SPORTS WATCH : Adios, Fernando

The pudgy kid from a village in Mexico, who at the age of 20 became a role model for the American work ethic, provided the consummate story line for Dodgers announcer Vin Scully. Fernando Valenzuela’s eyes rolled heavenward before he delivered a pitch, and he ignited wild enthusiasm in Southern California. In the early 1980s, when his pitching dates became a hot ticket across the country, Fernandomania entered our vocabulary.

Fernando, released by the Dodgers on Thursday, will be remembered as a symbol of a decade in the storied history of the franchise. He was one of those defining sports figures, in the same way other legends of the game are associated with a particular team or era. His dismissal itself was indicative of the times, because of what it suggests about the severe economic pressures on today’s game of baseball.

Time is never kind to great athletes; their effectiveness may unravel slowly and painfully over a period of seasons. But in earlier times, a place on the roster might have been found for a workhorse pitcher who’s only 30 years old.

Sadly, even the powerful emotional value of having Fernando in a Dodgers uniform was overwhelmed in the crush of economics. Big money is routine, but paying a $2.55-million salary to a struggling star is considered too much of a gamble. Some other team may pick Fernando up, but it’ll never be the same.

The irony is that Fernando had made us forget such worldly concerns for 2,348 2/3 innings. He gave us joy, the greatest of baseball’s gifts.

Adios to a special Dodger.