Some of you may have heard me mention Minnie Miñoso, a favorite ballplayer of mine. Born in Cuba in 1925, Minnie’s real name was Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta (you can see why he adopted a shorter name). He was a standout in the Negro Leagues, and later played in Mexico as well, before making it to the major leagues.
Minnie is known by White Sox and baseball fans for many things, but probably best of all for being one of only two players in major league history to play in five decades. He broke into the majors in 1949, and went on to play in each successive decade, into the 1980’s. He was also the last Major Leaguer to have played in the 1940s to play a Major League game. With brief appearances with the independent Northern League’s St. Paul Saints in 1993 and 2003, Miñoso is the only player to have played professionally in 7 different decades.
The Editor, trying to sneak one past the henhouse, at Corona, CA last Saturday.
This past weekend, when I dusted off my glove and laced up my cleats, I thought of Minnie. Thanks to an invite from Ernie Marez, I had the chance to pitch for the So Cal Rebels in a local tournament, the Raymond Angulo Memorial Tournament, in Corona, California. It was my only appearance of the year, as was the case last year, due to a troublesome shoulder. Having started pitching fastball at the ripe old age of 9, pitching Saturday meant I have played in six different decades. (played IN, not FOR six) Admittedly, it’s not major league or professional ball, but watch out, Minnie, I’m right behind you.
An alert reader noted that “played in six decades” doesn’t translate to 60+ years.
Getting back out to the field reminded me why we all play the game. It’s many things — the competition, the battle to advance in a tournament, putting your skills to the test, seeing old friends. But for me, it’s the camraderie of teammates, and a game that is just plain fun.