From Puerto Rico to the World Series

An Indians-Cubs World Series is more than a meeting of two franchises in the midst of long title droughts -- it's also the first meeting in the Fall Classic of three ballplayers born in Puerto Rico, the Cubs' Javier Baez and the Indians' Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez. Lindor and Baez are two of the brightest young players in the game -- Lindor was an All Star this year, and Baez has been the postseason's breakout star -- and both credit Perez as a role model (at 27, he's the elder statesman; Baez is 23 and Lindor is 22). All three players talked about what it means to represent Puerto Rico in the World Series and how they've enjoyed watching the others play.

Baez: "It's very exciting and great for our Puerto Rico (for us to be seeing success). The growth in certain sports has really diminished in Puerto Rico, especially baseball and basketball, and we want to inspire more young people to continue moving forward and to fight for their dreams. What better example than what Lindor and I have done to get here -- and please don't leave Bebo (Perez)?out, because he is also making Puerto Rico proud."

Lindor: "For the people in Puerto Rico, they're very excited. They're excited, and they should be. We're doing it for them, so they should be excited. I hope they are, because every time we do something, we're thinking about it. We're thinking about our plan for the World Baseball Classic, and it's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it."

Lindor: "With all the things that have happened to Javy Baez the last year and a half, this is super exciting. I'm so happy for him, for his family. Javy texted me the next morning, after he got the MVP (in the National League Championship Series), and said, ' Mi amor, is this a dream?' And I texted him back saying 'I think so, and I haven't woken up yet.' It is a dream come true for my family and for his family. He is a wonderful person, and I was so happy when he won the MVP."

Perez: "They deserve all the attention they get because of their talent and the potential they have to be super stars. I am just really happy for both of them, for their much deserved success.?I don't care about being recognized or talked about. That doesn't faze me. It motivates me to quietly just keep working harder."

Lindor: "We both love to have fun; we both play hard and do whatever it takes to win. We also do things rooted in pride. The pride we have in our families and in our homeland. I think the main difference between us is that Javier looks a lot more intimidating, he commands more attention, and I think that he is an incredible hitter. I have to learn to hit like him. He is incredible -- but please don't tell him I said that."

Baez: "Lindor and I played against each other in high school, and in the little kid version of the World Series, and now we are getting the chance to play against each other here. It's so big for us and for the island. There are no words to describe it."

Perez: "Lindor and Jose Ramirez are the spark plugs of our team. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be in the position we are in today."

Lindor: "Perez has been so good calling games for us this season. He really knows his pitchers. He has been a calming presence behind the plate. He has been great controlling the running game. He keeps our pitching staff calm and focused. That's his personality -- he doesn't get too up or too down."

Baez: "This is something we have been waiting for for a long time; we are very proud to be a part of it. We have been dedicated to growing the sport and finally we are reaping the benefits of all that hard work. It's not surprising because Puerto Rico is an island that has given baseball a lot of great players, and we did go down for a while, but we are coming back."

Lindor: "We hope the young people in Puerto Rico understand that Javy and I grew up with very few things, but we had the support of our parents, the support of our family and the desire and hunger to excel. I hope they understand that one can achieve anything, no matter your background. We want to inspire all kids, not only from Puerto Rico, but from all of Latin America. All you need is support and the commitment and desire to be better every single day. I'm living proof that dreams can come true. Everything I do, I do for my family, for the city of Cleveland and for Puerto Rico."
By MARLY RIVERA 
From Puerto Rico to the World Series

W. Tennis to begin Puerto Rico Challenge

The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team is capping the fall season in sunny Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico College Challenge.

The three-day tournament features a round robin format of singles and doubles matches against some of the highest ranked players in the country with the Commodores being joined by Georgia, Virginia and Old Dominion. Coming off a successful regional where the ‘Dores made appearances in the Ohio Valley singles and doubles finals, Vanderbilt looks to bring its success south.

“It was a long travel day yesterday, but we were excited to wake up in beautiful Palmas Del Mar this morning,” said senior Sydney Campbell. “We got a great hit in this morning and spent the afternoon exploring the beach and swimming. We are excited to compete hard in our matches tomorrow and hopefully sightsee and learn about the Puerto Rican culture each afternoon.”

Campbell leads VU in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings checking in at No. 12 with Astra Sharma not far behind at No. 19. In tandems, Vanderbilt boasts two ranked doubles teams as Campbell and Emily Smith come in at No. 17 in the nation while Sharma and Fernanda Contreras follow at No. 52.

The Bulldogs bring three ranked singles players to Puerto Rico with Ellen Perez leading the trio at No. 4 in the nation. Kennedy Shaffer and Caroline Brinson follow the Aussie at No. 14 and No. 21, respectively. Virginia ended last season ranked 13th and have freshman Rosie Johanson sitting eighth in the ITA’s newcomer poll.

While the ‘Dores bring the highest ranked doubles team to P.R. both UGA and UVA boast teams in the ITA’s preseason rankings. The Bulldog’s Perez and Elena Christofi are ranked 26th while Mariana Gould and Marta Gonzalez are 30th. The Cavalier’s Johanson and Meghan Kelley are just inside the Top 40 in the nation at No. 38.

Follow @VandyWTennis on Twitter for a behind the scenes look at the Commodores’ trip.




