"Chico": MLB's 1st Latino All-Star

On this episode we revisit the story of Chico, the first Latino All-Star. Celebrate 75 years of history. 

Show notes here! 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Y'all, this is my birthday episode and I'm doing it in celebration of 75 years of the first Latino All-Star at the All-Star Game for the White Sox. Let's go, 77 Flavors. Let's get it.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Welcome back to another episode of 77 Flavors of Chicago. If you're new here, welcome. Thank you for joining us. Every week we go into we dive deep into a piece of Chicago history. And uh today is no different. If you're not new here, welcome back. We're so happy you decided to join us again this week. We have a fun one for you. But before we get into it, it is Dario's birthday.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Hey, hey. Thank y'all for the birthday wish. He's old. Yeah. 42. That's that Jackie Robinson year, baby.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

He doesn't behave like a 42-year-old.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

No, man. Your boy still got it. Youthful. I'm youthful. I was jumping up and down. You are religious today. For no reason. Because your boy got to check the knees out. Keith and sure they're still working. Yeah, Keithan boys at the ready. You know?

SPEAKER_00 1:01

It was like it was like at least like two two, three feet.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Yeah, it was. Like I said, I know y'all don't see athleticism.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Men love to do this, just like shadow boxing and j and you know, like jumping on box. It's good.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

For no reason. It's good. It's good at uh energy though. You know what I mean? I got it. That's why your boy don't feel 42. You know? That's a good one. I think that blood pressure is saying something else.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

That's a good one. That's a good one. We had a fun week this week. Uh we uh we celebrated your birthday. We started the celebration early on Thursday night.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Shit, you started the celebration like two weeks ago.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

I did. I I gave him his gift early. One of his gifts early. Yeah. Um but on Thursday we went to the Duca Inn for dinner, and then you went to Talia Hall for a show with one of our friends. Um and that was that was that was the start.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

And then did you have fun? Oh yeah, I had a blast. I had a blast. I mean, the show was fantastic. We went to see uh John Marco Saresi. He is funny, huh? I had no clue who this dude was before this, but man, he was hilarious. Monster.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Dude is a monster. Like I I and that was his live taping. Like that was his taping. Yeah. Because he did uh re-edits on the line. I've never seen that before. At the end of the show, they had him come back out and do like three, four line edits.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Just to re- yeah, so because sometimes like the audio was off or like something.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

I'd imagine that's because like none of his jokes flopped. Oh, you know what I mean? Like none none of them flopped.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Yeah, he's not telling, he's not telling punch lines, he's telling like a thriller.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

I was trying to look and be like, uh, no, he did the opening of his some of his line, his joke. And I think they just wanted to get the set the tone because like I was like, nah, that that joke hit right from the jump. Like it hit the way it should. So uh yeah, but that was fun. Uh and then Thursday, shout out to that one Thursday. No, Friday, yeah. See, your boy. It's been a long weekend, y'all. Been a long weekend.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Um and then Friday we went to the Sox game.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

Yeah, why would we get the breaks off them boy? We did.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Smack them boy, so we're about to see, yeah. It was amazing. I'm like I'm a I'm a Chicago sports fan. I'm not there's no team I'm not rooting for. Yeah, but it's so uh rewarding seeing the socks come back in this like an incredible way. And again, I'm not like a big sports uh watcher, you know, like I don't know a lot about I only recently like over the last few years started watching sports. And baseball isn't a game that I sit down and watch when it's on. You know what I mean? Like it's hard to watch at home because it's long, but being in at the game is just a whole other feeling. Oh no, and also the soccer stadium has the best food.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Yeah, they food was nice. They really have the best food and they have a bigger helmet than the uh the nacho helmet is a bigger than the way it blew my mind. It's bigger than the hand it over here.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

It's like at least twice the size of the Cubs helmet.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Yeah, you know, about uh it's like twice the size. Maybe. Yeah, maybe. They're looking at the where is that? Oh, it's back there. Oh yeah, okay. Yeah, man, look, it was good though.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

I love a Cubs game, don't get me wrong.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

You got your first jersey ever?

