Playball! On Saturday the 13th of April 2013, the XXI Senior AA Baseball Tournament “Copa Central Romana” was played in honor of Roberto A. Weill, president of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (SFBL) and well-known Casa de Campo villa owner.
The tournament was played at the modern Anjujar Cedeño stadium, located in the municipality of Villa Hermosa in La Romana and included the participation of 16 teams from both La Romana and San Pedro de Macoris. Cuban-born engineer Roberto A. Weill, who has been in the Dominican Republic for over 30 years, was honored in thanks to his hard work and commitment on behalf of the Latino Baseball. The event was attended by various local La Romana and Casa de Campo personalities, who were all very happy to see Don Roberto honored in this way.
In his enthusiastic acceptance speech Weill thanked the La Romana Baseball Association (ABERO) for the honor, as well as the event organizers and the people of La Romana for the love they have shown to him over the years.
This annual tournament is made possible thanks to the support of the Central Romana Corporation, which employs more than 25,000 people in the greater La Romana area. The corporation who donated the land where the future Historical Museum for the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and the “Latino Baseball Town” will be constructed is a great supporter of the sport. Local La Romana team “Los Toros del Este” is also supported by Central Romana and Alfy Fanjul, President and CEO of the Central Romana Corporation is the Honorary Chairman of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
As President of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto Weill worked closely with Silgon Inc., Marketing, Web Development & Publishing Services to create the first edition of INMORTALES, the official magazine of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame. The new magazine was launched during the 4th Inductions into the Latino Baseball Hall of Famecelebrated in Casa de Campo in February of the year, and was received by Roberto with much enthusiasm who upon receiving his copy announced “Un verdadero honrón. Felicidades a ti y a tu equipo de Silgon. Rebecca [(Hughes), Editora de INMORTALES], será inmortalizada”!
Then enjoy the events of the Hall of Fame Baseball Latino held in February 2013:
To begin the celebrations Roberto Weill, founder and president of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed his special guests with a cocktail held at the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame Fan Cave in the Marina Casa de Campo on Thursday evening the 7th of February.
Whilst many of the special guests and luminaries of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame were yet to arrive; Teddy Higuera, Rennie Stennet, Antonio Armas, Tony “Cabeza” Fernández, Octavio Rojas and Victor Davalillo – all members of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2013, were in attendance and on top form – enjoying their first evening in Casa de Campo meeting and greeting old friends, as well as posing for photos, and signing autographs in the other star of the evening – the new INMORTALES magazine, the official publication of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
Following the welcome cocktail a dinner was hosted on Minitas Beach – in honor of Roberto Clemente, winner of 12 Golden Glove Awards, the first Latino to reach 3,000 hits and a great humanitarian, who tragically died on route to Nicaragua to bring aid supplies following an earthquake in 1972.
As well as the many luminaries of the class of 2013, also in attendance was Bernie Williams and Felipe Alou Latino Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2012, Rafael Avila, founder of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame, Sharon Robinson, daughter of the great Jackie Robinson and Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, as well as Luis Clemente, son of Roberto Clemente.
Desfile de los Inmortales and the Paseo de los Inmortales
On Friday afternoon the 8th of February, the luminaries of both the class of 2012 and 2013 were paraded into La Romana on a procession of open vehicles – allowing them to wave to their fans along the way. The first stop in La Romana was the site of the future Latino Baseball Hall of Fame Museum and Latino Baseball Town, following which the Latin Legends attended the immortalization ceremony, where the luminaries of the class of 2012; Bernie Williams, Tony Peña, Tony Oliva, Bengamín Oglivie, Luis Trite Arroyo and Manny Trillo, amongst others, unveiled their statues crafted by El Artistico; Jose Ignacio Morales.
The Casa de Campo Hotel management invited their special baseball guests and players of the INMORTALES golf tournament to a sunset cocktail hosted in their honor at the Casa de Campo Hotel pool.
Every year Honorary Chairman and co-founder of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame, Alfy fanjul hosts a dinner at his Casa de Campo retreat, Casa Grande, an elegant occasion, which was this year hosted by Pepe Fanjul Jr. with his wife Lourdes. This gathering was not only attended by the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2012 and 2013, as well as the various members of the committee and Casa de Campo special guests, but also by Jenny Steinbrenner, daughter of the late George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees for 37 years.
Played on the Teeth of the Dog, the INMORTALES golf tournament was a great opportunity for the Casa de Campo golfing community to golf alongside their baseball heros – with every foursome including at least one former baseball player. Following the tournament the players enjoyed a prize-giving ceremony and lunch.
The show at the Altos de Chavón amphitheater began at 8pm on Saturday the 9th of February and was an endless celebration of the achievements of some of the greatest Latino Baseball Players of all time. In addition to the class of 2013, Miguel Cabrera, Roberto Weill, Jackie Robinson, Jeff Idelson, Roberto Clemente, Epy Guerrero, Horacio Martínez and many more were honoured with awards and recognitions.
Salon de la Fama del Beisbol Latino – Class of 2013
Contemporaries 2013
• Miguel Cuellar from Cuba (posthumous)
• Octavio Rojas from Cuba
• Teodoro Higueras from México
• Rennie Stennett from Panamá
• Juan Igor González from Puerto Rico
• Tony Fernández from the Dominican Republic
• Mateo Rojas Alou from the Dominican Republic (posthumous)
• Antonio Armas from Venezuela
Veterans 2013
• Santos Amaro from Cuba
• Victor Davalillo from Venezuela
• Victor Pellot Power from Puerto Rico
• Felipe Clipper Montemayor from México
• Julián Javier from the Dominican Republic
• Humberto Robinson from Panamá
Founder’s Dinner
Following the Grand Induction Ceremony, the gathered luminaries and baseball players, as well as special Casa de Campo guests, were invited to Roberto Weill’s Casa de Campo villa for a celebratory dinner – the last event in the schedule of activities surrounding the 4th Inductions into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
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