Hispanic broadcaster tells about Latinos in pro sports
by John Vittas, Reporter

   The increase in Spanish-language sports broadcasting has benefited the players as well as the fans, a local broadcaster said last week.
   Eleno Ornelas, Spanish radio broadcaster for the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks, spoke with South Campus students during an informal presentation of Latinos in Sports.
   Ornelas has served as part of the broadcast team for the Rangers on KESS radio since 2000 and also works as color commentator for selected Dallas Mavericks games on Spanish radio. Besides the play-by-play duties, Ornelas oversees the Rangers Spanish radio broadcasts as well as marketing for the Hispanic community.
   Sharing his experiences, Ornelas described his relationship with fellow Hispanic players like Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro.
   "When a player doesn't want to talk to the media, they talk to us. We get to know them for who they are," he said.
   The broadcaster shared information and stories from his many years in major league baseball, along with his time spent in amateur leagues in both Dallas/Fort Worth and Mexico.
   One story pertained to current Rangers pitching prospect Juan Dominguez, recently called up from Double A Frisco. Dominguez, a future star in the Rangers eyes, has spent the latter part of the season trading uniforms between the Rangers and minor league baseball.
   Being a native of the Dominican Republic, Dominguez has said normal everyday conversation with the media, coaches, and fans would not be the easiest of tasks were it not for the guidance and assistance of people like Ornelas.
   "Foreign speaking players like Juan are better able to communicate with teammates and the media now than they were in the '60s and '70s," Ornelas said.
   While baseball hall of famers such as Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichel excelled as players in those decades, Ornelas said the communication barrier has continued to serve as a major problem not only in baseball but also in everyday life.
    "Players back then had so many problems with the English language, and they had no one to help teach them. There were players that lived the entire baseball season on coffee and doughnuts because they couldn't read a menu," he said.
   But in certain situations, Ornelas said, there are some times in sports where language finds no boundaries.
   "Sometimes you'll see a player understand without any words spoken at all. It's a sign that they truly love what they're doing, no matter what language they speak," he said.