, Miñoso headed for Mexico where he would live 12 years. He continued playing and managing while becoming a legend among Mexican fans who lovingly nicknamed him “El Charro Negro.”
But Minnie, surprisingly, was not done performing in the Majors.
One day during January 1976, Miñoso got a call from Roland Hemond, new White Sox general manager, telling him Veeck had once again bought the team. And true to his words in 1961, Veeck wanted Minoso on his coaching staff.
Retiring Comebacks
Continuing in his long string of promotional maneuvers, Veeck reactivated Minoso for a few at-bats in 1976 to give him a claim of playing in four decades. He did it again in 1980 to give Minnie a claim of playing in five.
Why did Veeck keep bringing Minnie back? Veeck’s response to my question during a 1976 interview about what he thinks when he hears the name Miñoso gives us an indication:
“Great player he was! Great person he is! Very dedicated and focused player. Besides, he possesses a great personality in or out of uniform. He had the ability to put aside the hardships in his personal life and play the game with passion. And he has always been great when it comes to his obligations with the fans. Minnie also proves that average sized players can be a great stars in baseball and that any player…white or black, no matter where he was born, even while not speaking English well, can be loved and adored by fans.”
The White Sox invited me to be present for the retirement of Minoso’s #9 on May 8, 1983. The ceremony took place on Mother’s Day and I got the chance to talk with Minnie about his baseball life. To who did he attribute his success in baseball?
“First, I give thanks to God. Today I honor my mother, Cecilia, my idol, Dihigo, Alejandro Pompez, who signed me for the New York Cubans and Silvio Garcia (Cuban infielder) who taught me how to live, how things are in the United States and to those who helped me with my English. I am also humbled by representing Latin America in baseball.”
“I can never forget, Bill Veeck. He is like a big brother to me. He believed in me! He always has stood by me!”
An Unforgettable Pair
About three years after Minnie’s number retirement, just after New Year in 1986, Bill Veeck died from a heart attack in his beloved Chicago. Miñoso attended the funeral services wearing a White Sox game jersey and cap in honor of his dear friend. Veeck was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 for his career as an outstanding executive.
We lost Minnie on March 1, 2015, he died from a pulmonary disease in Chicago. Miñoso had been enshrined in four halls of fame: Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (1994), Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame (2002), the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republic (2010), and in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (2014).
The two were titans of baseball, who always shared with fans what they wanted: the joy of baseball.
Featured Image: Transcendental Graphics / Getty Images Sport
Inset Images: Luis Rodriguez Mayoral