Episode 0

The hosts of the Moneyball Chronicles Podcast, Heber and Juan, discuss their personal connections to baseball. Juan shares his childhood memories of attending a baseball game in Venezuela and playing the sport with friends. He also mentions the competitive Venezuelan Winter League and the influence it had on Major League Baseball players. Heber talks about his passion for baseball, playing catch with his neighbors, and his love for the Leones del Caracas team. Both hosts express their excitement for sharing their love for the game and their different perspectives on the show. This is the Moneyball Chronicles Podcast, where baseball history and finances collide. Hey baseball fans, welcome to the very first episode of the Moneyball Chronicles Podcast. My name is Heber, and with me is my co-host, the man, the myth, the legend, my dear partner in crime, Juan. Hey, thanks Heber, the pleasure is all mine, and hello listeners. We're beyond excited to kick off this journey into the heart of baseball, exploring its rich history and the dollars and cents that make it tick. Thank you for that, Juan. Hey, before moving forward, what do you think if we give some feedback and some background to our listeners about why we decided to go with this crazy idea at the beginning? It could be like, what are we going to do here? So, what about this? You gave us some insights on that. What's your story with the baseball? Of course, I would be more than happy to share with our listeners and friends how my connection with baseball started. I am from Caracas, Venezuela, and I remember my uncle invited me and my cousin to a baseball game at the Estadio Universitario in Caracas for a capital clash, Leones de Caracas and Ciborones de la Guaira. Both teams shared a stadium, and both teams had a plethora of big leaguers by then. We're talking about the 80s, 85, 86. So, on the side from Caracas, we had Tony Armas, the big slugger, and Bo Diaz. Andres Galarraga was starting as a rookie. And on the side from La Guaira, you had Ozzy Guillen and Luis Salazar, among many others. Not to mention that the Venezuelan Winter League was a very competitive league by then. Actually, some of the Major League Baseball's top prospects from several teams used to play for development and get more familiar with crowded stadiums in order to manage the stress while playing in the big leagues. Some of the names were Pete Rose, Dave Parker, Greg Maddux, Barry Bones, Darryl Strawberry, among many, many others. I don't know, remember, if you have a couple of names that you want to add? Well, to be honest, at that time it was too young, to be honest, but I know that it was kind of a golden era for the Venezuelan baseball. I'm sure all of these massive lists of names that you just mentioned are very impressive. That's right. So, returning to my first live game with my uncle and my cousin, I remember actually like it was yesterday, when I had access to the stadium. It was a Saturday around 6 p.m., full house, a 12-year-old kid amazed by the vertigo and energy that you could breathe and smell in the air. The stadium was divided in half, practically, literally, talking about fanatics. So, La Guaira supporters, which we have to be honest, they are the best fan base in baseball in Venezuela. They were the visitors that day, and they always, they bring La Zamba, which is the rhythm that they used to play. So, it was drums, music from seashells, horns, or trumpets. Wait, wait, wait, hold on. But La Zamba, isn't it from Brazil? Where is that? Yes, but well, for some reason, La Guaira is a town that is also close to the sea. I think there is a mix with the rhythms and the drums and the music from the seashells. So, they brought it and inherited it as for them, and they make it unique, you know, as their war songs. I see. And along with the cheerful songs. So, and the Leones del Caracas, who were the home club team that day, in order to try to compensate the visitors' music and loud storm, they internally had a lion roar as their shout of motivation. And that roar, you know, every time that sounded, shook the whole stadium bases. So, it was, imagine ever, and baseball people, a party of 25,000 people having such a great time, and just the best of this is that the game even hadn't started yet. The players were just warming up. So, on every pitch, every play, every run, no matter from which team, it was a true celebration. It was literally, I was literally hypnotized, and I can imagine my face was reflecting such a level of happiness that my uncle asked us, himself, to return the next day to enjoy another game. And, of course, by now, with all this description, you all guess what was the answer. So, Huber and Fox, from that particular moment, I knew I found in baseball one of my best partners, inspiration, and guide in my life. After that day, I remembered to play pelotica de goma in the neighborhood with six, eight friends. Pelotica de goma is like the rubber ball baseball, where you hit the ball with the bare hand, and the other game, very, very common, it was pared. Did you play pared, Ever? Of course, of course. Every single morning, just before starting school, that was part of my routine. My daily routine actually started with that game, playing the game of the world, for sure. If it was not at home, definitely also at school. That's for sure. For our baseball friends. So, in pared, you have to show your defensive skills. So, if you miss the catch, you are eliminated, just until one, only one remains in victims. Or, you know, if we didn't have the budget for pelotica de goma, we have to be creative. And our mothers probably were not that happy that we started, you know, making balls with paper and scotch tape, and using the broomstick as a bat. I remember that as it was yesterday, in fact. I could spend the whole weekend playing baseball. You know, we started in the morning, around 9.30, 10 in the morning, and it could be 6.30, 7 p.m., and we barely asked for water, you know. It was our nutrition, it was baseball. And, yeah, they really were great times. So, if the 80s were spectacular overall, if we speak about baseball, it was a blast. You may ask if I did pursue the baseball career. Probably as a criollito, you know, with the little leaguers. Well, folks, to be honest, I knocked a couple of doors, but, well, both doors were slammed right in my face. But my body baseball knew I would keep watching, you know, and walking along him, you know, every single game I could. However, my son inherited my love for baseball, or probably I may say that I, you know, I was influential on him for baseball. So he started swinging and hitting the ball at the age of three, also with a broomstick and plastic baseball, those that you find