Gonzalez puts "El Beisbol" into play

“Baseball is the quintessential North American game — so why are 30% of today’s Major League players Latino?” That's the burning question behind "El Beisbol,” a two-hour documentary project for PBS, celebrating the contributions of baseball players of Latin American and Caribbean heritage.

Directed and co-produced by Professor A.P. Gonzalez, “El Beisbol" will reveal a world where, as Gonzalez says, “baseball is still played with heart and for the pure love of the game. That, along with huge family support, is what's behind the great impact these players have had.”

The Institute of American Cultures at UCLA has awarded a research grant to help get the production process rolling. In August, Gonzalez will travel to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. and to the Latin American Baseball Museum in Washington D.C. He and his co-producing partner, Nancy Oey, have launched an extensive website as a focal point of their on-going efforts to raise the rest of their production budget.

Gonzalez has already shot in Puerto Rico and parts of Southern California. He plans to visit Baseball Academies in Venezuela and the Caribbean that have been so successful in training many of today's top Major Leaguers, including Manny Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez and Rafael Furcal. “Latinos have played highly organized professional baseball for over 125 years,” Gonzalez explains, “yet even baseball fans don't know how it all got started.”

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"a.p. gonzalez" "el beisbol" "beisbol" "manny ramirez" "magglio ordonez" "rafael furcal" "nancy oey" 

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