Concepci¨®n pays fellow Venezuelan ASG MVP D¨ªaz a visit
Thomas Harding
@harding_at_mlbMIAMI -- It would be impossible to find a fan who could relate more to Rockies catcher Elias Díaz?after his All-Star Game home run than nine-time All-Star shortstop and Reds Hall of Famer Dave Concepci¨®n.
¡°I was watching on TV back home in Venezuela, and I was so happy,¡±? Concepci¨®n said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was going to be the MVP. But I was so happy for him.¡±
D¨ªaz, who was named Most Valuable Player in Seattle after his homer gave the National League the lead in its 3-2 victory, joined Concepci¨®n as the only Venezuelan players to earn All-Star MVP honors. Concepci¨®n accomplished the feat in 1982.
D¨ªaz didn¡¯t quite get to his phone in time for a congratulatory call after the game. But longtime sports journalist Boris Mizrahi and the Rockies media relations staff arranged an on-field meeting before Friday night¡¯s game against the Marlins at loanDepot park.
D¨ªaz later homered off Braxton Garrett in his second at-bat, marking his first extra-base hit of the second half.
¡°It¡¯s big for me,¡± D¨ªaz said. ¡°I¡¯d heard a lot about him because he was one of the big players from our country.
¡°It¡¯s been great, the whole All-Star Game experience.¡±
Concepci¨®n, 75, chuckled, and said, ¡°I kept everything.¡±
During Concepci¨®n¡¯s days with the Big Red Machine teams, Cincinnati had a policy that players wear black shoes with no manufacturer logos. But the Reds, who also weren¡¯t allowed to sport facial hair, defied the rule for the ¡®82 Midsummer Classic. Concepci¨®n had the biggest smile during pregame introductions when he showed off bright, white shoes.
¡°Converse paid me to wear them,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve still got them at home.¡±
Concepci¨®n has long been a beacon for baseball players from Maracay, Venezuela. Two of the city¡¯s other Major Leaguers, Rockies rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and utility man Harold Castro, beamed as they conversed with their hometown hero.
Tovar and Castro, Concepci¨®n said, were way too young to have been on his radar. With Tovar being a rookie, Friday was the first time Concepci¨®n had a chance to see him play. But he had a preview.
¡°I played golf with a guy who said he had Tovar in Little League,¡±? Concepci¨®n said. ¡°And he says he¡¯s really good.¡±