Diunte: Documentary makes Minnie Minoso more relevant than ever
From SABR member Nick Diunte at LatinoSports.com on August 27, 2013:
Yes, baseball has been very good to Minnie Minoso.
For a man that is nearing 90, the game continues to shower him with gifts. Earlier this month, he held court with President Barack Obama at the White House, and just this weekend, he was honored by Major League Baseball at the annual Civil Rights Game in Chicago.
The Cuban-born Minoso, who had his start in the Negro Leagues, represents a narrowing group of the living Latin American ballplayers that faced the indignities of racial and cultural segregation in the shadow of Jackie Robinson in their attempts to play in the major leagues in the 1940’s and 1950’s. He stood tall in the face of Jim Crow segregation, and turned that in to a professional baseball career that spanned seven decades.
“I gave my whole life to baseball and I don’t have any regrets,” Minoso said.
Documentarian Tom Weinberg has used his almost 40-year-long relationship with Minoso to produce an hour long documentary, “Baseball’s Been Very, Very Good To Me: The Minnie Minoso Story.” Weinberg effectively captures Minoso’s welcoming and sincere spirit and gives him the recognition that he dearly deserves as a pioneer for Latin Americans in baseball.
“Minnie was Jackie Robinson for all Latin Americans,” Miami radio show host Jose “Chamby” Campos said during the documentary.
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To see a trailer of the documentary, click here.
Read the full article here: http://latinosports.com/documentary-minnie-minoso-relevant/
Related link: “Ichiro Suzuki, Minnie Minoso and the 4,000-hit club,” by Scott Simkus
Originally published: August 27, 2013. Last Updated: August 27, 2013.