SPEAKER_00 3:57

I got my first ever jerseys a socks jersey. It's their City Connect jersey, which is really cool. It's a rather. I know. All star. Love him. First game back. That was his first game back from injury, too. Yeah, he he he did pretty pretty well. He had a lot of strikes, but uh pretty well.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Um first time back. Yeah, but it was a clutch, he got I guess none of the runs with clutch. We beat the brakes off of him.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

So he got RBI come back into the game. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good to see you.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Um, but this episode is uh socks adjacent. We're gonna be talking about um July 10th adjacent, really.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

July 10th, yeah, yeah. Yeah, my birthday adjacent.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Uh-huh. Uh we talked about Alfonso Chico, um, kind of squell, and uh, yeah, let's uh let's lock in to it.

SPEAKER_06 4:51

I think Chico opened the door for uh for a lot of people. And I think Chico to me be like our father.

SPEAKER_05 5:42

I played things in the in the in the big league, I played six years with the White Sox, I played four All-Star games with the White Sox uniform. What the hell? I remember that day because uh you know when they take you to be in an all-star game, you're the best in the petition, you know. And uh we opened the door with the fresh of the Latin players.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

So July 10th is a historic day. Not because your boy was uh brought to this earth, but because some uh boy was brought to this earth. I was brought to this earth, you know. Y'all needed me, you know. Y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all needed me, y'all needed me. Um, so uh 20 what three, five years earlier. Um no one knows what year we were born. I guess if I guess, yeah, 84. Just give the actual year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was born in 84. But uh, we talked about July 10th, 1951. Um, and obviously Chico uh kind of squirrel. And check it out. So he debuted in the major leagues uh in 1950. Uh a year later he became with the White Sox. Uh and then a year later, he became the first Latino uh all-star selected to uh the major league all-star game.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Oh, that's wild.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Yeah, crazy.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

He was a Venezuelan.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

Venezuelan from Crockers uh Venezuela. Uh I do have some stats on because they if you I'm sure we got some old heads that watch this and that listen to the podcast. We we know you out there. Uh so for those youngins out here that don't know who he was, let me tell you, let me break it down. He was a shortstop from uh Crockers Venezuela, debuted April 18th, uh, 1950. Like I said, selected All-Star Game 51. He played six seasons with the Sox and then played uh another three, I believe, with the uh with other teams. And and I got a crazy, crazy twist to this. Uh he played with the Cleveland Indians, the Kansas City Athletics, uh, and the Baltimore Orioles. He batted uh 258 uh career, 55 home runs, 474 RBI, and he was a defensive uh Star Wars. So he was a starwork. He was good. He was good. He was good at um uh the at his game, at his job. So uh anything that came his way, he was pretty much gobbledygood it up. He he had a what I think I read somewhere a 950 um fielding percentage. So obviously a thousand is is the 100% mark. 950? That means you asked about errors during the game. That means that boy didn't create no errors at all. He was he was on it. That ball came to him, that was it.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

And uh to hear those stats is incredible, but then to learn that he almost had an entirely other career after he was done playing is well he fascinating because he was the person from Venezuela, he was the first one to make it to the major league from Venezuela.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

So he was a legend. They named the stadium after him down there in Venezuela um in his honor. I believe that was early 2000s, 2001, 2002, something that time around there. They renamed uh he was elected to the uh Venezuelan Hall of Fame. Um so he uh, you know, appreciate like he taught a bunch of different players all coming from Venezuela. He was a um amongst the community. He was huge, uh, you know, like inspiration. So especially him coming to Chicago was probably one of the nah, I don't want to say it's the best thing for him, but it was a fantastic thing that he came to Chicago with our population, uh Latin population, Mexican population, Hispanic population. You know, we really took him in. And that was indicative of the interviews that you will hear. But I do have a really interesting stat of his. Uh, since we saw the uh athletics, they are not uh any uh team yet. I mean a city yet, because uh their stadium is being built in Oakland in um uh Vegas. So they are just uh the athletics. Formerly man, look, they they got the brakes beat off the bad. They they did. They got I think I think I heard it. The white side put it on them.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Man, they were like that was a phenomenal game.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

Uh Peters, uh guy. Oh my god, it didn't.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Which if you didn't know, I just learned what a cycle is. It's a double.

