Interview with Adrian Zabala, Sr., Mary A. Zabala, March 2, 1989

Partial Transcript: Mr. Zabala, your n--nickname was "Zab" or "Zabb"?

Segment Synopsis: Adrian Zabala talks about how his brother introduced him to the game of baseball while growing up in Cuba. He talks about when he began playing baseball professionally and discussers some of the people he played with.

Keywords: "Zab"; Arrestes; Baseball players; Brothers; Catchers; Crying; Dolf Luque; George Comela; Gil Torres; Mike Gonzalas; Playing professionally; Trading

Subjects: Baseball.; Childhood.; Cuba.

Partial Transcript: Let me come back. Um, you, you must have progressed, uh, pretty well and got to be pretty good because by, uh, 1940 you were on the All Stars.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about how he learned to control his pitching. He talks about being nervous during the game against the Brooklyn Dodgers and how his religion helped him during games.

Keywords: All Stars; Control; Cuba; God; Nervous; Pitching; Practice; Religion; Throwing

Subjects: Baseball.; Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball Team).; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: When did you first, um, get signed by an American team?

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about signing with an American baseball team and discusses the conflicts he and other players had with team owners and managers concerning their salaries.

Keywords: Bill Terry; Contracts; Deals; Jacksonville (Fla.); Jersey City Giants (Baseball team); Money; Panama City (Fla.); Sally League; Wages; Wife

Subjects: Baseball managers.; Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Baseball team owners.

Partial Transcript: Now you were both living in Jacksonville at that time?

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about playing baseball in Jacksonville before being drafted into the Cuban Army. He talks about returning from the army and deciding to play baseball in Mexico due to difficulty with contract negotiations with other teams. He talks about being put on the blacklist for playing in the Mexican League.

Keywords: Big leagues; Blacklist; Contract negotiations; Cuba; Cuban Army; Jacksonville (Fla.); Jersey City Giants (Baseball team); Mexico; Money; Wages

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.

Partial Transcript: L--let me see now, you were with the Giants in spring training for '46?

Segment Synopsis: Zabala and his wife Mary talk more about his reasons for leaving the Giants for the Mexican League. They talks about other players who also decided to play in Mexico.

Keywords: Alfonso Pasquel; Big Leagues; Danny Gardella; Eddie Brannick; Horace Stoneham; Jersey City Giants (Baseball team); Mexico; Money; Spring training; Wages

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.

Partial Transcript: Um, I'd like to have both of you go back and forth and tell me--(coughs)--um, basically what it was like in Mexico.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala and his wife discuss what it was like to live in Mexico during the 1940s. He talks about traveling on a bus to the games, what they did for entertainment, and where they lived. They also discuss other players in the Mexican League and their wives.

Keywords: Alfonso Pasquel; Boarding houses; Bullfights; Buses; Carnivale; Dangerous; Flying; Houses; Mountains; Pitching; Puebla (Mexico); Serenading; Shopping; Speaking Spanish; Training; Traveling; Wealthy; Wives

Subjects: Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.; Mexico City (Mexico).; Pitchers (Baseball).; Veracruz (Veracruz-Llave, Mexico).

Partial Transcript: Let me ask you a little bit about some of the ballparks you played in.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala discusses the quality and state of the ballparks in Mexico when he played there in the 1940s. He talks about the lack of grass on many fields and the train tracks that ran through one of the fields.

Keywords: Ballparks; Baseball bats; Facilities; Gopher holes; Grass; Infield; Outfield; Railroad tracks; Rain; Showers; Tampico (Mexico)

Subjects: Baseball fields.; Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.; Mexico City (Mexico).; Monterrey (Mexico).; Puebla de Zaragoza (Mexico).; Tampico (Tamaulipas, Mexico).

Partial Transcript: Now, also, there were a lot of complaints about the umpiring.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about conflicts he had with umpires during his time playing in the Mexican League.

Keywords: Calls; Pitching

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: Let me go over a couple of the ballplayers that you played with and just get you to, to talk about them very quickly.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala discusses other baseball players that he knew or met during his years in the American, Cuban, Provincial, and Mexican Leagues.

