Rodriguez Mayoral: Vic Power: Artful storyteller and first baseman
From Luis Rodríguez Mayoral at La Vida Baseball on November 28, 2017:
In the 1970s and ’80s, I loved to walk around Condado, then the ritzy tourist section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Vic Power. One of the flashiest first basemen the game has ever seen, Vic was just as artful a storyteller. I was more than happy to go along for the ride.
Vic was a proud man who used humor to defuse a tense situation and occasional biting sarcasm to counter racism, both of which were necessary in his playing days. He could speak his mind and put you in your place, but with eloquence.
I met Vic in the winter of 1970-71 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan. We were introduced by Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre, one of Puerto Rico’s baseball legends from the pre-integration era who later became a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After shaking Vic’s hand, I noticed that he was reading Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. Right there and then, I knew he was a little different from the usual baseball player.
Read the full article here: https://www.lavidabaseball.com/vic-power-artful-storyteller-first-baseman/
Originally published: November 29, 2017. Last Updated: November 29, 2017.