SPEAKER_02 10:33

All of them. A triple. A single double, triple home run.

unknown 10:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

And it was like the seven the seventh in the history of the socks, yeah, and the third this year.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Yeah, right. Look, I mean this this is the sports analyst uh part of the show. But this team is good. Yeah, this team is good. And on paper at the beginning of the season, when we did this our second podcast with the White Sox this year, one well before the season, and now we in the mid literally middle way of the season. That team, we said on paper, it was good.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

Uh Miracami came out better than what we thought. Uh Peter's doing what he's doing. Um Vargas is an all-star. We actually got another all-star. We got three all-stars now. Two of them reserves, you know, uh Miracami and I forgot to Peter. Um, like to the all-star game. Um so replacements, I should say. But they were all-stars. The team is in first place. I mean, after a hundred losses.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

And let me tell you that stadium was practical. I've never seen it. We've been to plenty of soccer games. It's never been this practical.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

I'm gonna say it right now. I'm gonna say it right now. This got the feel of 2005.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Don't say that.

SPEAKER_02 11:44

It's halfway through the season. Someone's gonna cuss us out for that. No, I'm just saying, it feels like I ain't saying nothing. I just said it feels like 2005. I mean, when that team was weather-wise, you mean this team, I feel, is better than the 2005 team.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

I was very young in 2005.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

Yes, yes, you were uh 12 years old. I think the um I think the pitching so far is is a little bit better in 2005. Uh you know, the pitching, the pitching there was it was it was monstrous. And we some we had some hitters, you know what I mean, on there. Uh Canarico, all in Poseidon was a was a uh uh base hitting machine. He he had his first home run in the World Series. Wow, first home run of the season. Scott Persiding hit his home run. That that's how magical that team was. But this one right here, yeah. Anyway, enough of that. We actually got the actual play-by-play uh folks uh on the podcast. Oh my god, amazing.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah, so also before we get into it, I just want to say thank you to the White Sox for providing the historic images and the content and even just allowing us on the field to uh host these interviews literally an hour before the game. So I just want to say thank you so much for that. It was iconic.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

That's how I like it. Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

Yeah. Uh first of all, thank you for uh taking the time. No, of course. Yeah. If y'all don't know, uh this is Billy Russo, the uh play-by-play color. Yes, color. How's that feel?

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Uh good. You know, that's something that I kind of dream of when I was a kid.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Did you really?

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Yeah. Well, I my dream was to be a baseball player. Second best position. Exactly. As I always said, uh, it doesn't matter how you get here, uh, you're in the major leagues, you're in a major league. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

Yeah, right. I mean, a lot of people can't get here. Exactly. Yeah, so to be here in any capacity, but you really work with the team a lot, right? And then like you build the culture between the team and the community, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Yes, correct. And that's a very important role uh, you know, that that I have to perform. Uh, you know, especially helping uh the Latino players kind of to assimilate and adjust to a new culture, especially when they come uh for the first time to the US or in the big leagues for the first time, is it's uh it's a big change, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Yeah, it's overwhelming, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

Right, and especially it's it's mostly because uh the language barriers uh you know there are a bunch of stories of people, guys that you know go to a restaurant and they don't know how to order food exactly or just basic stuff as uh so you work that closely with them that you're with most of them. Uh there are there are players that you know have been through our system or through through other team season that we acquire. And uh right now every team, every organization has uh like an ESL program to help the players to uh learn the language. Yeah uh but still it's it's it's it's it's not easy to do because their main job is to play baseball, right? Yeah, and they have to perform in order to you know make a living. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

But I feel like being in Chicago, like being a Latino player in Chicago has to feel somewhat welcoming because we have such a vibrant community here, and they can like go into the neighborhoods and find people that speak the same language or even like the same dialect. How do you feel like that? Is that true? Do you see that?

SPEAKER_01 15:08

It's definitely true, definitely true. You know, we have a big uh Latino community here in the Chicago, as you guys know. Uh, we have one of the biggest Mexican communities in the country. Right. Uh the Puerto Rican community is good, uh, the Venezuelan communities have been growing up also a lot in the last uh you know decade or so. Yeah. Uh and you know, Colombians, uh Dominicans, I mean there is there is a bunch of uh it's a good blend of uh of Latino community here in the in the in in Chicago, and that definitely helps the Latino players, you know, when they have to go do grocery shopping, they go to Latino Americans and people there. It feels familiar. Yeah, exactly. That and then uh help them. And even you know, in general, uh the the American people here, uh the you know they help uh the Latino players. Yeah, uh they even if they don't speak Spanish, uh they they they make an effort to have the players. Yeah, exactly. And the same way with the players, if they you know, fears you're they're shy, right? They don't want to embarrass them out for the language. But they for the most part they try. And I think uh the the American people appreciate that to appreciate that effort, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Absolutely. And you know, tomorrow, July 10th, when this is uh, you know, uh for those who watch, but uh is Latino heritage a celebration. Uh so what I know we're I don't know if you know you, I'm sure you probably know, but uh Chico uh Carisquell, he was the first Latino MLB player to be elected to an all-star game. He was celebrating 75 years. 75 years tomorrow, also.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

