NEW COACH AIMS FOR THE FENCE
By LIN ROBINSON

Sports fans quickly figure out that Mazatlán is nuts about baseball. More than anywhere else in Mexico, baseball rivals futbol in the hearts of fans on this section of coast. And I mean baseball: no real Mazatlán man of any age would so much as touch a softball...this is a hardball kind of town. And the kings of hardball around here are the Venados club, with a sixty-year tradition of mixing it up in Mexico’s top league. (See sidebar on Pacific League.) The Venados have won their share of league championships, but not since 1993, a situation everybody from the owner’s box down to the batboy is eager to correct. They are taking a dramatic step towards that goal this season by hiring a new head coach, Texan Dan Firova. Joining a team of great players who were barely edged out of last year’s pennant by Culiacán, Firova has a winning confidence and reputation that is making itself felt in the entire organization. In his five year tenure with the Mexico City Tigres of the Mexican League Firova nabbed three pennants, including the last two seasons. He’s had a brilliant career coaching in Mexico and has set new standards of organization and success. Firova’s hiring set up an interesting homecoming here, since he played for Mazatlán during the 1981-82 season, before moving up to catch for the Seattle Mariners. Returning to Mexico in the winters, Firova hit over .315 in several seasons before moving into his illustrious coaching career. And now, twenty years later, he’s back in Mazatlán with only one thing in mind—winning all the marbles. While management gives high praise to the previous Venados manager, Tim Johnson, it’s obvious that replacing him with Firova is a move towards the top. Tellingly, the triumphs of Firova’s Tigres in the last two seasons of the summer league came at the expense of their archrivals—Johnson’s Diablos Rojos. Venados owner Ismael Barros is patently delighted to have Firova in charge. Firova also expresses pleasure in returning here, saying, “This is a great league with the best quality of ball and top players. It’s a team with traditions that has been knocking on the door for several seasons and I feel that I can bring the capacity and experience needed to play a strong role in taking this squad to the top.” Firova sees the team as being very ready. In his analysis, “We’ve got good pitching, a mix of youth and experience, and I think it’ll be a big factor in winning games. And I’m looking forward to a very solid group of American players by the time we open our
season.” League rules limit a team to six non-Mexicans on the roster, but those players—who often play for Major League organizations in the summer—are generally seen as dominant, especially in batting. In addition, he points to a great group of fielders who took the team to the threshold last season—including Heber Gomez, who won the league Golden Glove with the incredible fielding average of .987. To sum it up, Firova says, “My principal objective here is winning the pennant for Mazatlán: that’s my professional and personal goal.” Nothing could better fit the plans of the Venados organization, who have been bringing Teodoro Mariscal stadium up to the standards necessary to host the Caribbean Series, hopefully in four years. Obviously, the Venados would like to be the Mexican team that plays in that series in their own house—and the way to get there is to win the Pacific League. Meanwhile...It’s Baseball!!!! Anybody, even casual fans, should treat themselves to some afternoons out at the park. There’s excellent quality ball, beer and hotdogs, and tickets are only 40 pesos behind the plate, 10 pesos in the bleachers. (Prices will run a little more for the October 12 opener against the spoilers from Culiacán—a rematch of the finals of last season). Following a three-day stand in Obregon starting on October 15, (Firova’s birthday), the Venados will return on the eighteenth for a series against the Los Mochis Cañeros. Following the Venados can get into your blood. And you never know who might show up, or go on to fame. For instance, the Venados were once coached by Hall Of Famer Maury Wills. And one of the most memorable games ever played in this park was started by no less than Fernando Valenzuela, perhaps the most impactive Mexican athlete ever, major league Rookie of the Year at nineteen and a Cy Young winner. In 1993, after being dropped by the Dodgers and considered washed up in bigtime ball, the big Sonoran lefthander held the Mexicali Aquilas to a single run, which the Venados topped in the bottom of the ninth to take a major upset victory and turn Mariscal Stadium into a madhouse. The tenacity Valenzuela showed was influential in getting a come-back shot with the Baltimore Orioles, leading to his final season with San Diego, where he went out a winner at 8-3 and six consecutive wins. So come on out and catch the games. This might be a huge year in Mazatlán baseball...and it’s guaranteed to be a fine season for enjoying what we might just call “The Mazatlán Pastime”. Venados Schedule: CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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