Keywords: Ace Adams; Alex Carrasquel; Alfonso Pasquel; Altitude; Ballplayers; Bill Ayers; Catchers; Curveballs; Dolf Luque; Fastballs; Forkball; Innings; Jean-Pierre Roy; Lou Klein; Pitching; Red Hayworth; Roberto Estalella; Split finger fastball

Subjects: Baseball managers.; Baseball players--1940-1950.; Dandridge, Ray.; Gardella, Daniel L.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.; Owen, Mickey.; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: When you, uh, you knew that you were going to be banned when you went, did you realize that you couldn't come back for five years?

Segment Synopsis: Zabala discusses whether he was aware of the 5-year ban he would face when he joined the Mexican League. He talks about why his goal was to simply make it to the big leagues.

Keywords: Banned; Big Leagues; Brothers; Money; Olympics; Suspension

Subjects: Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.; Major League Baseball (Organization)--History.

Partial Transcript: Now you're talking about Pasquel taking away that one no-hit game you had.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about almost pitching a no-hitter and why it did not happen. He talks about playing in the Provincial League and talks about some of the players he played with.

Keywords: Alfonso Pasquel; Carlton Willie; Colored League; Hector Lopez; No-hit game; Provincial League; Vomy Thomas

Subjects: Maglie, Sal, 1917-.

Partial Transcript: Tell me, um, what effect the ban had on--the, the ban that, uh, Happy Chandler put on the baseball players that went to Mexico in 1946, tell me what effect that had on the Cuban Winter League.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks more about the ban Commissioner Chandler put in place on the players who went to the Mexican League. He talks about starting a new league in Cuba and how Chandler's ban caused the Cuban League to split into two factions. He talks about some of the other players and their contract negotiations.

Keywords: "Millionario"; Ballparks; Bans; Baseball teams; Bitterness; Contracts; Cuban Winter League; Divisions; Fidel Castro; Frank Campos; Injuries; Money; Negotiations; Reserve Clause; Signing; Starting a league; Suing

Subjects: Baseball managers.; Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991.; Cuba.; Gardella, Daniel L.; Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Profesional.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.

Partial Transcript: Let me, let me, let me ask you about Tomás de la Cruz.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about the Cuban Professional Baseball Players Association started by Tomás de la Cruz and the player strike that was organized to demand higher salaries and money for the playoffs. Zabala talks about how players were given no notice when they were traded and how he once found out he was traded from a radio news program.

Keywords: Cincinnati Reds (Baseball team); Cuban Professional Baseball Players Association; Demands; Fines; Forgetting; Money; Mothers; Negotiations; Notice; Player strike; Playoffs; Radio; Recognition; Resentment; Rosters; Thomas De La Cruz; Tommy de la Cruz; Tomás de la Cruz; Trades; Working

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Baseball team owners.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.; Strikes and lockouts.

Partial Transcript: When did you, uh, find out that the ban was off and you were able to back to the Major Leagues?

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about what happened to the players when the ban against those who played in the Mexican League was over. He talks about an argument he had over his salary and talks about which teams he was traded to.

Keywords: Arguments; Bans; Big Leagues; Blacklist; Fights; Lawyers; Minneapolis (Minn.); Money; Pitching; Reinstated; San Francisco (Calif.); Trades

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Cuba.; Gardella, Daniel L.; Maglie, Sal, 1917-.; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: Well you had--you, you mentioned to me that you had really reached your goal that you had set because of your brother.

Segment Synopsis: Zabala talks about how the Reserve Clause affects baseball players and how he feels about current players making millions of dollars playing baseball. He talks more about his goals for his baseball career and the memories he made. He talks about meeting people and learning about new cultures being one of his favorite things about his baseball career. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Ballplayers; Brothers; Changes; Goals; Happy; Learning; Meeting people; Memories; Money; Reserve Clause; San Salvador; Staying in shape

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States.; Baseball players.; Baseball team owners.