That's uh that's uh that's a big milestone. And uh for us a Latino, especially for me as a as a Venezuelan, Chico was uh uh you know he was big, not just for baseball for but for the society. Uh in Venezuela, he he was the first uh idol. Yeah, right. The first you know he made it big. Yeah, exactly. And uh you know, he played Venezuela before coming to the US, and and he was a big figure there. Uh and you know his legacy um you know on and off the field was huge. And of course, for him, being the first uh Latino player to start in an all-star game, uh, it was was huge. I mean you can say, you know, uh Jackie Robinson as the first uh you know Native player to play in the big leagues. For us to break that barrier, it's it's was uh was a such males. Yeah, correct. And and I I always say this, uh it couldn't happen to a better uh human being. Chico was a beloved person, uh, you know, all around the field and out of the field, like I said before, in Venezuela and here. People here in Chicago love him, people in Venezuela and is in in the Caribbean love him too, yeah. Just because his personality was uh was so charming. Right. And uh, you know, that that definitely stood up with me as a as a kid. I mean, I I didn't see him playing because uh you know I I was too young. But uh I remember the stories and and I I I met him uh before uh he died in uh 2005. And uh he he was contagious, his personality was contagious. When he was old, he was uh he was a great human being, and and you can hear the stories about him, uh how he helped players to establish here in the in the big leagues. I mean, he was a big factor of why Luis Aparicio stayed with the white side and and didn't go back home when when he thought that you know this transition was too big for him. Right. Uh he was a big influence for Andres Velarraga. Oh my god. Uh he was his manager in Venezuela. Oh, really? And he helped Andres to kind of you know believe in himself, basically. Uh and the stories like that, there are there are a bunch of stories like you know, it's it's uh it's uh Chico was a great human being, like I said, um outside the field and off the field, he was uh even even greater than what he was on the field.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Yeah, I feel like you know, him being in the White Sox, the White Sox has been at the forefront of a lot of culture. You know, and how does that make you feel being, you know, the play-by-play, knowing that you're not just affecting the the community that you are in and around, but your organization has your back. How does that feel to be a part of that kind of legacy?

SPEAKER_01 19:33

It's definitely a big responsibility, yeah. Uh, and and that's something that I uh truly take with uh you know in a very serious manner, yeah, because I know the chance that I have and uh and I know that I'm representing not just the white sex organization but uh all the Latino America culture, yeah, uh the Venezuelan culture. And being in a spot where I know that Chico was there before me. Yeah, I mean it's is uh is definitely uh humbling. Oh man, I'm and you you appreciate that. You appreciate the opportunity, you appreciate the chance to do what you're doing. And every time that I walk into the booth, I I you know I just get re-energized. Like, okay, this is this is this is this is a dream, and it is. Uh I'm knowing that, like I said before, Chico was there, Chico was with Hector, and and uh you know being able to do that, especially with Hector now, is is you know, it's a dream come true, like I said before. Even I couldn't make it as a baseball player, I was able to make it like like a broadcaster, and uh, you know, I'm a major leader now, and nobody can take me can take that. Let me tell you, you know, being a broadcaster with a winning team is is a good thing, man. Like I mean, you definitely have been through ups and downs, but yeah, right now it's not talking about the season. It's a good season.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

It's a good season, yes. Yeah. So go ahead. I I'm gonna keep talking, but I I feel like um I was just gonna say, you know, at the start of the season, we were here talking to Mickey Norton, and you know, we kind of like said that, you know, White Sox on paper look like a good team. You know what I mean? Like, and now here we are, half a season in, and we're in first place.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