inside piñatas. But then, you know, also with black beans or corns or anything that could be eatable. He actually plays baseball every summer here in Montreal. And let me tell the audience something, and I am a witness. Juan Ignacio is a very good hitter and a very good defensive player, by the way. I have tried with him during the weekends in the summer, and he's a fantastic, enthusiastic player. Very good. I think he has a bright future, by the way. Thank you. Thank you very much, brother. And how are you? Tell us a little bit about your story with baseball. Well, first of all, before going forward, thanks a lot for sharing that, Juan. It's a very nice storytelling that you have, and definitely this is something that I'm pretty sure all the audience, all the listeners will enjoy with this show that we're trying to bring. And we're going to talk about that, the frequency and everything. But for now, what I could tell, definitely for me, baseball, I would say it's more than just a sport. It's a passion. I think it's inside myself since I was a child. I would say that started with playing catch with my neighbors, my cousins in my neighborhood, right? So, playing in the garage, and I remember we could spend hours, as you said, from early in the morning until just the end of the day. So, actually, we never had enough time to stop playing. And I would say that it was almost impossible to see the ball when it was very dark, but still, we kept playing. I remember rocking a few windows, you know, having some discussions and, you know, a few fights with some neighbors. But, you know, never it meant a barrier for us to keep playing. I would say that baseball, indeed, has been in my blood since I was a kid. I grew up watching games, as you just did as well. I'm from Venezuela, Caracas, so my whole family, it's a family that's been very close to baseball, specifically to, what I could say, the great and eternal champions, Los Leones del Caracas. As you may know, I'm a die-hard fan. And those moments definitely, you know, were there since I was a child, because I cherished that part of my life, right? And I also remember my very first time going to the Universidad as well. That time was with my mom. And I was, like, maybe six or seven years old at the time. And I still have that fresh memory, like yesterday. As a matter of fact, I was very lucky, because my mom, she was a journalist. She's retired now. And one of her colleagues was covering a game. And you know what? It's a coincidence, because my very first game was Tiburón de la Guaira against Los Leones del Caracas. Figure out. Yeah. And so what happened is that this colleague of my mom, actually, he allowed us to enter to the field. And literally, to feel that dread and fear at the field was something amazing. I can still remember that like it was yesterday, for sure. Besides that, well, I had the chance to play the Little Leagues in Venezuela. As you mentioned, in Venezuela it's called the Criollitos. I used to collect baseball cards, you know, every single morning. I used to read the box scores and study the stats for the Winter League in Venezuela, then for the Mayo Leagues as well. And, you know, having the discussions with my friends and uncles. The whole deal, I would say. So those memories shaped my love for the game. And now we get to share that love with our listeners. Absolutely, Eber. And what's unique about our dynamic is that while we share the love for the game, our perspectives are shaped by different experiences. It's true, definitely, Juan. And I think that it's going to be that element that will differentiate this value proposition that we're bringing with this show. And I know, as you just said, with that massive description that you just read about your experience with baseball, you will bring that storytelling, the history, the narrative that actually makes baseball more than just numbers. And you are the one who can transmit that feeling that only this great game can create, definitely. I'm sure of that. I, on the other hand, I would say from a very formal perspective, I'm going to be the stats guy. I love reading numbers. Studying the stats, how the markets go, and the one who actually will try to break down the business numbers of this magnificent game. And that's what makes the Moneyball Chronicles special, because it's a perfect blend of statistics and stories. Indeed, I agree on that. But now I think, Juan, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty. Tell me, why did we decide to create this podcast? Well, Javier and baseball people, it all boils down to our fascination with the intersection of baseball history and finance. We actually want to uncover the untold stories, the behind-the-scenes moments that shape the game we all love. Exactly. And I would say we're not just here to talk about home runs and strikes out, you know. We're here to dig into the business side of baseball, the decisions that impact teams, players, and the entire industry. It's not only the numbers that we'll see. We're going to try to dig a little deeper and share all that information, all these details that we're going to find with you guys, with you listeners that actually will let us know what is going to be the path that this show is going to take. And listeners, get ready for some fantastic anecdotes, like the time Babe Ruth called his shot during the 1932 World Series. This is not just a story, it's a piece of baseball folklore. Oh, and tell me, what about the legendary 2002 Oakland Athletics created by Billy Bing, eh? The Moneyball team that transformed the game by redefining how teams deal with players. These stories are the favorite of baseball, you know, and we're here to unveil them. So, what can our listeners expect from the Moneyball Chronicles? Well, Juan, we're going to engage in conversations, interviews with baseball experts, and a deep dive into topics that go beyond the box score. We're here to make the complex world of baseball finance accessible and fun. I think it's going to be the key element, having fun. And if you're a diehard fan or just getting into the game, there's something for everyone. We're building a community that shares our love for the sport and its incredible history. That's a wrap of our introductory episode, folks. And we hope you are as excited as we are to embark on this journey with the Moneyball Chronicles podcast. So, hit that subscribe button, join us on social media, the Moneyball Chronicles podcast in Instagram, and in Twitter, or XNOW, it's The Moneyball Chron. And get ready for a home run of a podcast. Thank you so much for your attention, and see you on the next episode. So long. The Moneyball Chronicles podcast is produced by The Moneyball Chronicles Foundation, LLC.