Orlando Cepeda: Busted

According to an Associated press story, Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda "was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance, along with possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe and possession of marijuana…."

This makes a natural segue to the following critique I did for the MultiCultural Review:

The Orlando Cepeda Story, by Bruce Markusen. Pinata Books/Arte Publico Press. <a onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘_blank’, ‘width=90,height=140,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0’); return false” href=”http://baseballbookshelf.mlblogs.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/cepeda.jpg”><img title=”Cepeda” height=”233″ alt=”Cepeda” src=”http://baseballbookshelf.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/images/cepeda.jpg” width=”150″ border=”0″ style=”FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px 5px” /></a>

Cepeda, a native-born Puerto Rican, was a top notch baseball player who spent a good part of his early career in an era when African-American and dark-skinned Hispanics plied their craft under the harshest prejudice. In pre-civil rights years they were often required to sleep and eat apart from their Caucasian teammates. Other indignities were everyday occurrences.

Latin players had the additional language issue to contend with. Many had difficulty with day-to-day situations taken for granted such as ordering food in restaurants. As a result, they were often embarrassed and misused by an impatient press. Their unenlightened managers labeled them as “lazy” or “difficult.”

Cepeda overcame these difficulties to develop into a beloved teammate and leader. When his career ended he went afoul of the law, arrested and imprisoned for drug possession. That he was able to put his life back in order, return to a life in the sport he loved as a member of the San Francisco Giants’ front office and gain election into baseball’s Hall of Fame is a testimony to hard work and good fortune.

Unfortunately, Markusen tells Cepeda’s story, which advocates perseverance in the face of adversity, without the excitement or passion which should hold young readers’ attention. The absence of photos also makes this biography somewhat user-unfriendly.