I know just that. I just want to say that we're a good team. Where we are an enjoyable team to watch. Yes. Just because the the young kids that we have, the energy that we bring to the field every day, the way that they play, it doesn't matter if we win or lose. I mean, there's gonna be people that come here, people that watch the games, they can be sure they're gonna watch a good game. You know, enjoyable game. And that's what you want. As a fan, as a baseball fan, that's that's all you wanna do, right? You wanna you wanna go you wanna watch good baseball games. And I think this group uh have done a very good job on that.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

Okay, before before you we let you go, do you have um like a signature sign off or a phrase that you say at every broadcast? What's your because this is not your broadcaster voice. I can't believe that these are. You on the spot, but are you willing to give us a little bit of a broadcasting vibe? Like, how would you what are you gonna say tomorrow when you when you when the game starts?

SPEAKER_01 22:09

I don't know. I think that's something that once uh the mic goes on, then you can energy. But yes, exactly. That's fair. Uh I think uh Hector is probably the one to have more like uh signatured uh uh calls. Okay. Uh because he's he's he's he's the play one player, yeah. But uh his Sayonata, you have to you have to ask him for his Sayonata baby. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

He's like, I don't know if I'll say it. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

My pleasure. Appreciate you being here. Yes, maybe you continue success this season. Go fix it. Thank you for sharing that. So right now we are joined with uh Hector Molina, the play-by-play for the Spanish broadcast, right?

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Of the White Sox. How does it feel this year uh with the with the team doing as good as they are right now?

SPEAKER_04 22:54

After three years, losing 100 games? Yeah, I'm in heaven. Even if we don't make it, it's like we're serious for that. Oh, you make it.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

We're making it this year.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

I know. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Did you see the projections? We there. I know. We're there, yeah. Yeah. Um, and you know, you do the play-by-play for the Spanish broadcast, right? And this team is, you know, historically has some fantastic uh his Latin players on the on the team. Yes. How does it feel uh being able to go into July 10th tomorrow, celebrating uh the Latin Heritage Munch? And also 75 years of uh Chico being the first Latino um all-star select.

SPEAKER_04 23:33

Uh well working with Chico was a pleasure. Yes. Uh this is a guy with knowledge, uh experience, and a lot of stories. Yeah, a lot of stories. A lot of stories. And uh it was amazing. Uh we used to have more Latinos here. Yeah, yeah. Uh we have Mexicans, we have Puerto Ricans, we had Cubans, uh, Dominicans, Venice, all the time. Yeah. Which is good. Yep. Which is good. And and usually they all they all you know are good. Are good. Yeah. I mean, not as good as you want to. Right. They're not Shaheyotani or they do the job.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

We got it. We got Mirokami, so we all good.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

Okay. He's not Latino.

SPEAKER_04 24:18

Yeah, he's not.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

That's true, that's true. We got Marcus, though.

SPEAKER_04 24:21

Oh, we are okay. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

He's an all-star? Oh, Miguel's awesome. Miguel is awesome. Yeah, yeah. You know. Uh with with him being an all-star, you know, um, how does that feel like having uh tomorrow we're celebrating the uh 75 anniversary Latino Heritage Month, and we only and our only all-star is Latino, right? It says something for the culture.

SPEAKER_04 24:43

It is good. Yeah. I mean, uh, I wish we could have more uh Latino players in the All-Star. Yeah, because we have plenty in the major leagues. But hey, everybody it's so good. Everybody's so good. So it's it's not only Latinos, it's a lot of good ball players in every team, yes.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:05

But we're lucky that we have many Latinos now because maybe 30 years ago when they had uh 16 teams, right? We didn't have that many representations, and we have so many players in the minor leagues, triple A, that were amazing. Yeah, but they couldn't make it up because the rosters were smaller, yeah, and the the teams were less teams now with the expansion. Yep. Then we have all those Latino players, and you see how many they are now. Yeah, yeah, and they performed me. They performed.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

They perform, they performed. Now you you work with Chico in the booth. Yes. How was that? I know you say you got a lot of stories, but how was how was that? Because you know, we heard Billy say he was a good guy.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

We we we broadcast the game, even if we're losing, we're having fun. Yeah, yeah. Because he got jokes, I got my jokes, and and you know, it's I cannot describe what kind of a person he was because not only he was my uh my uh partner in the booth, yeah, we had a family connection because we visit each other. He saw my youngest daughter that is now 36, when she was born. And we used to go to uh we traveled with the team in those days. And uh every time at the airport at Midway, when we came in, Connie, his wife was there, my wife was there, and then my baby girl was there. Yeah. And then instead of going to me, he goes, hi Chico! And she was four.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Oh wow!

