El comentario de D\u00e1maso Blanco a trav\u00e9s del hilo telef\u00f3nico me llev\u00f3 a confirmar la informaci\u00f3n, Mike Flanagan, aquel pitcher que trajo Rub\u00e9n Mijares junto a Wayne Garland, Larry Demery, Kent Tekulve, Clarence Gaston, Larry Harlow, Willie Randolph y Rob Andrews entre otros en la temporada 1975-76, hab\u00eda sido encontrado sin vida fuera de su hogar de Monkton, Md., la tarde del mi\u00e9rcoles 23 de agosto de 2011.<\/p>\n
La fotograf\u00eda de Flanagan con el uniforme naranja de los Orioles me traslad\u00f3 a un mediod\u00eda de enero de 1976. La voz de mam\u00e1 cernida entre el dinamismo de la melod\u00eda\u00a0 \u201cLove will keep us togeteher\u201d\u00a0 (Captain & Tennille) me recordaba que deb\u00eda terminar de pintar el garaje. Yo alegaba que como hab\u00eda terminado la huelga de profesores, me deb\u00eda dedicar\u00a0 de lleno al inicio del tercer a\u00f1o de bachillerato. \u201c\u00a1Que va! Lo que usted comienza, lo tiene que terminar\u201d.<\/p>\n
Las p\u00e1ginas deportivas de El Nacional y El Universal destacaban el inicio de las semifinales del b\u00e9isbol profesional. Mis ojos apretaban un titular que dec\u00eda algo como: \u201cMike Flanagan vs Scott McGregor, un duelo de serpentinas en c\u00e1mara lenta\u201d.<\/p>\n
Agarr\u00e9 el peri\u00f3dico, el horario de tercer a\u00f1o y una mesa plegable y me fui al garaje. Mam\u00e1 me hizo regresar la mesa. \u201cUna cosa a la vez hijo. No vayas\u00a0 a hacer un arroz con mango\u201d.<\/p>\n
Antes del juego mis hermanos comentaban que no entend\u00edan porque Johnny Lippon se hab\u00eda decidido por Mike Flanagan teniendo a Garland y a Demery. No quise decir nada. Hab\u00eda notado que hac\u00eda el final de la temporada Flanagan hab\u00eda llevado varios juegos cerrados hasta el final. Me dije \u201cYa van a ver\u201d. Aquella noche, los env\u00edos lentos de Flanagan marearon a la toleter\u00eda cardenal y se llev\u00f3 la victoria 3-2. \u201c\u00bfY ahora que van a decir de Flanagan?\u201d Les dije a Felipe y Jes\u00fas Mario mientras escuchaban los comentarios finales del juego. Su silencio se mantuvo en los siguientes 2 juegos de la semifinal porque Garland y Demery perdieron sus aperturas.<\/p>\n
Aquel Magallanes hab\u00eda ido a jugar a Cuman\u00e1 en diciembre de 1975. Entre la emoci\u00f3n por ir a ver por primera vez un juego de b\u00e9isbol profesional en el estadio, guardaba la esperanza de que Mike Flanagan abriera o relevara en ese juego. Aquella tarde jugamos pelota como hasta las cuatro de la tarde. Cuando empezamos a escuchar las sirenas de los carros y los cohetes, agarramos los guantes y corrimos a prepararnos para el juego. Los espacios aleda\u00f1os al estadio de Cuman\u00e1 eran un mar de gente que apretujaba y arrastraba. Todo el trayecto hasta las tribunas lo hice con el radio transistor en la mano levantada. El primero en salir al terreno por Aragua fue David Concepci\u00f3n, le sigui\u00f3 Enos Cabell. En el segundo inning, el centerfielder de los Tigres, Dan Ford, se estrell\u00f3 contra la pared de concreto persiguiendo un batazo, el impacto repercuti\u00f3 en todo el estadio, sali\u00f3 en camilla. Gilberto Marcano abri\u00f3 por Magallanes, cuando Lippon decidi\u00f3 sacarlo se molest\u00f3 y bataque\u00f3 el guante contra el mont\u00edculo. Entre la alegr\u00eda del triunfo magallanero lament\u00e9 que Flanagan no hubiese lanzado.<\/p>\n
Para el cuarto juego de la semifinal hab\u00eda cierta sensaci\u00f3n de que Cardenales pod\u00eda sentenciar la serie. Sin embargo Flanagan se apareci\u00f3 con un soberbi\u00f3 trabajo completo donde apenas le conectaron 3 imparables y Magallanes gan\u00f3 5-1 para igualar la serie.<\/p>\n
Cuando mam\u00e1 regres\u00f3 yo silbaba \u201cLove will keep up together\u201d. Se acerc\u00f3 y levant\u00f3 la voz. \u201c\u00a1Hay que ver que eres cabeza dura! Te dije que llevaras esa mesa para la cocina y mira como la chispeaste toda de pintura\u201d.<\/p>\n
Garland y Demery volvieron a perder ante Cardenales en los juegos 5 y 6. Mientras nos balance\u00e1bamos en el mueble del porche le dije a mis hermanos: \u201cSi\u00a0 alguno de los dos hubiera ganado, estoy seguro de que Flanagan iba a llevar al Magallanes a la final\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alfonso L. Tusa C.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
