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Man alive, I need to get on the road, but I came across this a bit ago and never posted it, and then there was the story yesterday that reminded me, so here it is. Mostly for Leanne, I suppose, but:
DATE: February 26, 2006
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 59
LENGTH: 648 words
HEADLINE: LANGUAGE OF LOVE. Reyes overcomes English barrier
BYLINE: BY ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
PORT ST.LUCIE - No matter where he dined in Kingsport, Tenn. - which had a population of 44,905, only 1% Hispanic - Jose Reyes' order never changed. The 17-year-old shortstop would always request that sumptuous meal known as same thing.
"At that time, when I went to buy something to eat, I had to go with my friend, Enrique Cruz. He spoke really good English," Reyes says, referring to his then-teammate and Pedro Martinez's future brother-in-law. "I had to wait for him to order. I say, 'Same thing.' That's the first thing we learn."
Five years later, after intensive study - including one spring of Mets-sponsored classes and plenty of time watching TV cartoons - Reyes' command of English rivals the zip on his laser throws to first base. Reyes deftly handled his first English-language TV newscast live interview Thursday, on Ch. 2 at 6 p.m.
And now fans will get to see more of the Dominican-born Reyes' infectious personality, which rivals that of Virginia-born David Wright's, with whom he figures to occupy the left side of the infield in Flushing for the next decade.
"The same intensity as on the field, he just attacked it. He taught himself English," Mets PR director Jay Horwitz says. "He stands out for somebody his age, understanding the importance of doing it. He put the time into it. His personality comes through by doing that. It just shows what kind of guy he is. He struggled at the beginning, but now he's very good."
The 22-year-old Reyes still labels June 15, 2003 one of his proudest moments. And not particularly because of the grand slam he hit off Jarrod Washburn in Anaheim for his first major-league home run. Afterward - though coach Juan Lopez was standing by to translate, as he had done five days earlier when Reyes made his debut - Reyes told Horwitz he was ready to speak with reporters in English for the first time.
"I was kind of scared a little bit, but I did it," Reyes says. "If you're scared, you're not going to learn. You have to talk. Jay said, 'Try.' I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to try. I'm going to do my best.' I say a lot of times, 'That was one of the best moments of my life.'"
English isn't easy, and players haven't always embraced learning it, which has limited their exposure to a large segment of the fan base. Martinez, who was a quick study at the Dodgers' complex in the Dominican Republic before ever pitching in the States, notes that dialects can be particularly tricky.
"Dude? What is that?" Martinez says. "And then somebody from Texas will be, 'How y'all doing.' It was different."
Says Reyes: "When I went to the class, I paid a lot of attention. I worked hard with the teacher. Every time you start to make fun of someone in the class, you're not going to learn anything.
"You have to be quiet and pay attention. The TV is good. You learn a lot from the TV. And talking with your friends. That's the most important thing. You have to practice."
Reyes has grown up in the Mets' organization - he signed with the club as a 16-year-old in 1999 - as much off the field as on it. He now has a 1-year-old daughter, Katerine, who lives with her mother in New York. The baby spent the winter in the Dominican Republic with Reyes' parents. The family had a huge party to celebrate her first birthday on Jan. 20. Reyes' parents doted.
"Oh my God, he loves that baby so much," Reyes says of his father. "He spends the whole day holding the baby. My momma, too. They're crazy with that girl. She is so beautiful. I'm proud of myself and my daughter, too. I've got a beautiful daughter. She's 1 year old and walking and she started to speak a little bit."
Despite his accomplishments, Reyes isn't immune from teasing, especially from Wright. The two have a special bond.
"Command a second language?" Wright playfully asks. "You call that commanding a second language?"
"Beat it," Reyes replies with a laugh. "Why do you have to be like that, man? Geez."
============================================================================
I had no real sense of how far along his english was; I'm so amused David feels free to tease him about it. See, David seems fun! Why can't he show some of that in his blog?
DATE: February 26, 2006
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 59
LENGTH: 648 words
HEADLINE: LANGUAGE OF LOVE. Reyes overcomes English barrier
BYLINE: BY ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
PORT ST.LUCIE - No matter where he dined in Kingsport, Tenn. - which had a population of 44,905, only 1% Hispanic - Jose Reyes' order never changed. The 17-year-old shortstop would always request that sumptuous meal known as same thing.
