verdugo288

Henry Fernandez says:

This shit made me finally decide to document what a TRUE FUCKIN’ LEADER “VIC” was…Now, Gee has already documented how Ramirez vowed all week long leading up to Woodland Hills East, that he “had to study for finals”, yet showed up in the 3rd inning or so and laced up his cleets….made a Willie Mays-esque catch….played Center-Left-Right for 3 Innings and never let up……But THIS day was an ugly day where even Hank lost his way…..You see, we were at soft ass Crespi that day…In yet another, miserably HOT, UNFORGIVING, summer of a day! I’m gonna lean on Gee and Nance…for the stats and key moments of that game, because quite frankly….Hank wasn’t completely focused…You see, this was at a time when the dreaded “Video Camera” was alive and well in the 1990 Verdugo Dug Out!!! I don’t know how it made it’s way in…other than to say that “someone” thought it would be great to document the dominance and sheer disregard for human life (not really, but you know what I’m talkin’ bout) that those 13 or so ball players had for thee “other side”…. I will be the first to admit that I suffered thee most embarrassing moments during these DARK AGES of self-absorbtion and skylarking…..I mean, anyone who was ever there for the time when i Hung my brother WEAPON out to dry between 3rd and Home cuz I missed the Squeeze (vocal sign – “Perzie”) due to the fact that I was mugging for the camera behind home plate….knows how Hank was a glutton for the limelight…Anyways, Here we are at Valley college Field, facing the likes of Crespi and……..Shit I can’t remember that fuckers name now!!! (But he pitched for St. Louis)…And I’m not about to go digging the internet for it…someone will remember if I don’t…Anyways, I’m interested in finding out if I started that game or came CHARGING out of the pen…. Bottom line is…I know I didn’t fare well that day….and I balked with the weirdest balk ever for me!!! I was so pissed off about a call, that I stood on the mound like “Kelly” from the bad news bears..(only I never rode a motorcycle)…..FOOT ON THE RUBBER….and started slapping the ball from my pitching hand…into my glove like I was pissed….The ump pulls his mask and yells….”Hey!!! You can’t do that!!!!” ….then calls “Balk!!!!!!” The fucking other side goes WILD!!!! I’ve pretty much NEVER been that embarrassed since I hit into a 1-2-3 Double Play in Tournament Play against North Hills in the last inning…..when Zarrillo had no choice but to let Hank hit!!! (Of course that was before Gee instilled the Ol’ hit and run….contact rule with Hank)…. FUCK!!! I cried the whole fuckin’ way back to CV from Glendora!!!!!….By the way…guess who came to my seat and slapped my back sayin’ “not to worry about it man”…..THE WEAPON!!! My brain is kicking in memories that are so crystal clear!!! But this is about VIC….So long story short….I was yanked…..I’m in the dug out…clowning around with a video camera while we’re losing….I think we were struggling at the plat that day….there I am…for some unknown reason CLOWNING AROUND in the dugout…fucking around with the camera…while we’re supposed to be winning a game!?!?!?!?!….when all of the sudden…..VIC comes up to me…his eyes piercing and his veins showing…punches me in the chest and says…”Quit fuckin’ around”…..It was so damned quick and serious….that I was almost frozen…wait…I WAS FROZEN!!!! There was only two ball players that I really looked up to at that point in time….and that is not to say that I wasn’t surrounded by HARD-NOSED, ANYTHING-TO-WIN, TRUE BALL PLAYERS….But these two guys did it On and Off The Field…Those two were WEAPON and VIC….Of course NOW we’re all there…but I’m talkin’ Mindset ’90….Vic hit me!!!! My Mentor…the guy that took me under his wing at CV……kept me straight….watched me flail and fall…break my ribs playing football with his ass, when I was supposed to go Varsity as a Freshman…dealt with me and my High School love shatterments!! I mean….How could he sock me like that!?!?!?!?! He ran back out to the field…..and I was in the dugout pissed off like a motherfucker!!! I had so many things going through my mind!!!! 30% of them were “FUCK VIC!!!!” but that quickly got squashed when I remembered how badly he tortured me and WEAPON for trying to water balloon him and Robby Ring at Rosemont during a dirty summer day and got caught…That’s when we learned how FAST that bastard was!!!! He was in 8th and we were SCRUBS!!!! Wep and I chucked those fuckin’ water balloons so far we got that sucka…but HE caught up to us…and his buddies came huffin’ and puffin’ after the fact….SIDENOTE: Once they embarrassed us nice and good (Guantanamo Style) His buddy went to take a piss…and VIC….Let us go!!!!!!!! He said….”I’d go now if I were you”……and me and WEAPON got the fuck out of dodge!!!!!!! LOL….anyways….that day when he hit me….it felt like a Tyson shot, though it probably wasn’t….the bottom line was…I lost focus….and my bro and leader of Verdugo ’90 was there to knock some sense into me….we didnt’ win that day……and I can wear a good portion of that loss…..but I never spoke or wrote about it, cuz it was, quite honestly, too embarrassing to admit…I don’t think I ever took a game lightly, but rather, was embarrassed by my outing and showed it in my OWN DUGOUT!!! Thank you VIC for reminding me that it wasn’t about ME that day……I hold you in the highest regard as a person and a leader…This guy even showed up at my College Senior Film Fundraiser out of NOWHERE!!!!!…Probably one of my biggest days…since Legion…no questions asked….from Santa Barbara to East L.A……..and then went back to his life…asking nothing in return………………..”VIC”……………….ANCHOR of VERDUGO 1990………….I love ya brother!!! Glad to hear we’re gonna have you there!!!!…………….OH AND BY THE WAY……….THAT WAS THE LAST DAY I EVER SAW A VIDEO CAMERA IN THE VERDUGO DUGOUT OR THE VERDUGO STANDS!!!!!…..next up….. ……………………….. W………….E………………………….A………………………P……………….O……………………………………….N……………….