SPEAKER_04 26:38

So how that's how nice he was. Oh wow. He was a great guy. He was a great guy with a lot of stories, like I said. Uh he talked to me about when they were in the minor, when they were in the minor leagues. No, when they were up and black people could not go to the same restaurant or stay in the same hotel. And he says, and I was the only white guy, and they didn't know that I was a Latino. So they let him in. They let me in. Yeah. And I never say a word. You know, hi, good morning, goodbye. That's it. If I talk, I gotta be in the bus. And his English wasn't that and not any nothing. So it was only hi and goodbye. And then came Louis Aparicio and and Aparicio had the same situation when he came up. Yeah. You know, he was a white guy, but he was Latino. He was Latino. White Venezuelan. Yeah. And then he's but you know, they went through a lot of things, and and he said that some of the players have to stay in the bus to eat. Yeah. Uh they don't stay in the same hotel. They good they look for the neighborhood that appeals to them. Yeah. And you know what they mean by that? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yep. Uh-huh. So uh it was it was it was rough.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

How has that shifted to today? Like what are you seeing as different.

SPEAKER_04 28:02

It's different. I I tell you what, the Latino players that complained now, he could have a grief because it's hard to negotiate a contract. And you know, let me see if I can explain this so nobody gets mad. No problem. You know, it's hard for a Latino player to negotiate a contract with a certain amount of money. The same goes to a white black guy to negotiate a contract. You get players that come from AAA and they stay in the main in the mayor league for seven years, and the average is 240, 220. Yep. But they're white. Yeah. And they get the money. And they get the money. Yeah, they get the money. You see? Yeah. So it was tough. But now it's changed a lot. Yeah. It changed a lot. I remember Chico said that one season he hit 260 something, and he was a great shortstop. He went for the way, he says, No, but you didn't hit any men. Not Hummers. You didn't hit Hummers. Oh, wow. You have to hit Hummers. Yeah. The next season he got 270. He got the Hummers. Yeah. Oh, you don't have enough RBI. He says, Well, I'm hitting second. So the goalposts can't kept coming in. Yeah, the goalposts kept with. And they keep denying that. Yeah. And and it used to happen. Not anymore. Now you got somebody who talks for you. Yeah. And he gets the money. Yeah. Well, he goes someplace else. Yeah. Yeah. When he was with us. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Well, I I was gonna ask, uh I'm gonna change the subject a little bit. But do you have people that get mad at you while you're doing the play-by-play? Like, do you ever get people that get angry at the things you say or like players do? Do they really? Yeah, they do. They do.

SPEAKER_04 29:44

But but you know, what I tell them is I'm not criticizing you. No, I'm not talking about your family, I'm not talking about how you dress. I'm not I'm talking about the play. Yeah. The play. I mean, if it's like when I say, well, the camera got 20 homers, but he has 82 strikes out. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

That's that's a high number.

SPEAKER_04 30:04

That's a high number. That's a high number. You know how many times you come on bat with Ben on base and maybe one out and he hit for the double play or strikes out?

SPEAKER_02 30:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:12

You don't move the run over?

SPEAKER_02 30:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:14

That's that's what I can do. That's that's that's analyzing the game. That's an I had a situation with Joey Cora, who was dismissed by the Joey Cora.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

Oh old school, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:22

And Wilson Alvarez. So Wilson is pitching, we start the game, he walks seven guys. Oh no. So bolero, it's it's it's a it's a dance. Yeah, yeah. So I I tell Chico, because they have a player, the uh singer named Felipe Pirella, they call him the bolerista de America, the bolero guy of the Americas. So it's okay. So I call Wilson Felipe Pirella. His wife was listening. Oh no. And he says, Oh, he called you Felipe Pirella because he gave seven walks. It's a joke. It's a joke. It happens, you know. So he's sitting with Chico in the dugout, and I came, say hi Wilson. Oh, so I'm Felipe Pirella. He got up and walked away. No, he's gonna never talk to me ever. Oh no. I said, What's wrong with this guy? Okay, I understand that, but you know, I criticize the play. Yeah, yeah. It's like uh, let me see, Joey got dismissed from the Tigers. Yeah. Well, you got a man going from second to third on a base hit that was to left field short lived him. Yeah. Left field grabbed the ball, Joey sends the guy to the plate who was out for about four steps. Yeah. So he got dismissed. Well, I criticize that. Don't send people like this. Especially on the short field. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:47

I mean, it's not, it's not um Willie McGee. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's a guy with a strong arm.

