Column: We are all Fernando

I am a son of Los Angeles. Born and raised in El Sereno. A Dodger fan because my Tio Santos taught me to love the Dodgers (and hate the Reds). I have had many jobs in my life, including working for the Dodgers. That’s where I came to know, work with, and ultimately, become friends with Fernando Valenzuela.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but I was blessed to know one of mine in ways that not many people had a chance to.

My first encounter with Fernando was when he walked into my office on my third day working for the Dodgers. He stood at the door and asked “¿puedo tomar la silla?” I was first stunned by his question, and realizing that it was Fernando standing in my office, I jokingly told him “llevate el escritorio si quieres.”  He looked at me kind of funny but sat down anyway. 

He then noticed my golf bag that had been gifted by one of the team sponsors and asked if I played golf. I said I did, but that I couldn’t play with him because Jorge (Jarrín) had already given me a heads up. “You cheat and try to take people’s money,” I said.  

He asked, “How does Jorge know I cheat?” I told him what Jorge had relayed to me, “You realize that most people are surprised to be playing with you and that at the first hole, you tell them that you should play for a couple of bucks to make it interesting and that you’ll make it fair by playing left-handed.” Fernando just smiled and laughed.

And that’s how I became friends with Fernando Valenzuela.

During my time at the Dodgers, he’d make fun of me in the hallways, mocking that all I did was talk on the phone and pretend to type things into the computer. I would then pretend to talk into a microphone and daze off into the distance (IYKYK) all without saying a word. It was just one colleague making fun of another and the other not giving an inch. 

After my time with the Dodgers came to an end, I’d meet Fernando for golf or meals. We would chat about ideas, but mostly, he would make fun of me and I of him. He would make fun of my laugh and then tell dad jokes that were so bad, I couldn’t help but laugh. I would tell him that Pepe carried him in the booth and that I could play him in the movie version of his story, and he would look at me side-eyed and just laugh. He had such a great sense of humor. 

There is no doubt that Fernando will be missed by a great many people. I know that his wife Linda and their children and grandchildren will miss him beyond all measure, and long for one more day with their beloved. I know that his brothers and sisters in Sonora will terribly miss the baby of the family. I know that many of Fernando’s compadres and close friends will miss his presence for many years. 

I can also say that I will miss my friend.     

All the remembrances of Fernando that will be offered over the coming days will cover his amazing baseball career and his contributions to making the LA Dodgers the success that it is today. I am filled with joy and sadness to hear all these tributes pouring in for Fernando who is deserving of all of them. His baseball achievements were truly amazing. What he did for the Dodgers will never be repaid and what he did for Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles is without measure.    

Fernando came to Los Angeles as a man blessed with gifts beyond comparison, humility and a gentle smile that belied his greatness. He didn’t look like other baseball players. He didn’t talk like most baseball players. He didn’t pitch like most baseball pitchers. He threw a pitch that most pitchers couldn’t throw.

LA had never seen a man who looked like this, achieve such great feats. Mexican immigrants, Mexican Americans, and Latinos had never seen a man like Fernando receive such great accolades. 

Why did this matter?  Because he looked like you and he looked like me. 

Without the “dream” of Elysian Park Heights, there is no destroying of the long gone neighborhoods of La Loma, Bishop & Palo Verde. Without the destruction of La Loma, Bishop & Palo Verde, there is no vacant land for O'Malley's Dream of a Stadium for his Team.  

Without O'Malley’s Dream of a Stadium, there is no need to placate one of the largest Ethnic groups in the city. 

Without the need to pacify Mexican Americans, there is no need for Spanish language radio broadcasts of Dodger Games. Without Spanish radio broadcasts of Dodger Games, there is no need for Jaime Jarrin. 

Without Jaime Jarrin, there is no way in which Dodger Baseball becomes part of the lives of the Mexican American Angelenos.

Without that growing Mexican American fanbase, there is no foundation for Fernando Valenzuela. 

Without Fernando Valenzuela, the immigrant kid from Sonora, there is no transformation of a people. 

In the span of about 20 years, no other cultural group experienced the transfiguration of going from being viewed as servants and laborers to equals, colleagues, and fellow fans except in LA… in 1981. 

I am Fernando. You are Fernando. We are Fernando.