By Héctor López Neri
We all had the same objective 22 years ago and the paths brought us together at Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona.
The six of us were athletes: we played baseball in different leagues in Hermosillo and we decided to emigrate to the United States to pursue the dream of one day playing in the Major Leagues.
To start the path, we had to follow the rules of the American school: study and get grades above seven to be considered part of the Panthers representative team.
Each of us faced different situations that strengthened us, like when Rolando was deported for not having his papers in order and had to find a way to return to school.
Other situations were more relaxed, like when after one of the first practices I came with my teammates to ask them who the hell "Fellas" was, that player who always stood out and who in every practice the coach told: "good job Fellas" (good job guys). Since then I'm Fellas and the protagonist of one of the stories we tell every time we meet.
Under the pretense of baseball, the six of us from Sonora started in the state of Arizona a stage that defined much of what we are today and that each of us, in our own way, plays in the Major Leagues.
Two months ago, Pablo decided to concentrate in a WhatsApp group (which he named "The Mueltos") the six players from the 90s who coincided at Amphi. At that moment, it was a virtual reunion to stay in contact, to know where each of us was and what we were doing.
In the first messages we caught up and shared photos from our playing days and our families.
I knew roughly where each of us was; I had coincided two or three times with Rolando, who told me about the lives of his two compadres: Efraín and Maytorena, who live in Sonora.
I saw Pablo almost 10 years ago near Los Angeles, California, where he works as a veterinarian and has two children.
Rolando works at a communication company in Los Angeles, California, he is married and has four children.
Efraín lives in Guaymas, Sonora, with his wife and three children and works at a private company.
Maytorena has lived in different states of Mexico and returned to Hermosillo a few years ago, where he lives with his wife and two children.
The sixth player is named Erubiel, he played baseball in the Major Leagues for several teams and in 2001 won the World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Yankees.
He was in the WhatsApp group for a few days before being dropped for inactivity.
After several hundred messages, Pablo proposed to meet with our families for two or three days to spend time together.
The idea was soon seconded and in less than two weeks the venue for the I Summit of the ex-Panthers "Mueltos" was ready: San Carlos, Sonora.
It would be a weekend of fellowship in which someone else put on the table the possibility of playing a baseball game against a local team and reliving the best years when we had an enviable physical condition.
Each of us played a different position.
Efraín
He was a pitcher and one of the best prospects in the country at his position. At Amphitheater he threw a perfect game. His career ended when he dislocated his shoulder sliding headfirst into a base.
Maytorena
Also a pitcher, with a strong fastball and forkball that got him out of trouble against opposing batters. He even won a home run festival in Las Vegas.
Rolando
The lead-off hitter of the team thanks to his speed. He played center field and was selected for the Mexican national team.
Pablo
He didn't have the most talent for baseball, but he never gave up and found his place on the team staff.
Erubiel
He was the fourth batter of the team. His path to professional baseball was through the Mexican League and not through the student Draft.
Me
I finished my studies in Tucson and was selected for two all-star teams.
They offered me a partial scholarship to play at Pima Community College, but the aid percentage was insufficient to remain in the United States and I returned to Mexico in 1993.
The almost 20 kilometers between Guaymas and San Carlos automatically made Efraín and his family the hosts.
The plan was to play a seven-inning game.
We tried to get back into the activity some weeks before and find a rival that would offer competition without exhibiting too much our lack of playing.
The opposing team turned out to be a team of players between 20 and 25 years old.
My objectives were clear:
But the plan changed.
We weren't that "Mueltos" (Out of shape)
The game started with us on defense.
In no time we were losing 3-0 due to our own errors.
But little by little we gained confidence.
Pablo connected a perfect squib down the third base line and managed a hit that we celebrated as if it were a home run.
Maytorena pitched two innings without allowing a clean run and connected two hits.
Rolando and I played the entire game.
We entered the seventh inning losing by one run.
I received a walk and then Rollie connected a line drive between left and center.
I scored the tying run.
Rollie kept running and made it to home with the go-ahead run.
We finally won 7-5.
Nineteen years later we gathered again, the ex-Panthers.
The last time had been at Rolando's wedding.
The best memories of the reunion have to do with those baseball times and the way we overcame living in a country different from ours.
After some beers, the "what ifs" also appeared.
But something became clear:
Each of us is what we are thanks to that trip to Tucson.
And the biggest mistake we made was letting 19 years pass before gathering again.
"I like running and traveling; if I can do both things at the same time, it will surely be a great experience."
At age 17, I emigrated to the United States to study and play baseball. I did both things and after graduating, I decided to return to Mexico to continue my studies in Communication.
I continued playing baseball at a lower level (I went from training every day to a couple of times a week). I entered the university and there, sports were far from being a priority. Time was enough for me to maintain good grades, take care of the half scholarship I had, and train in baseball.
At the university, the level of baseball was low, very low, so I decided to join the track and field team to satisfy the desire to compete and excel. I participated for a couple of years in sprint events, 100 and 200 meters, on one occasion I sneaked into regional competitions in these events. However, my priority was school and baseball.
During that period, I enjoyed my best physical condition and it was reflected on the diamond, where I could easily get an extra base thanks to the speed I developed through track and field.
I graduated, started professional projects, and drifted away from sports for almost five years before returning to athletics, this time in a recreational way with easy jogs whenever work allowed, about three times a week. Even so, I signed up for several 10-kilometer races. A real challenge.
At the end of 2011, I dared to set myself a bigger challenge: to run a marathon in 2012. It would be in November and in New York. In those months of training, I was able to do what I like: running and traveling, or rather, looking for competitions in other cities, go and run.
In this space, I share what this new phase of sports has meant in my life, which, although not far from what I did in my student days, did involve adjustments worthy of being documented.