LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Felipe Alou walked through the winter meetings media room on Tuesday, clutching a thick booklet with his name emblazoned in it: ALOU. He was searching for Bruce Bochy, the man who replaced him as San Francisco Giants manager. A man – a writer – was with him.
Yep. Finally, Alou has written a book. “Alou: My Baseball Journey,” will be released in April, written with the assistance of Peter Kerasotis.
Alou, who will turn 83 on May 12, still has the arms of a stevedore. But as Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter embraced him warmly on Tuesday, Alou noted that his stooped upper body meant he no longer towered over Showalter. “Age … I was 6-2 once and now I’m 6-feet,” Alou chuckled softly. “That’s OK,” responded Showalter. “I’ve never been 6-feet.”
Now a special advisor with the Giants, Alou was waiting for Bochy to finish his media availability. It was Bochy who introduced Alou to Kerasotis, a friend of Bochy’s from Florida’s Space Coast. Both Alou and Kerasotis say the book is honest, and that some people won’t be spared when it comes to Alou’s reflections on his time with the Montreal Expos.
“You write a book, you have to be truthful,” said Alou, who played 17 years in the major leagues, managed for another 14 and whose career spanned the fitful days of Jim Crow right through to the game’s steroid scandal. The man was a teammate of Henry Aaron, counted Roberto Clemente as a friend and managed Barry Bonds. That’s a thread that goes deeper than 2,101 hits and 1,033 wins.
It’s a former Expos player who is very much in Alou’s thoughts these days, as Hall of Fame voting season concludes. Vladimir Guerrero, who played for Alou from 1996 until Alou was fired as Expos manager 53 games into the 2001 season, came within 15 votes last January of gaining admission and it would frankly be a shock if he doesn’t sail past the 75 per cent threshold needed for induction. Alou once said that one of his happiest achievements as manager was being the man who helped Guerrero step into the majors.
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“He’s one of my favourite people,” said Alou. “A lot of people didn’t believe in him: a guy who got hurt, threw to the wrong base … but he had all the tools, and it finally came together for him. He’s a Hall of Fame performer and a Hall of Fame man, and if there’s one person I’d like to be present for when he goes into Cooperstown, it’s him.”
Alou remains a revered figure in the game. Multiply that by 1,000 times, and you have the degree of reverence with which he’s held in his native Dominican Republic. Mention Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the generational Toronto Blue Jays prospect, and his eyes light up and face breaks into a knowing smile.
“Oh … oh,” Alou said, shaking his head. “He’s some kind of hitter and his arm … everything … he has everything his dad had. And he’s young. Really young. He’s going to be something and he should be a good kid, too. A super player. He was going to play (winter ball) in the Dominican league and I think they stopped him. That was too bad for the league.
“There’s Vladdy Jr., and Fernando Tatis’ son (Fernando Jr., a highly touted San Diego Padres prospect) and Eloy Jiminez (a Chicago White Sox prospect) and those three kids …”
Alou let his voice trail off. Did I mention that among several notable occurrences in his career, Alou was also a teammate of the first-ever Japanese MLBer, pitcher Masanori Murakami who was with the Giants from 1964-65?
Which leads us to Shohei Ohtani because – well, why not?
“I believe he’s going to only be a pitcher or only a hitter,” said Alou, speaking before Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported that Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels, has a UCL injury. “I just don’t see how a guy can throw 98 or 100 or whatever and DH the next day and slide and break up a double-play. That’s how I feel about it. Maybe if he goes 4-for-4 one night and then pitches the next day? I’m OK with that but not the other way around.
“I believe the reality of the way we play baseball here is going to catch up with him. This guy, the way he throws, I’d like to develop him because I don’t believe he’s completely there yet but he’s got the stuff and the size and the strength to be a helluva pitcher. I saw video of him the other day where he threw three great innings and then started to leave some stuff up. Hitting, I have not seen enough to evaluate him but pitching-wise, this guy could be something special.
“To do those two things? To do something that hasn’t been done since Babe Ruth? The way we play the game now … that’s a lot of pressure on the manager, a lot of travel for the player. All that stuff.”