SPEAKER_02 31:53

Yeah. That's what happened. It's gotta be tough. Did you learn anything from uh Chico, like uh how to how to have charisma after those things, or did he teach you anything? He didn't say anything.

SPEAKER_04 32:05

He said, I wouldn't say the same thing. But you know, I love that. You're good guys, blah blah blah. I'm an old man. Yeah. He said, no, don't worry about that. Yeah. I don't know if I'm gonna keep me here. Right, right. So I'm gonna do my game the way I do it.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

You would do it the way you do. The way I do. Now, now you have a signature uh sign-off or signature home run call, uh, we hear. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And it's it's a Sayanata, baby.

SPEAKER_04 32:27

Yeah. Can you do it? Can you do it for the camera? No pressure. Okay, let me see. It's uh I'm gonna do it in Spanish. Okay, it's Miguel Vargas. My nombre is hombre in primera, hombre in segundo, Miguel Vargas en la caja de bateo. Lanzamiento le tira bateo, largo se le fila, se atrapa en la fila, se sigue buscando.

SPEAKER_02 32:57

Thank you so much, man. Congrats on the season. I know you brought you just broadcasting, but I mean, I know this whole organization has got to feel good about the season, so uh it feels good, and uh, we we hope that the success continues. I don't want to say, but I we were here before the season in the delegate in the uh clubhouse, and maybe maybe we might be the reason why the that socks uh performing. I don't know. I don't know. I'll be here. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_04 33:23

I told I told me I'm not doing nine games, but if they make the playoff, I get Uber.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:29

And I'm a weird.

SPEAKER_02 33:31

I'm coming with you, Billy. Let's come with you for the game.

SPEAKER_00 34:23

So incredible to even as someone that like didn't necessarily grow up as a fan of the sport, hearing them talk about it and hearing them talk about how much it's changed and how Chicago is just like has always been a community, but you know, the challenges that these players face you know, 40, 50, 40, 60 years ago versus now is just mind-blowing and not surprising, but it's just like people that are still here. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 34:55

It was good to hear how good he was. You know how loved he was. Um I mean, like they still love you to tell. Uh listen to Billy Russo, you know, didn't uh you know get a chance to play with him on meeting or anything like that, but like just knowing that he's yeah, yeah, madam, yeah, we're taking his place um you know in the booth. Um and then you know like next time I can I go in the booth. Yeah, for real. I I do have one more stat that uh since we played athletics, and I didn't say it uh before we went to the interviews. But uh Chico's career high was seven RBI August 26th of 1956 against the athletics.

SPEAKER_00 35:41

And they were Kansas City athletics.

SPEAKER_02 35:43

They were Kansas City athletics. So uh the day that the uh the White Sox beat the brakes off of the standard uh athletics. I wanna it beat the brakes a butt.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

The whole time every inning like after the the third or fourth inning, it was just nonstop.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Yeah, we were just celebrating non-stop. They got the run, and then all of a sudden they were like, We were like, oh damn, they score. And even that score was like, it was like all right seven or one, all right, you know, cool. But then white songs came back that and it was like, yeah, no, but tripping, not with these jerseys on. Uh anyway, uh again, thank you to the White Songs for uh letting us uh hang out on the field, hang out at the baseball game.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

And thank you for all of the uh uh historical content arch archives that you've provided. Yeah, I couldn't do it without you. Uh I hope you enjoyed this one. This was a really fun one. This is not a part of a series, it's just a standalone episode. Um, and uh we'd love to do more of these. There's plenty of sports around Chicago, so maybe it can be a series. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

You know, we gotta few more together.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Uh but thank you so much for listening. Uh we loved having you here today. If you'd like to support us, the best way to do it is to uh follow us on socials at 77 Flavors Shy everywhere. Check out our website. We have some tours coming up. We're going to Pilson July 19th. So make sure you head over to our Instagram, our Facebook, our TikTok, and learn about it there. We'll see you then. Peace.