Hall of Famer Alomar still cherishes Toronto
Roberto Alomar didn’t always want to be a baseball player.
Alomar once considered playing basketball instead of baseball, despite his family’s deep baseball roots.
Alomar’s father, Sandy, was a veteran of 15 major league seasons and an allstar second baseman. Roberto’s older brother, Sandy Jr., would go on to play in 20 seasons in the major leagues as a catcher.
“I loved basketball, but I knew that I had a talent ( in baseball) and that it ran in my family,” said Roberto Alomar.
“My father never told me that I had to play baseball, and that was good. I realized it myself and I learned that I could be a pretty good ballplayer.”
That’s an understatement. Alomar played 17 major- league seasons, with seven different teams, including five with the Blue Jays (1991-95).
In addition to two World Series with the Jays, he was a 12- time all- star second baseman and won 10 Gold Gloves while posting a career batting average of .300. He was voted into the baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
We posed several questions to Alomar, now 48 and a special adviser to the Jays, in Regina last week. Q What was your reaction to news Friday that Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for de hydroch lo rm ethyl testosterone?
A Sometimes people take supplements and they don’t know what they are taking. Maybe he made a mistake and now he’s getting punished. It’s sad to see, but on the other hand I know that he’s going to be back. Q What impact will Colabello’s suspension have on the Blue Jays?
A They are baseball people and they might be understanding. I haven’t gone through that process, but it could be a wake-up call or a sad day. I know it’s not a great day for the organization when you see one of your guys go that way. That’s especially true when you lose a guy who was so nice in the clubhouse. On the other hand, they have a job to do and they have to play the game as a team. Q. You played when performance- enhancing drugs were a major issue in baseball. How has major league baseball done in dealing with those issues?
A The new commissioner of baseball (Rob Manfred) has done a good job with all of his rulings. Now it’s up to the players to stay on the right track and make sure they don’t do anything that can hurt them in the end. Q. This is the farewell season for Regina’s Mosaic Stadium, with a new facility to open in 2017. Do you remember playing the Canadian national team at Taylor Field in 1993 with the Blue Jays?
A I remember it because we had a home run contest that I won. I also remember that right field was really short and left field was really far away. Still it was something that you did for the fans and a lot of people came, too. As a player you want to give cities like Regina a little taste of what we do. Q. How often are you asked about winning the World Series consecutively in 1992 and 1993?
A Many, many times. At least we’re recognized for winning and that’s something you will remember for the rest of your life. As a ballplayer, we feel good about that. It’s good to see when you retire that you left a legacy. Those two World Series were our legacy, especially winning them backto-back.
Q What made those teams so special?
A We had a great manager (Cito Gaston) and a great organization in (president) Paul Beeston and (general manager) Pat Gillick and a great bunch of guys. We were focused only on winning and we did the little things right. We played together. Cito was the foundation of the team.
Q Are the current Blue Jays capable of winning a World Series?
A They are, because we’re on the right track and we have the right players. You still have to perform and the only way that you can win is on the field. You have to keep the guys healthy and that’s something that we did well in the 1990s. We kept everybody healthy. If this team can keep everyone healthy, maybe we can go all the way.
Q There have already been comparisons between you and current Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins. You’re the only two Blue Jays second basemen to hit homers in the playoffs and he has great range. Are those comparisons fair?
A I don’t know about that because you don’t want to put pressure on the kid. He’s a great defensive player and he’s learning a lot about baseball. It’s always nice when you compare people to other people. I used to be compared to a lot of second basemen. He has to be his own guy and I was my own guy. I can only wish him the best.
Q What are your thoughts on the new rule which forces runners to slide at the bag and requires infielders to actually touch the bag while attempting to turn a double play?
A You don’t want to take away the aggressiveness of the ball players, but on the other hand you don’t want to see anyone hurt. Personally, I don’t like the rule. If the rule had existed when I played, it would have been much easier for me to play second base (without being contacted).
Q Reactions have been mixed to Jose Bautista’s bat flip and Bryce Harper’s call for players to show more emotion on the field. What do you think of celebrations and having fun on the field?
A Sometimes you have to let your emotions out. You’re not trying to show up anybody. You were happy and you just get caught up in that moment. No one did anything to hurt anyone or their feelings. You were having fun in that moment.
Q You wore No. 12 for all but 38 major league games. You were a 12-time all-star and your No. 12 was retired by the Blue Jays. Is there some significance to that number?
A My favourite number is two because my father played the game and he used to wear No. 2. When I signed my first professional contract and went to play in the Puerto Rico winter-ball league, I was a 17-year-old rookie and you don’t ask for a number. A veteran was already using No. 2 so they gave me No. 1. When I got invited to a big-league camp they gave me No. 68 and I knew I was in trouble. Still, I played well and when I got the call (to the major leagues by the San Diego Padres) they asked me what number I wanted. No. 1 was taken by Garry Templeton and No. 2 was taken by my dad because he was the third-base coach. I asked for No. 12 and that’s how No. 12 came about.
Q What is it like being Roberto Alomar in Toronto? Do you get free meals or drinks?
A I do. I’m really grateful that the Toronto people still recognize me as a player. Being in the Hall of Fame has opened more doors. People also appreciate what I do for kids. What I’m doing now is giving back to the community and the people give me back a lot of joy and happiness from when I played in Toronto.
Q What was it like getting the call in 2011 that you were being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? A I’ve had two amazing calls in my life. The first was when I was called to a big league club and that was a dream come true. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is another level. I remembered when I was a kid that I used to go the ballpark with my dad. When I went to the Hall of Fame for the first time (as a visitor), I saw all of these guys behind me, like Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Nolan Ryan ... you name it. Those are the guys I used to watch when I was kid. To be part of that elite group ... who knew as a kid that I would be part of that kind of group?
Q What was your vantage point when Joe Carter hit the World Series- clinching homer against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993? A I was in the dugout because I was going to hit after Alfredo Griffin. After that we were celebrating because it was a big hit. It was a line drive and we went crazy, jumping around and celebrating another championship.
Q Pat Gillick said the Blue Jays wouldn’t have gone to the 1992 World Series if not for the homer you hit off Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersley in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. How significant was that home run?
A If you look at it, mine was the one that gave us the momentum to win the ALCS. I believe if we hadn’t won that game, we wouldn’t have won that series. From then on and how we beat a guy like Eckersley, that was our moment to be recognized. We got the momentum and from that point on we never looked back.
Q You have often talked about the impact of hanging around a major-league clubhouse with your father when you were a kid. What do you think of the Chicago White Sox limiting the access of Adam LaRoche’s 14-year- old son? LaRoche elected to retire rather than give in to the White Sox.
A You have to understand the ruling of the team, but I really don’t understand what was the purpose of it. I know from my standpoint as a kid, we were allowed in the clubhouse before the game started but not during the game. I don’t know what their agenda was, but it’s sad that they didn’t let his kid be the bat boy or be around the clubhouse. Hopefully it can be worked out because for me it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse during the game and I wasn’t that mad. It gave me a little taste of what baseball was all about. That’s one of the reasons why I was able to achieve so many goals in my baseball career.