Last Wednesday was a special day for me, and not just by the fact that this day marks the day, month and year with the same number (12), but because I was lucky enough to interview one of the best players of Major League Baseball (MLB), Venezuelan Magglio Ordonez.
Magglio appeared in the Latin American Stadium accompanied by prominent journalist Reinaldo Taladrid and I was lucky when he agreed to talk with me while broadcasting live for the COCO radio station the baseball game between Industriales and Villa Clara.
The outfielder Ordonez is in Cuba for the first time and his purpose is to visit and support Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is recovering from surgery. "Cuban fans are very respectful, enthusiastic and baseball knowledgeable, I’m really comfortable in this country."
The player has still fresh baseball experiences because he just retired this year from MLB after playing 15 seasons, with a fabulous batting average of .309 with 1236 RBI, 2156 hits and 294 homers.
Ordonez said "Cuban baseball is in top international level and it is really worth facing. Cuban players are really good; we were defeated by them in the 1st World Baseball Classic when they were the runners-up."
"Playing with the Vinotinto uniform (Venezuelan national team) was an honor," said Magglio referring to his participation in the two previous today´s baseball main event. "I´d wish to play again in 2013 but I’m retired." "Venezuela and the Dominican Republic should be the teams that advance to the second round of the Classic by the group C as their teams are made up by many MLB star players," he added.
This will be, undoubtedly, a night I will never forget and neither will be removed from the memory of many fans that were at the Latin American Stadium. I´m sure many Cubans will have the pleasure of talking with this excellent baseball player because he said, "I´ll go back to Cuba again and I´ll talk to many players I know to come here to visit this nation."
Author
Reynier Batista Morales
