Bolívar finds home in U.S.

GENEVA, ILL. — Luis Bolívar sat in the federal courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, nervous, jittery and restless awaiting a momentous day in his life. As he waited, the Venezuelan-born manager of the Dayton Dragons, the Reds’ Class A affiliate, had his phone buzz. He looked down to see a text from his wife, Kelly. About to take his oath of citizenship as a new U.S. citizen, Bolívar read Kelly’s message.

The message he read made him forget his nerves. Actually, it moved him to the point of tears. He couldn’t believe what he had just read.

His players had made the trek to the courthouse to support Bolívar.

“When I turned around, I was very emotional,” Bolívar said. “But, more than anything, the collaboration of all the guys (to do that) was nice.”

It showed the familial environment that Bolívar has built in Dayton, a place that has become home for the Villa de Cura native.

Bolívar signed with the Reds in 2001, reaching Class A with the Dragons in 2003. It was there that Bolívar, who spoke little English and knew little of American culture, met Kelly Collins. Bolívar and Collins married in 2004, and made Vandalia, Ohio, just outside Dayton, home.

The Dayton area has become as much of a home to him as Villa de Cura.

As a manager, Bolívar knows how important his relationship with his players is. Without it, he can’t do his job: putting his players in the best position to succeed. That’s why Bolívar takes his work so personally and considers more than just the players’ slash lines or fielding percentage when managing.

“(They’re) like my other sons,” Bolívar said. “You always want to help them so that they’re not only good ballplayers, but also model citizens.” His players know this, too.

Life lessons that Bolívar can pass on are just as important as fielding and hitting drills to the young players.

“We’re practically alone here in this country,” Venezuelan Pabel Manzanero, who was recently promoted to Class A Advanced Daytona, said. “He has our back, like a representative for us, like a father to us. We feel the paternal support.”

Manzanero and any player who has played for Bolívar know and appreciate how he looks out for more than just their baseball side.

Manzanero knows he can go up to Bolívar and talk about the previous night’s game or where to find the best beef in Dayton to make Venezuelan-style shredded beef. And, just as easily, he can walk into Bolívar’s office and ask about the uneasiness of their homeland.

As countrymen, Manzanero and Bolívar are well aware of the current situation back home. As a young player who is thousands of miles away from his family, Manzanero is appreciative of how Bolívar can help him.

“Who knows what’s going on in our country,” Manzanero said, “but he gives us a lot of strength through it.”

It’s not just the Venezuelans on the team that he supports.

Bolívar takes extra steps to ensure young, Latino players feel especially at home.

“That’s really important because it’s their first time away from their home countries, their far away from home,” Bolívar said. “It’s like you’re their father. You teach them respect and everything and it’s a very important job for us with a lot of responsibility.”

He doesn’t take that lightly and his players know that.

Manzanero and his teammates are constantly teasing Bolívar. But Bolívar is quick to give it back.

The players appreciate that too, because it helps them to remain calm in situations and be ready for anything.

“He always tries to maintain that seriousness, but that fun side at the same time with a joke,” Manzanero said. “I think that communication should be like that. Not everything should be serious, serious, serious all the time.”

Still, Bolívar is well aware that, while he needs to develop the players on the field, the Latino players have a rare opportunity. They’ve left their homes with the opportunity to become professional baseball players.

“He tries to maintain more focus on us and give us a little more push,” Manzanero said.

At the minor league level, wins and losses aren’t crucial to Bolívar’s success. Instead, developing mature, big-league ready players is what will ultimately determine his success.

And creating a family-type environment is the best way Bolívar feels he can do it.

It’s easy to do that when you’re at home. Dayton is more than just the home of the Dragons to Bolívar. It’s his home, too.

And he’s become ingrained in the community.

So much so that he’s helped coach the Vandalia Butler High School baseball team in the winter and offseason and is an instructor at Academy Sports Training in Troy, Ohio.

“My roots are there,” Bolívar said of the Dayton area. “My children were born there, grew up there and for now it’s my tierra – home – now.”

Featured Image: Luis Bolívar