My Final Recap

When I first walked into Border Beat, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I've known all my life is sports. I write about sports on a daily basis, and I thought that I would have the hardest time putting a "border-ish" angle to a sports story. What I came to realize, though, is that the world of international athletics is endless.

Turn on ESPN or any other sports network. Watch a professional game. Watch a college game for that matter. The world of sports is as diverse as ever. There is not one sport out there that does not have an international athlete.

Hockey, baseball and basketball are filled with them. Football has a few. Golfers, race car drivers, bowlers, volleyball players, tennis players, track runners, etc. The possibilities are endless and the world is catching up.

Look at baseball, the so-called American pastime. Japan has beat the United States in both World Baseball Classics! Now there is talk of a true World Series between the winner of the Major League Baseball championship in the States and the winner of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan to determine who is truly the world's best.

You already have the World Cup, which will take place in South Africa this summer. It is the single most watched sports tournament in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games.

The Indianapolis 500, which takes place at the end of May, features a host of international drivers at the top of their game.

And of course, you have the summer and winter Olympics, showcasing the skills of nearly every country on earth.

It just goes to show you how diverse the world of sports indeed is. All of these athletes have a story to tell. I was privileged enough to tell them to you, and my goal for the future is to keep bringing the stories to the limelight.

Through it all, I have learned that Border Beat is a great experience for anyone who wants to experience an entirely different culture with journalism. It's a great way to get your name out there. But more importantly, it's a great way to bring attention to our friends from afar.

So long,

Mateo Lorenzo Alvarez

Jennifer Martinez Adjusts to Italy

Having known Jennifer Martinez from working with her for two years at Arizona Softball, I can honestly say that she is one of the funniest people I have ever met. I would think that someone as charismatic as herself would have no problem fitting in anywhere, much less another country. But when I interviewed her, she harped on the fact that she felt left out because SHE was the foreigner.

"It was and still is very uncomfortable to see people look at me and make judgments because I am American," she said.

She added that even in places where she and the natives share mutual interest, it would be awkward.

"Especially when it comes to athletics and at the gym, people assume that I am a celebrity because I am an American athlete."

The fact of the matter, though, is that she indeed IS an American sports celebrity. She has pitched on ESPN in an Arizona uniform, just like the beautiful Jennie Finch, and is a role model for young softball players all across the nation - many of whom she'll never meet.

Still, Martinez does not have a job but maintains a simple daily routine that consists of working out twice a day and participating in team practice in the afternoon.

"The practices are nowhere near as difficult as they were at U of A," she said. "Since this is a professional team, the players work on what they need to do rather than it being a full team practice."

Martinez has had to adjust emotionally as well, as she has seen a marked decrease in the skill level of her teammates in Italy from the level of NCAA play she had become accustomed to.

"Performance is crucial for winning in the states, but here, if a player makes an error, it's simply shrugged off.

"I think my personal goal from this experience would be really learning to focus on the things that I cannot control, like being frustrated when my team makes errors."

Jennifer will be there for a few more months to get a full season under her belt, but she'll come back to the U.S. on Aug. 10 and reunite with her family, friends and her boyfriend who will soon be playing baseball at the University of Utah.

Mexican Baseball Players

With the Major League Baseball firing up, it is important to note that Mexico has a strong influence on the league. According to league sources:

• 110 players that were born in Mexico have played or are currently playing in the league.
• One owner, Arte Moreno, a University of Arizona graduate and Tucson native, is of Mexican descent.

Arguably the most famous name from Mexico in baseball is Fernando Valenzuela, who pitched 11 seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the first pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award, given to the league's best pitcher, in the same season.

As of now, the most prominent Mexican player in the league is Alfredo Amezaga, who has played for five different teams. He is currently on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and holds a career batting average of .251, which isn't bad when you take into consideration that if you fail seven out of 10 times in baseball, you're considered extremely successful.

For more about Mexican baseball, click here.

Top 5 Mexican Sports Venues

Keeping in the spirit of our resource pages at borderbeat.net, I have compiled a list of the top five sports venues you absolutely have to see during your next visit to Mexico.

No. 5 - Estadio Olympico Universitario
American Football is actually played south of the border, which may come as a surprise to some. The most popular team is the Pumas Dorados from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, as they have won 22 national championships and play in the Estadio Olimpico Universitario - the host site for the 1968 Olympic Games.

No. 4 - Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey
Estadio Monterrey is the largest baseball stadium in Mexico and the third largest in Latin America. It is renowned in the United States for hosting a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets in 1996, but is the current home of the Sultanes Monterrey.

