La Vida Voices: Maria Guardado

Maria Guardado got hooked on baseball as a young kid thanks to an older sibling who took her to an Oakland A’s game as a birthday present.

After covering the New York Mets beat for the Newark Star-Ledger and then working as the Angels’ beat reporter for MLB.com, Maria is back in the Bay Area. Instead of covering the hometown team she grew up rooting for, she covers the San Francisco Giants.

The Yale University history graduate discussed her move into journalism, her approach to telling Latino stories, and the importance of a diverse press covering the game with La Vida Baseball.

Adrian Burgos: What sparked your love of baseball? Was it something passed down through your family? Who were your favorite baseball players or team growing up?

Maria Guardado: When I was 12 or 13 years old, my older brother, Alfredo, took me to an A’s game as a birthday present. I had never been to a professional sporting event before, so I remember being completely captivated by the scenes and sounds at the Coliseum. We sat in the left-field bleachers along with the die-hard fans who pounded drums, waved flags and displayed homemade signs. It was an enthralling experience. I didn’t play baseball growing up and hadn’t harbored much interest in the sport before then, but after that day, I was hooked. I followed my brothers and became an A’s fan.

I craved more information, so I started watching as many games as I could and often listened to Bill King call games on the radio. That was the peak of the Moneyball A’s, so I loved watching the Big Three – Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder – pitch. It was tough to grow too attached to players since the best ones tended not to stick in Oakland for too long. My favorite was Eric Chavez, largely because of his slick defense at third base and his rare longevity with the A’s.

AB: What inspired you to pursue a journalism career? Who were some of the individuals who helped you learn how to work the clubhouse and develop trust with players, managers and team officials?

MG: I always enjoyed writing, so at some point it occurred to me that I could try to combine that interest with my love for baseball and become a sports journalist. In high school, I was lucky enough to attend the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program, an all-expenses paid seminar for low-income students that aims to diversify college and professional newsrooms.

That was my gateway into journalism, and I doubt I would be in this industry without the help of the program directors, who guided me through the college admissions process and later helped me apply for journalism internships.

My first real job out of college was as a general assignment sports reporter with the Newark Star-Ledger in New Jersey. I helped out a lot with baseball coverage, and I learned a ton from Mike Vorkunov, our Mets beat writer at the time. After he left the paper, I was elevated to the Mets beat. There were many times when I felt out of my depth, but I think it was valuable to be around talented writers such as Marc Carig, James Wagner and Anthony DiComo and see how they approached their coverage and worked the clubhouse.

AB: You are part of a still small number of Latinas covering baseball. Why is it important that we have a diverse group of writers covering the game? Are Major League Baseball and media outlets doing enough to get more women and Latina journalist covering the game?

MG: Nearly 30 percent of players on Opening Day rosters this year were born outside of the United States, and most of them hail from Latin American countries, so I think it’s crucial that there be Spanish-speaking reporters who can communicate with them in their native language. Removing the language barrier allows players to express themselves without fear of being misunderstood or misquoted, and it makes it easier for them to open up regarding their personal histories and stories.

There will always be room for improvement when it comes to diversity in media, but I think it’s gotten better in recent years. I have great admiration for ESPN’s Marly Rivera, and I was very happy to see the Los Angeles Times hire Maria Torres as their Angels beat writer last year. The onus will always be on those in hiring positions to seek out diverse candidates for job openings and give opportunities to voices that have been historically underrepresented in the media. And I can’t stress enough how much representation matters. One of the reasons I knew there was a path for me to become a baseball writer was because Marly had already forged one.

AB: How has your familiarity with Latino culture aided your ability to get stories and have Latino players open up? What stories are you particularly proud of for the way you were able to shed a Latina perspective?

MG: I think my ability to speak Spanish is a huge benefit in the clubhouse, as it helps put Latino players at ease since they know that I have an inherent understanding of their culture. It also gives me unfettered access to players who some of my colleagues might overlook because they aren’t too proficient in English. I think my bilingual upbringing helped me bring a different perspective to stories on the introduction of Spanish-language interpreters, the lack of Latino managers and even Yuli Gurriel’s success with the Astros in the 2017 American League Division Series.

AB: The start of the 2019 season has yielded interesting starts by different teams. We have a number of Latino players chasing milestones, such as Albert Pujols and 2,000 RBI and Miguel Cabrera and 400 home runs. What are the Latino storylines you are following this season? Are there particular stories we should be looking for coming out of the Bay Area in 2019?

MG: I’m excited to see Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., finally break into the majors and join the growing wave of young Latino talent around baseball, which already includes Ronald Acuña, Jr., Eloy Jiménez and Fernando Tatís, Jr.

As for the Bay Area, I’m looking forward to seeing Johnny Cueto continue his road back from Tommy John surgery and hopefully return to pitch for the Giants in September.

AB: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Maria. For the latest happenings with the Giants, follow Maria on Twitter — @mi_guardado

Featured Image: Courtesy Maria Guardado