José Cruz Embodies Best of Houston
HOUSTON – In many ways, Suite 5 at Minute Maid Park felt like a happy hour for a Who’s Who of Houston’s vibrant Latino community on Sunday afternoon. Some of the Bayou City’s civic, judicial, business and political leaders, past and present, were enjoying each other’s company and catching up.
In one corner, the second Latino to serve on the Texas Supreme Court chatted with the president of the Houston Bar Association. A few feet away, Houston’s charismatic Fire Department chief chatted with a retired general and the president and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A couple table tops over, a student from prestigious Columbia University chatted with her sister and friends.
In a suite full of stars, Houston Fire chief Samuel Peña might as well have spoken for the group shortly after he was introduced to Astros legend José “Cheo” Cruz.
“Quien es el héroe?” Peña, a native of El Paso, said in perfect Spanish as he tapped Cruz on the shoulder.
“Who is the hero?” the chief asked.
It is no exaggeration to say that for hundreds of thousands of Latinos in Houston, Cruz remains their baseball hero. He’s the city’s first true Latino sports superstar, the man who united the Bayou City with one prolonged rally cry – “Cruuuuuuuuuz!”
Cruz, 71, took his rightful place among the franchise’s biggest legends last Saturday at Minute Maid Park when he joined Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Joe Morgan and club greats such as Mike Scott, Larry Dierker, the late Don Wilson, Joe Niekro, Jimmy Wynn, Jim Umbricht, J.R. Richard, Shane Reynolds and Bob Aspromonte in the Astros’ inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Cruz was 27 when he arrived in Houston in 1975. He had already played parts of five seasons with the Cardinals, but the native of Arroyo, Puerto Rico, didn’t truly find a home in the majors until he joined the Astros.
The two-time All-Star became a fan favorite almost immediately. Long before Houston became the most diverse city in America, fans here serenaded him with extended “Cruuuuuuuuz!” chants each time he was introduced and often after he made an excellent play.
Cruz was a transcendent superstar, but he was especially beloved by the large Latino community that saw themselves in him.
“When Cheo came, we started going to a lot more games,” said former Texas Supreme Court Judge David Medina. “Think about it, back then it was a big deal for a kid from Hitchock, Texas, to go to the Astrodome with my uncles and my father.
“I’ve been a fan ever since. Cheo represents everything that’s good about baseball, everything that’s great about the Houston Astros.”
Medina grew up listening to late Astros broadcaster Lowell Pass on his transistor radio in rural Hitchcock, a small town about 40 miles from Houston.
Benny Agosto, the first Spanish-speaking president in the Houston Bar Association’s 150-year history, didn’t arrive to the Bayou City from his native Puerto Rico until 1981 to play soccer at Houston Baptist University.
He quickly became a fan of the Astros and their Puerto Rican superstar.
“He was Puerto Rican and I’m Puerto Rican, so immediately the flavor of Latino came to me in representing Houston and José representing Houston,” Agosto said. “And now we see that he’s being honored as one of the best players ever for the Houston Astros.
“That makes me proud, and it makes the whole city proud because Cheo is part of our city. To see that happen, it’s an accomplishment that we’ve all been looking for and finally feel this Latino that has represented us so well all these years is being honored. That makes me so proud.”
The festive mood at Minute Maid Park on Sunday was tempered by the news of the mass shootings in El Paso on Saturday and Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday.
The news out of El Paso hit especially close to home in Suite 5, which was full of fans of Mexican descent. The shooter had reportedly vowed to kill Mexicans on his trip from the Dallas suburbs to El Paso.
When Cruz found out that Chief Peña was from El Paso, they both discussed the tragedy.
Cruz and his family embody the best of the Houston Latino community in sports and beyond. They are more than just exceptional athletes although it’s impressive to note that José “Cheito” Cruz, Jr., starred at Rice University before following his father to the majors.
José Enrique Cruz, the youngest of José and Zoraida Cruz’s children, starred on the first Rice University team to win a College World Series. Shakira, the eldest daughter, graduated from Texas A&M before getting her law degree.
Cheito and José Enrique both returned to Rice to finish their degrees after their professional baseball careers ended. Now a pair of José and Zoraida’s grandsons play at Rice.
Like the folks in Suite 5 at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, the Cruzes are accomplished Latinos making a difference in Houston.
All of Cruz’s children and several grandchildren were on hand for the Astros Hall of Fame induction.
They were moved when Morgan made it a point to tell them that he wished he could have played in a World Series with Cruz. Moreover, Morgan also told Cruz’s children and grandchildren that in his mind the Astros’ great was close to Hall of Famer Tony Perez in terms of driving in runs.
“It meant a lot to me to (hear that) from Joe Morgan,” Cruz said. “He’s one of the greatest guys. I played with him in 1980, you remember. Too bad I didn’t play with him when he played with Cincinnati. … But, hey, I’m an Astro. For me I represent the Houston Astros and the Latino community.”
Cruz even had a hearty laugh when he told a few people in the suite that many fans in Houston still believe he’s Mexican.
“Yeah, I’m a Latino,” Cruz said. “I represent the Latino community. And also the people think I’m Mexican.”
As he said that, a large celebratory roar and a few hearty laughs echoed throughout the suite.
“The point is that we’re all the same,” Cruz said. “I’m Latino. I represent everybody, all the Latinos, all around Houston. … La Raza Latina, and I feel proud because being an Astro a long time to put me in the Hall there, it’s a great honor for me. The same with my family. I have to say ‘Thank you to God.”
Cruz’s pride is shared throughout the city.
“We’re so proud of him and all that he’s done for the Houston Astros and the city,” said Laura Murillo, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “He’s a positive, positive role model for our community, especially in light of all the negativity we see in the national level. He gives us pride and he’s truly a representative of all us, Hispanic or not.”
Featured Image: La Vida Baseball
Inset Images: La Vida Baseball