The three-day tournament features a round robin format of singles and doubles matches against some of the highest ranked players in the country.
W. Tennis to begin Puerto Rico Challenge

Monica Puig's gold-medal win an inspiration for all of Puerto Rico

Monica Puig knew her Olympic gold medal had touched something deep in her homeland as soon as she stepped off the plane last August and saw the hordes of people waiting to welcome her. She was moved further when there were fans waiting at her hotel, flooding the streets and following her every move.

But it wasn’t until several little girls approached her on her trip home that Puig fully realized the impact she had made when she became the first Puerto Rican woman in 68 years of Summer Olympics to win a medal -- and the first from her country to capture gold.

“They started crying when they saw me,” Puig said, still sounding amazed two months after the world’s then-34th-ranked player upset second-seeded Angelique Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the gold-medal match.

“The country looks up to me, and when they say, ‘We’re working hard to be just like you,’ it makes me feel like I’m a great example for Puerto Rico,” Puig said. “It really warms my heart that I have a lot of supporters, but also that I’m influencing people. … I want to set an example for youth today -- that you can make any dream come true if you work hard to get it.”

Puig is just as passionate about the future of Puerto Rico itself. She has been working with local officials to help raise awareness about prevention and protection from the Zika virus, urging tourists not to stay away.

Just in the last week alone, two women’s college basketball tournaments that were to be played in the debt-plagued country in December were moved to other locations because of fears over the outbreak. In May, Major League Baseball relocated a Pirates-Marlins game scheduled for Puerto Rico to Miami instead.

Puerto Rican’s tourism industry has been hit especially hard; Bloomberg.com cited the Zika outbreak to blame and in August reported the country’s economy is forecast to decline by two percent in fiscal 2017.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that Zika, most often spread by mosquito bites, can cause microcephaly, a birth defect that causes infants to be born with unusually small heads.

“I know a lot of people are probably scared of Zika, but less than one percent of Puerto Ricans have Zika, and Puerto Rico is also taking normal precautions as any country would do to prevent more people getting it,” Puig said. “We’re trying to get more people to enjoy a worry-free vacation. People who are pregnant or looking to become pregnant should take necessary precautions. But people who just want to enjoy a good vacation shouldn’t worry about it.

“Puerto Rico means the world to me, and it’s really about showing it to the world. The gold medal I won wasn’t just for me; it was for Puerto Rico. I want everyone to experience it.”

Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, executive director of Puerto Rico Tourism Co., said an estimated 26,000 people in Puerto Rico have become infected with Zika since December. That includes about 1,900 pregnant women, both statistics falling far short of original estimates by the CDC.

The PRTC sponsors Puig, who began working for them in 2013.

“She has been terrific,” Rivera Rocafort said. “Monica is young, energetic and a great representative and ambassador for Puerto Rico. She’s a great communicator.”

Puig moved with her family from Puerto Rico to Miami as a baby, but she has competed for the birth country since her teenage years. And she does have some tennis in her DNA; her mother, Astrid, was a top junior in Puerto Rico. But ranked No. 92 at the end of 2015, Monica Puig is the first to admit that winning the gold medal was as big a shock to her as to anyone.

“I remember walking into the stadium for Opening Ceremonies and thinking, ‘Wow, so many people here will be Olympic gold medalists, and I could be one,’ but I never really believed it until I made the quarterfinals,” Puig said. “That was huge for me. Then the medal round I thought, ‘I have to secure a medal.’ Then in the gold-medal match, I thought, ‘I’m going for it all.’

“I think a different side of me just came out. Obviously, I have to translate that to my normal game because the WTA is not the same thing. But it was an unbelievable week of my life.”

However, in the three tournaments since the Olympics, Puig has lost in the first round in three of four tournaments.

The weight of being the gold-medal winner, she concedes, carries an added burden.

“It’s a new responsibility, a new pressure on my shoulders,” she said. “But I’m obviously still very young at 23 years old and still getting used to this new wave of attention. But I know I’ll learn to manage this and come into my own in my own time.

Monica Puig became the first woman to win a gold medal for Puerto Rico. EPA/BERND THISSEN

“I’m not in a hurry to accelerate it. I want to learn, rack up as much experience as I can and let that experience show. What I’ve done as a just-turned 23-year-old [Sept. 27] is still incredible.”

And Puig said she can still use that gold-medal victory as a source of confidence and inspiration.

“I think it really comes into play when things start going south, when things are really dark and I start losing to say, 'Hey, this is something no one can take away from me, no matter how down in dumps I am, that’s an accomplishment that will be part of history forever.’ I take comfort in that.”

More importantly is the way she can use her Olympic experience off the court.

“Everything post-Olympics was a bit of a shock to me, but I think looking at it now," Puig said. "It’s a huge opportunity for me to really express my gratitude to my country and let people know where I come from, and in a way, show off the attitude Puerto Ricans bring to the table.

“It’s always good to have a positive voice and a positive impact on people, and there are a lot of important messages I want to send post-Olympics -- about Zika, but also that if women and girls across the world have a dream, they can achieve it. The Olympics made my voice a little louder than it was before. And it’s always nice to give back to people who have given so much to me over the years.”

by Melissa Isaacson
Gold-medal winner Monica Puig has embraced her role as an inspiration for all of Puerto Rico. EPA/THAIS LLORCA

Monica Puig's gold-medal win an inspiration for all of Puerto Rico