Summer fun for Altuve in Venezuela
By César Augusto Márquez
In the midst of the Arctic freeze that has taken hold of a great chunk of the country, players have looked for warmth and comfort in their last month of rest before pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 13-14. Of course, much of their entertainment has included baseball-related activities.
José Altuve, who hasn’t stopped having fun since the Astros won the World Series and he took home most of the postseason awards, played chapita, the Venezuelan version of baseball played with bottle caps instead of balls. Prospects Franklin Barreto and Gleyber Torres continued a tradition they started as kids growing up in Venezuela. And Robinson Canó transformed himself into a king.
Back to his roots
Altuve certainly had a busy offseason. Award ceremonies, talk shows, weddings, trips to Disney World, you name it — everyone wanted a piece of the AL MVP. Now he’s resting with his family while hanging out with childhood friends. As a diversion, he played the Venezuelan cuatro, which has four nylon strings, and is similar in shape and tuning to the ukulele. Anything he does these days is music to our ears.
Altuve also went back to the future, playing chapita with his buddies, a childhood game that never gets old. As a pitcher, Altuve throws sidearm, probably to get better action with the bottle caps. As a batter, he’s no different than when playing for the Astros. He still takes mighty hacks at high fast ones.
Birthday boys
Francisco Rodríguez and Jhoulys Chacín share more than success in the major leagues. Both pitchers were born on Jan. 7. The 36-year-old K-Rod, who has 437 saves in 16 seasons, is a free agent, but he’s keeping in shape and hoping for offers. Chacín, 30, starts his 10th season in the bigs with a new team, the Brewers. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, muchachos!
Fourth Wise Man
Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings’ Day, is like Christmas in many Latin American countries, celebrated with different traditions up and down the Western Hemisphere. In México, they serve up a sweet, ring-shaped cake called rosca de reyes.
In the Dominican Republic, the Mariners’ Robinson Canó dressed up as a wise man and gave out toys to the poor in his hometown of San Pedro de Macorís. Canó is well-known for his community work and charitable efforts— so much so that we propose from now on, Jan. 6 be known as Four Kings’ Day — Melchior, Gaspar, Balthazar and Robinson.
New Year’s Eve baseball
Barreto and Torres, both good-hitting infielders, grew up in Caracas and polished their game at the same baseball academy. Ever since, they have been tight friends who keep an endearing tradition — every Dec. 31, they get together to play a game. They posed with Gleyber’s very proud dad to mark the moment.
Barreto debuted with the Athletics last season, while Torres, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing arm, belongs to the Yankees and is considered the second-ranked prospect in the minors. It’s only a matter of time before they face off in the Big Show.
Mr. Smile’s frown
Francisco Lindor, the Indians’ All-Star shortstop, was born in Puerto Rico and lives in Florida. Not surprisingly, when the Arctic cold creeped south, he was shocked by the weather. Mr. Smile was all frowns when he saw snow covering the windshield of his car and the grass outside his house.
“#Nobueno” Lindor said on Instagram. It’s good thing for him that he doesn’t live in the Midwest or the Northeast, where temperatures plunged into the negatives. It’s the kind of weather that deserves the hashtag #NoMás.
Featured Image: José Altuve Instagram