Polvora, Voz y Diamante: La Vida Baseball’s New Spanish Language Show
Polvora, Voz y Diamante
La Vida Baseball’s new Spanish language show debuts Thursday, May 14 at 1 p.m. ET on La Vida Baseball.
Here in the U.S., there’s no baseball being played, or any professional sports for that matter, due to the Covid-19-induced quarantine. So, with no regular baseball season to cover, we at La Vida Baseball decided to do what any sports outlet in our position would do: launch a new show around the very sport that’s not being played right now! The truth is we use baseball as the vehicle to talk about Latino culture and lifestyle so while there isn’t much actual baseball being played, there’s still plenty to talk about and celebrate.
The new show is called Polvora, Voz y Diamante and it features three guys you may already know. Three guys you’d definitely love to sit around and shoot the breeze with. Polo Ascencio is the Spanish language broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s the “Voz” in all of this.
Jesse Castillo is a Mexican League legend. He’s been to several all-star games and he’s been the Mexican League MVP twice in his ongoing career.
Lastly, we have Pliego Villarreal from the Mexican band Kinky. The man has toured the world and played in front of millions of fans. As you can imagine, he’s Polvora.
When these three get to talking baseball you’ll quickly understand why they’re together. The chemistry is unmistakable, the baseball acumen is undeniable, and their everyman approach to breaking down the sport is absolutely refreshing and entertaining. Not to mention these three are hysterical together. It’s like watching your family lovingly and hilariously tell stories you can’t wait to hear.
Now that we have the jist of the show, let’s get to know the guys themselves and hear from them what they’ll be talking about and how they’ll go about it. Polo, Jesse and Pliego answered some questions to give us an idea of who they are and what kind of experience this show will deliver .
La Vida Baseball: What do you love about baseball?
Polo: Baseball for me means family, family means love and that you will always be together even if you are far away. Wherever I see a baseball diamond, I see my family there.
Jesse Castillo: [Baseball has been] my passion since I was four years old – my father took me to my first game and now I’ve been a professional player for 17 years!
Pliego: Baseball has always been in my life. I think about it 24/7.
LVB: Who is your favorite player of all time and why?
Polo: If I have to choose just one, it would be my uncle Jose Angulo. He never played professionally, but wherever he played, he did it like it was Game 7 of the World Series. That is why I use the number 17, it is the one that he always used as a player and he was born on March 17. Now, If we’re talking about professional players, there is no one other than Fernando "El Toro" Valenzuela.
JC: Derek Jeter, his leadership and his calm approach to the game is what motivates me to keep playing.
Pliego: Rickey Henderson, I really liked his dynamic personality and showmanship for the game.
LVB: How did the three of you decide to come together for a show?
Polo: The idea came about because we couldn’t connect the way we wanted to. La Polvora invited the three of us to connect via Instagram Live, but it’s not possible to do with three devices. Then, El Diamante proposed that we try to connect in a different way. During this time, we realized that while each of us is talking about the same thing, we talk about it differently. From there we decided we should start Polvora, Voz y Diamante.
JC: I called my friend Pliego Villareal and I told him that it would be fun to do an IG Live and talk about baseball but in a different way, a fun way, our way. He told me that he would ask Polo Ascencio [to join] and when we did it, it turned out very well. That’s where the initial idea of doing the show came about.
Pliego: We really like to talk about Baseball. It started as a joke and now we are very happy to be with La Vida Baseball.
LVB: What would you like people to know about this show?
Polo: [People should watch this show] if they want to entertain themselves and learn a little while laughing at what comes out of our mouths. They have to pay attention, though, or they’ll miss a lot. To catch everything, they’ll have to see the same show two, three or four times!
JC: We’ll talk about baseball in a different way, from the fan’s perspective. In an entertaining way.
Pliego: People will like that we’re very conversational in the way we cover topics.
LVB: In your opinion, who will enjoy this show and what makes it different from other sports offerings?
Polo: My compadres Polvora and Diamante are a pair of runaway horses who are going to give their all in each subject we discuss. I’ll match their enthusiasm while at the same time pulling on the reigns so we don’t get too far off track. This show will be fun for everyone. Even those who don’t really know baseball are going to be entertained with our different viewpoints.
JC: This is for everyone. We will entertain people with our personalities and how we handle topics from all the professional baseball leagues – not just MLB.
We’re different because of the analysis and experience that I have as an active professional player, [as well as] my friendships with MLB players, former MLB players, LMB players and television network analysts. We’re also different because we are three different personalities. Pliego Villareal brings his spicy and fun way of seeing baseball. Polo Ascencio brings the analysis and experience of MLB. I bring a player’s perspective. Between the three of us this is going to be a funny and entertaining show.
Pliego: It is different from all other shows because we are three locos with different points of view!
LVB: How did you get you nickname?
Polo: At first, I didn't like the nickname 'La Voz' because it seemed very full of ego or presumption. My broadcast partner with the Cardinals of San Luis, Bengie Molina, he began to call me that before each game. Over time it grew on me and now I accept it with pride and humility.
JC: My nickname is Diamond because that's what baseball is called due to the shape of the baseball field.
Pliego: Because I bring the pepper!