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Last Updated: Mar 31st, 2007 - 18:09:20

THE LEGACY OF 21 THROUGH THE EYES OF A FORMER MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER
By Danny Torres
Mar 31, 2007, 17:51

Flushing, N.Y. - It's hard to imagine that it was only four months ago, a documentary that was produced in the South Bronx, premiered in Tribeca and this May will journey to Pennsylvania; the adopted home of the legendary ballplayer, Roberto Clemente. It was 35 years ago Clemente would die tragically in a plane crash while en route to assist in the relief efforts after a devastating earthquake hit Nicaragua. Although there have been a number of TV projects on Clemente, this film chronicles the impact Clemente had on the game of baseball and his unbelievable contributions on and off the field.

Creating this historic film was no easy task. Byron Hunter, the film's director and Latino Sports founder, Julio Pabón knew in order for this documentary to capture the true essence of who Clemente was, the production team turned to a supporting cast of talented individuals. They would travel countless hours, late-night evenings in the editing room and an inordinate amount of time behind the camera.

Associate producers, Julian Gerena-Quiñones and Julio Antonio Pabón were fully aware of their responsibilities and the time constraints in completing this film.

Another producer, George Alverio, a former minor league player, was responsible for the opening sequence of Clemente in the locker room and the visual graphics shown throughout the documentary. Alverio shared his thoughts with LATINOSPORTS about who was responsible for introducing the game of baseball in his life, his short-lived career, conducting a baseball clinic in Puerto Rico with another legendary player and his involvement in the documentary. This is the SECOND in a three-part series on 'The Legacy of 21' and its journey to Pennsylvania.

George Alverio with Buck O'Neil in 2006 in New Jersey. Credit: Danny LSV

Danny Torres: Talk about the early days and who introduced you to baseball?

George Alverio: Well, coming from a family that had a strong baseball background, the sport was like a second language in my household. I was always around baseball and being a single parent’s child, my uncle, Jose Vega introduces baseball by having me play in the stickball games in the neighborhood. I think I was the only kid in the game using a baseball glove. I was also a lot younger than the other players. (Laughter)

DT: You actually had the potential of playing baseball professionally...what happened?

GA: During that time, I was signed by the Giants as a pitcher when I played Double A in the Bronx at Crotona Park which had one of the strongest leagues in the city. I went to the minors and during that time, I suffered an injury to my arm or as they say “blew out my arm”. I received therapy and rehab but wasn’t the same after that. So they flew me to Puerto Rico hoping to rebuild my strength with the hope of coming back. Unfortunately, things didn't work out.

DT: Your career took a different turn when you moved to Puerto Rico, talk about your interest in conducting a baseball clinic for children and meeting with former major leaguer, Vic Pellot Power?

GA: Well, I was always in the park doing my exercises and workouts and I had my son, Christian who at the time was 5 years old. He was always with me and I use to practice his fielding and batting. His friends would join us and so I would teach them as well. These were kids that never played before but were interested in the game so I decided to have them come every Saturday for practice. Before I knew it, the word started to spread and in two weeks I had 75 kids coming to the practice. I decided to reach out to former players asking for their help with the clinic. I approached Victor Pellot, (a gold-glove winner who played 1B during the 50's-60's) and asked him if he could come over to give a clinic. Funny, he looked at me. (He looked down at me because he was taller and I'm 6' 4") He put his hands on my shoulders and said “Flaco, (skinny), I don’t take checks or IOU's!” Suddenly, I got nervous and he burst out in one of his trademark laughs. He was joking and said, “Of course, I’ll do it whenever?” He was terrific with the kids but then again he was a child himself. He was always smiling and joking with the children. He was very informative when it came to baseball and I’m sure his impact on the children would never be forgotten. Little did they know they were in the presence a baseball legend! That's the innocence of a child.

DT: You have two passions...Roberto Clemente and the Negro League, share with us these passions?

GA: Roberto Clemente was an icon to Latinos especially Puerto Ricans and during that time and if you were a Latino ballplayer he was their guiding light. He showed the world that this is who we were, not simply athletes but human beings. My passion for the Negro League was that they were the ones who came before Clemente and planted the seeds for Latinos in baseball. Sadly great players such as Buck O'Neil, Millito Navarro, Pancho Coimbre, Canena Marguez and Hiram Bithorn played but weren't recognized. When Clemente came on the scene, he made sure we were recognized and show the world that we are capable and equal. Funny, in some cases, they were better than those who were playing baseball professionally especially before the color barrier was broken in 1947.

DT: Currently, you work in Manhattan as a graphic designer, how you heard about the Clemente documentary, "The Legacy of 21" and how did you collaborate on this historic project?

GA: I was working on a script on Clemente’s life in the hopes of making it into a movie. I did my research and went to various events that involved Clemente. I met Julio Pabon and Bryon Hunter. Bryon, a filmmaker, has been involved in a number of projects. He was telling me about this project and we shared information. He asked me if I wanted to help him with the film so we compared notes and fed off each other. We collaborated on a number of points. I designed the poster for the documentary, contributed footage of Pittsburgh, worked on the opening scene of Clemente in a locker room and I'm currently the webmaster for the retire21.org site. I believe we put together an informative, engaging piece and hopefully this film will touch the lives in a way that will make you say to yourself what an unbelievable ballplayer this man was.

DT: Thanks, George and the best of luck.