English translation<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The comment of D\u00e1maso Blanco through the telephon wire made me go to confirm the news, Mike Flanagan, that pitcher who Ruben Mijares as the team\u2019s general manager brought along with Wayne Garland, Larry Demery, Kent Tekulve, Clarence Gaston, Larry Harlow, Willie Randolph and Rob Andrews among others to play for the Magallanes Navigators in the 1975-76 season of the Venezuelan winter league, had been found dead outside of his home in Monkton, Md., Wednesday afternoon (August, 23rd<\/sup> 2011)<\/p>\n The picture of Flanagan with the orange jersey of the Baltimore Orioles sent me to a January noon of 1976. Mom\u2019s voice sieved through the dynamics of the song \u201cLove will keep us together\u201d (Captain & Tennille), recalled me that I had to finish painting the garage. I replied that as the teacher\u2019s strike had come to an end, I had to dedicate my time to get ready for the beginning of my high school\u2019s third year. \u201cNo way! If you begin any project you have to finish it!\u201d<\/p>\n The sports pages of El Nacional and El Universal showed the start of the semifinal playoffs in the Venezuelan winter league. My eyes grabbed a headline that said something like: \u201cMike Flanagan versus Scott McGregor, a pitching duel of deliveries in slow motion\u201d.<\/p>\n I took the newspaper, the high school\u2019s third year schedule and a pliable table, and went to the garage. Mom made me took the table back to the kitchen. \u201cOne step at the time son. Please don\u2019t screw it up!\u201d<\/p>\n Before the game, my brothers commented that they didn\u2019t understand why Johnny Lippon had chosen Mike Flanagan uponGarlandand Demery. I didn\u2019t want to say anything. I had noticed that at the end of the season Flanagan had improved his performance from the mound. I told myself \u201cYou\u2019re going to see\u201d. That night, Flanagan\u2019s slow deliveries made dizzy the Cardinals\u2019 line up. He won 3-2. \u201cAnd now what are you going to say about Flanagan?\u201d I told Felipe and Jesus Mario while listening to the game\u2019s final comments. Their silence kept during the next two games of the semifinal playoff, becauseGarlandand Demery lost their starts.<\/p>\n That Magallanes team had gone to play at Cuman\u00e1 in December 1975. Among the emotion of going to see for the first time a professional baseball game from the stand of a stadium, I had the expectation of seeing Mike Flanagan starting or relieving in that game. That afternoon we played baseball until around four o\u2019clock. When we began to hear the cars\u2019 sirens and the fireworks in the sky, we took our gloves and ran to our homes to prepare for the game. The spaces rounding the stadium of Cuman\u00e1 were a sea of people pressing and pulling. I made all the way to the stands with my transistor radio in my raised hand.<\/p>\n The first Aragua Tigers player going out to the field was David Concepci\u00f3n. He was followed by Enos Cabell. In the second frame, the Tigers centerfielder, Dan Ford, clashed against the concrete wall chasing a line drive. The impact resounded in the whole stadium. Ford was taken from the field in a stretcher. Gilberto Marcano was the starting pitcher for Magallanes. When Lippon decided to take him out from the game, he got mad and threw his glove against the ground. Among the happiness for the Magallanes win I regretted that Flangan hadn\u2019t pitched in that game.<\/p>\n For the fourth game of the semifinal playoff there was a kind of sensation that the Lara Cardinals could put the series almost done. Anyway, Flanagan hurled a great game, he went all the way to beat the Cardinals 5-1. He only allowed 3 hits. The series was evened.<\/p>\n When Mom got back home I whistled \u201cLove will keep up together\u201d. She got closer and raised her voice. \u201cYou\u2019re really stubborn! I told you to take that table to the kitchen and look how many paint stains there are on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Garlandand Demery lost again before the Cardinals in games 5 and 6. While we kept moving on the porch\u2019s furniture I told my brothers: \u201cIf only one of them (Garlandor Demery) had won a game, I\u2019m sure that Flanagan was going to put Magallanes in the final series\u201d.<\/p>\n Alfonso L. Tusa C.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" El comentario de D\u00e1maso Blanco a trav\u00e9s del hilo telef\u00f3nico me llev\u00f3 a confirmar la informaci\u00f3n, Mike Flanagan, aquel pitcher que trajo Rub\u00e9n Mijares junto a Wayne Garland, Larry Demery, Kent Tekulve, Clarence Gaston, Larry Harlow, Willie Randolph y Rob Andrews entre otros en la temporada 1975-76, hab\u00eda sido encontrado sin vida fuera de su […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t