Saturday Spotlight is a weekly lightning-round of questions delving into the personalities and stories of Major Leaguers.Omar Vizquel is best known for his outstanding work at shortstop, but you may also know that he's a musician, an artist and a pretty fancy dresser. On his way to the Hall of Fame, he's now finishing out his career in Texas, tutoring young phenom Elvis Andrus.
On to the questions ...
What do you remember about being a baseball fan as a kid?
I remember seeing the ballplayers as being untouchables, like something unreachable, something really cool to be. I realize now that we are just like everybody else.
What do you remember about your big-league debut?
It was in Oakland, I remember the Oakland A's just came from winning an (American League) championship in 1988 and of course they repeated in 1989. They really put on a show with the national anthem, they brought an elephant to throw out the first pitch. It was a whole really cool show. I remember making my first error in my first game. I remember we lost the game 3-2. I remember [Jose] Canseco hit a home run.
Didn't some other kid make his debut in center field that day?
Yeah, Ken Griffey Jr. It was awesome. There was a lot of hype about Griffey. I don't think anybody knows I started the same day as Griffey.
Who was your favorite teammate?
I think one of the funniest guys I ever played with was Carlos Baerga in Cleveland. Also Wayne Kirby, those guys were really fun to be around.
Who is the player you most enjoy watching?
Kirby Puckett was really fun to watch. Everything he did was just awesome.
What's the funniest thing you've ever seen on a baseball field?
You could write a book about funny stories, guys with bubble-gum bubbles on their heads and burning shoes. Guys making three errors in the same inning. There are so many different things. Fans jumping on the field naked. A lot of different things.
If you were not a baseball player, what would you be?
I was going to go to a class to work on a cruise line. I wanted to work as a customs guy with boats.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-18-2009 @ 9:44PM
vince johnson said...
I am trying to get Omar Vizquel's autograph on a couple of baseball cards, however when I send them to the Texas Rangers, the envelope comes back mark RTS. Mr. Vizquel was kind enough to sign a baseball for me in Cleveland, Ohio on the day of his Citizenship, I was one of the Adjucation Officers to take him to the DD to have him given his oath. He was so kind and reciptive at that time, and he stated that any time we wanted an autograph send the cards to then Cleveland Indians. If Mr Vizquel doesn't sign cards anymore, would he please let me know. I have sent three envelopes and they all have been returned. Thank you for your time on this matter and am looking forward to hearing from you in the near future. Vince Johnson
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