Black History That Isn’t “Black” History
on September 28th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
“Fans at San Diego’s Petco Park witnessed something special Friday night: They saw Cincinnati Reds lefty Aroldis Chapman hurl a pitch clocked at 105.1 m.p.h. – the fastest pitch ever reliably recorded on the Pitch/FX system. Chapman did it in the eighth inning, striking out Tony Gwynn of the Padres.
On Saturday, the Padres were still talking about Chapman throwing 25 pitches at or above 100 m.p.h., including three at 104 m.p.h. “That’s as live an arm as I’ve ever seen,” said Padres manager Bud Black, a former big-league pitcher. You think?
The previous high was 104.8 m.p.h. from the Detroit Tigers’ Joel Zumaya on Oct. 10, 2006, against Frank Thomas of the Oakland A’s.”
“After a failed attempt to defect in the spring of 2008, Chapman was brought to Havana to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro who gave him a conditional reprieve, suspending him for the remainder of the National Series season and also keeping him off Cuba’s national team for the Beijing Olympics, but allowing him to return to the National Series and play in the World Baseball Classic.
A few years after Alexei Ramirez defected, Chapman successfully defected from Cuba while in Rotterdam, Netherlands where the Cuban national team was participating in the World Port Tournament on July 1, 2009; Chapman walked out the front door of the team hotel and entered into an automobile driven by an acquaintance. Chapman eventually established residency in Andorra and petitioned Major League Baseball to be granted free agent status.”
And this…
“When Chapman defected, he left behind his father, mother, two sisters, girlfriend Raidelmis Mendosa Santiestelas and newborn baby Ashanti Brianna. His father is a boxing trainer.”
A very moving back story for such a historic player. Perhaps if folks were not so caught up in “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the blackest of all?” craptalk, the moment could have been appreciated.