"At that time, when I went to buy something to eat, I had to go with my friend, Enrique Cruz. He spoke really good English," Reyes says, referring to his then-teammate and Pedro Martinez's future brother-in-law. "I had to wait for him to order. I say, 'Same thing.' That's the first thing we learn."
Five years later, after intensive study - including one spring of Mets-sponsored classes and plenty of time watching TV cartoons - Reyes' command of English rivals the zip on his laser throws to first base. Reyes deftly handled his first English-language TV newscast live interview Thursday, on Ch. 2 at 6 p.m.
And now fans will get to see more of the Dominican-born Reyes' infectious personality, which rivals that of Virginia-born David Wright's, with whom he figures to occupy the left side of the infield in Flushing for the next decade.
"The same intensity as on the field, he just attacked it. He taught himself English," Mets PR director Jay Horwitz says. "He stands out for somebody his age, understanding the importance of doing it. He put the time into it. His personality comes through by doing that. It just shows what kind of guy he is. He struggled at the beginning, but now he's very good."
The 22-year-old Reyes still labels June 15, 2003 one of his proudest moments. And not particularly because of the grand slam he hit off Jarrod Washburn in Anaheim for his first major-league home run. Afterward - though coach Juan Lopez was standing by to translate, as he had done five days earlier when Reyes made his debut - Reyes told Horwitz he was ready to speak with reporters in English for the first time.
"I was kind of scared a little bit, but I did it," Reyes says. "If you're scared, you're not going to learn. You have to talk. Jay said, 'Try.' I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to try. I'm going to do my best.' I say a lot of times, 'That was one of the best moments of my life.'"
English isn't easy, and players haven't always embraced learning it, which has limited their exposure to a large segment of the fan base. Martinez, who was a quick study at the Dodgers' complex in the Dominican Republic before ever pitching in the States, notes that dialects can be particularly tricky.
"Dude? What is that?" Martinez says. "And then somebody from Texas will be, 'How y'all doing.' It was different."
Says Reyes: "When I went to the class, I paid a lot of attention. I worked hard with the teacher. Every time you start to make fun of someone in the class, you're not going to learn anything.
"You have to be quiet and pay attention. The TV is good. You learn a lot from the TV. And talking with your friends. That's the most important thing. You have to practice."
Reyes has grown up in the Mets' organization - he signed with the club as a 16-year-old in 1999 - as much off the field as on it. He now has a 1-year-old daughter, Katerine, who lives with her mother in New York. The baby spent the winter in the Dominican Republic with Reyes' parents. The family had a huge party to celebrate her first birthday on Jan. 20. Reyes' parents doted.
"Oh my God, he loves that baby so much," Reyes says of his father. "He spends the whole day holding the baby. My momma, too. They're crazy with that girl. She is so beautiful. I'm proud of myself and my daughter, too. I've got a beautiful daughter. She's 1 year old and walking and she started to speak a little bit."
Despite his accomplishments, Reyes isn't immune from teasing, especially from Wright. The two have a special bond.
"Command a second language?" Wright playfully asks. "You call that commanding a second language?"
"Beat it," Reyes replies with a laugh. "Why do you have to be like that, man? Geez."
============================================================================
I had no real sense of how far along his english was; I'm so amused David feels free to tease him about it. See, David seems fun! Why can't he show some of that in his blog?
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Presumably David Wright doesn't show his humor on his blog because WRITING COHERENT SENTENCES IS HARD. Or something.
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Also, I keep wanting to talk about dudes learning english, but then finding I have so little to say on the subject.
Heh, yeah, I know what you mean. I really have little more to say than SOCUTE!...which is pretty patronizing. But I like hearing about their efforts, and I'm glad of their success, because Lord knows I've taken classes in three foreign languages and I can barely get around in one.
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Which ones?
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It's because if he shows anything slightly disagreeing with the Mets' philosophy, THEY'LL BAN HIM 4 LIFE!! :O
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Mets: **bans**