Museum Does Latino Heroes Proud

Shuffling through each exhibit, Mario Zuniga’s eyes grew wider in wonderment and his voice rose higher with excitement as he beckoned across the room to his teenage son, Enmanuel.

Mario, 41, had taken Enmanuel, 14, to the San Francisco Main Public Library in the Civic Center for the first exhibition of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum, a traveling show paying homage to the rich history carved by Latinos.

When Mario, a Nicaragua native who moved his family to the Bay Area 10 years ago, came across one of two glass cases dedicated to the late Roberto Clemente, his demeanor changed.

“Mijito, mira,” Mario somberly called to Enmanuel, motioning for him to read the display explaining how the Puerto Rican-born Clemente died in a plane crash while flying relief supplies to an earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve of 1973.

“My son, look. This is what happened to him and I remember very clearly when I heard the news that Roberto Clemente died. This brings it all back.”

Having spent his formative years in the United States, and as a stereotypical teen, Enmanuel did not seem moved.

“It’s really important to me that he understands and also that he feels proud of these accomplishments,” Mario said of Enmanuel.

“Hopefully, little by little, he’ll build some kind of passion for our Latino heroes.”

That’s what Tito Avila had in mind when he founded the traveling museum two years ago and oversaw its first viewing with a gala opening reception on Jan. 26.

“Our youth is lost, it’s lost,” said Avila, also the museum’s president and CEO.

The library’s Skylight Gallery serves as the temporary home for the exhibit, which currently consists of more than 100 mementos in 15 glass cases and two wall displays containing photo collages.

One case is dedicated to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and contains a Giant jersey autographed by the Baby Bull, who entered Cooperstown in 1999.

To the left is the poster from La Primera Serie, the first major league series played in Mexico, between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, Aug. 16-18, 1996 in Monterrey, Mexico.

A display dedicated to Dominicans contains a black Rawlings bat autographed by Oakland Athletic shortstop Miguel Tejada as well as hats from Dominican winter league teams Escogido, Licey and Azucareros.

The case with Cuban paraphernalia pays tribute to Tony Perez, the Cincinnati Red first baseman enshrined in the Hall of Fame last summer. Caps from a 1927-48 women’s baseball league in Cuba--Cuba Las Cubanas--share space with a rare photo of Fidel Castro pitching in an exhibition for Los Barbudos (The Bearded Ones) on July 24, 1959. Trading cards from the 1994 Cuban national team, including one of New York Yankee pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, pre-defection, are here as well.

A testimonial to Rod Carew, who’s from Panama, shares space with media guide bios of Spanish-radio announcers for California’s big league teams, including the Dodgers’ Jaime Jarrin and the Angels’ Jose Tolentino.

A photo of Reggie Jackson in the Puerto Rico display seems out of place, until Avila reminds you that Reginald Martinez Jackson has Puerto Rican blood running through his veins.

But the Clemente exhibits evoke the most emotion. The corner display features a replica 1962 Pittsburgh Pirate Clemente jersey with team photos of his 1960 and 1971 Pirate World Series championship teams. At the center of the display is a Louisville Slugger bat recently made by the Hillerich & Bradsby Co. to emulate the model used by Clemente.

“We’ve had people kneeling here in front of this guy, believe it or not,” Avila said. “We were shocked. There is some spiritual connection between people and Clemente to this very day.”

Avila said Cepeda was just as moved when approached with the idea of the museum.

“He shed a couple of tears and said, ‘Man, Clemente’s gone, my buddy.’ ”

Cepeda is a board member of the museum. There are drawings for a $15-$20 million, 55,000-square foot, two-story building to house the museum that would be built in the shape of home plate.

Avila hopes to open the building in San Francisco within three years on the strength of donations and a burgeoning membership base.

Why San Francisco?

“This is where the history is,” Avila said.

Few realize it, but the Giants were the first team to really tap into the Latin pipeline.

San Francisco had four Latin-born starters--pitcher Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic), first baseman Cepeda (Puerto Rico), shortstop Jose Pagan (Puerto Rico) and left fielder Felipe Alou (Dominican Republic)--in its opening-day lineup in 1962, the year the Giants won 103 games and the National League pennant.

Library curator Kim Bach said the exhibit has drawn great interest from San Francisco’s Latino community, primarily from the nearby Mission district.

Within days of its opening, Bach received a call from a woman who wanted to donate her late father’s memorabilia from his playing career in Mexico.

“She said that he was a minor leaguer who had to play there because he was too black,” Bach said, referring to the discrimination practiced before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line in 1947.

That is the type of story Avila envisions the museum telling as it remains in the library through March 25.

It will go on the road for a two-day show March 30-31 at Sacramento’s Raley Field, home of the River Cats, the Athletics’ triple-A affiliate, when the A’s and Padres are in the state capital for a series of exhibitions. Plus, Hall of Fame pitcher Marichal will donate an autographed jersey after he throws out a ceremonial first pitch at San Francisco’s Pac Bell Park early in the season.

Avila said he hopes to bring the exhibit to the Southland this summer and has already had informal talks with the Dodgers and Padres.

“It’s about educating people and paying respect to show that we care,” said Avila, a retired Air Force reserve officer. “They made it happen. These are the people that made the game the way it is today.”