The all-American game of baseball has it’s followers and players in Mexico, but south of the border the name of the game is beisbol. Here in Mazatlán where many amateur teams play throughout the year. The professional season begins in late October and runs to the end of the year. It’s triple-A class ball, with players sometimes headed for (or coming from) the major leagues. The local team is called Venados (deer) since Mazatlán is supposed to be an Aztec word meaning “land of the deer”. Other teams in the Mexican Pacific League include the Tomateros (tomato pickers) of Culiacán, the Naranjeros (orange pickers) of Hermosillo, and the (cotton picking) Algodoneros of Guasave, along with teams from Los Mochis, Navojoa, Ciudad Obregón and Mexicali. Most players are Mexican but each team has a few foreign players. Baseball fans from North of the border who want to attend a game need not worry about the language barrier. The game is played exactly the same way here as in the U.S. The only difference is the terminology, as you’ll hear it announced over the loudspeakers or see it written in the newspaper. Keep it in mind that since the game originated in the U.S., other countries have had to adopt the American terms although they may translate them literally. That, apparently is how an inning became an “entrada” (or entrance) in Spanish. At games in México, positions on the field may be given in English but they will be pronounced in Spanish. The pitcher for example sounds like PEE-chair, or be called interchangeably “el lanzador”, the shortstop “el parador en corto” and the outfielders “los jardineros” (which literally means “gardeners”). The batter (bateador) sounds close to English, and so does the designated hitter (bateador designado) but you have to stop and think about it when you hear it. The catcher is the receptor, and the third baseman (tercera base) is sometimes called the antesalista ( literally the

anteroom attendant). The team is the “equipo” (ey-KEE-po) or the novena, or nine and the batting order is the “orden al bat”. The ball is a bol or a “pelota”. The line-up may also be called the “alineación”. An out may be just that or it may be called a “fuera”, which also means outside or outdoors. A strike, while spelled the same way, comes out sounding like “estrayd” and a walk is a “paso por bolas” or a “pas-aporte” (which also means passport). A fly ball is an “elevado”, and it generally lands in somebody’s “guante” or glove. A good hit is a “buen palo” (good stick) or a “batazo”, and it may even be a “jonron” (which if pronounced by the rules of Spanish sounds pretty much like what it is, a home run). If one of the Venados hits it, the cheering home fans may shout GUAU! (which for a Spanish speaker comes out sounding exactly like WOW!). There’ll be plenty of peanutsand pop, popcorn and for sure Pacifico beer at the ballpark, since the local brewery owns the team. That’s about all you need to know before you head out to the stadium and hear the umpire yell, “PLEIBOL!” If you want to attend a game check the games schedule in this paper, or ask your hotel desk when the Venados will next play at home. Games are usually played at night at Teodoro Mariscal Stadium, on the street that runs parallel to Avenida Del Mar, about halfway between, Fiesta land and Fisherman’s Monument. Game time is set for 8p.m. on the week days and at 6p.m. on weekends, but games do not start with clockwork precision. As is typical in Mexico, the starting pitch can be anywhere from 15 or 30 minutes late. To choose your seat general admission (unreserved grandstand), “late-rales”, way off in the left and right hinterlands, numbered center section and “palco” or box seats, tickets are sold at the ballpark from 4p.m. on the game days at the Venados headquarters, Gutierrez Nájera No. 821, during office hours anytime before a given game. There’s a seating chart for the reserved sections. “PLEIBOL”