No. 3 - Plaza Monumental de Tijuana
This bullfighting ring is located just 60 meters from the U.S.-Mexico border, and holds over 21,000 crazed toro fans. Despite the sport's slipping popularity, the ring still sells out boxing matches and concerts, while at the same time living up to its strong bullfighting traditions.

No. 2 - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
This racetrack hosts a NASCAR Nationwide Series race every year that is broadcast on ESPN, which brought attention to the mainstream American sports market, and it more than satisfies the country's need for speed. It covers such a large area that the late Pope John Paul II gave a mass to 2 million people at the track in 1999.

No. 1 - Estadio Azteca
The fifth largest stadium in the world has played host to some incredible matches, including the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cup. In addition to Mexico Soccer's unblemished mark against the U.S. in the stadium, an NFL-record 103,467 watched the Cardinals play the 49ers in 2005.

UA Spanish Broadcaster Heads to Astros

Francisco Romero, who broadcasts football, basketball, baseball and softball to Tucson's Spanish market at UA, is headed to Houston for his third year of work with the Astros MLB organization.

Romero, a University of Arizona graduate, was hired by the Astros in March 2008 and will broadcast every game to the Latino market of Texas' biggest city.

I sat down with Romero before a UA softball game in March and discussed the radio business.

Pregame Routine
"I do lineups, get ready, got everything set up like the equipment. I already checked with the station, so they're going to call in a few minutes to make sure we're connected.

His Audience
"We have a mini-network through UA, so for the softball games it's just Tucson. When we do basketball and football, Nogales connects through us. It's 760 AM, Radio Xeny, it's very popular down there so they pick up the games."

"The other day we were having trouble with the basketball game, so they took us off the air," he said. "But people kept calling so much because they wanted the bad reception. Management didn't want to have it on the air like that, but the fanskept calling."

The Fans
"People are liking our softball games. We're measuring our audience through our weekly show, La Hora de los Gatos, and all of a sudden we started getting a lot of calls for all the sports. People really understand football, Mexican fans, I didn't know how well they really understood it. Football, baseball, softball, basketball, they call for all the sports so it's pretty neat."

"It's a good thing that IMG Sports (Arizona Athletics' head marketers) is doing this. It's not a small effort that they put in. It's five sports, plus the Wildcat Hour, so people...I worked in TV here for 11 years, and as I walk around town, they start talking about our broadcasts. They start asking about the Cats, so more and more you're hearing about our broadcasts."

Click here for some quick facts about Romero.

Pima Street Hockey League

You won't see us on ESPN. Our names don't show up in the box scores of the sports section of the Arizona Daily Star. Hell, some of us don't even know the last names of our own teammates. But every Saturday evening, we're in the same spot at the same time, ready to play hockey with some of the most avid (not necessarily skilled) athletes from around the world.

The Pima Street Hockey League was founded in the late 1990s, but I started playing as soon as I arrived on campus at The University of Arizona in 2006. I was able to meet so many amazing people through the "league" because we all shared a common interest: our love for the game.

What amazed me the most was the variety of people that play with us on a weekly basis. Of the over 60 players that I've met while playing in Tucson, only a handful of them are actually from Tucson, and about 20 of them are from other countries.

It is so culturally diverse that even the Daily Star took notice. Maros Servatka and Rado Vadovic, two of the best players out there, were born and raised in Slovakia, where they played ice hockey. Will Gorkoff, who's slapshot has given me a few bruises, hails from Ottawa, Canada. Naghmeh Saghafi, one of the female regulars, is from Tehran, Iran. There are many more that are not so regular, but come out every now and then. It just proves that the game of hockey is as international a sport as any.

I love the game of hockey. It's my escape from the rigors of school and work. The Pima Street Hockey League has helped me get through four rough years of being on my own. And, I've made some great friends through it. I have tasted beers from many countries and have been offered many different couches to sleep on when I decide to travel the world. Though the average age of the league is up in the 30s, we consider ourselves athletes, which is why I decided to give the group recognition.

So, it doesn't matter what your skill level is or what country you come from. Everyone's invited, every Saturday night at 7 p.m. Eric Ogden Skate Park, right next to Catalina High School, 3525 E. Pima Street. If you love hockey at a laid back pace, this game is definitely for you.

For more information on the Pima Street Hockey League, go to pimastreethockey.com.


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Renae Cuellar and Language Barriers

UA Soccer's Renae Cuellar talks about the language barriers she encountered while playing for the Mexican National Team.