|
Crossing
ball boundaries Picante. Salsa. These were only a couple of words used by second baseman Ramon Moses when describing the “spicy” style of baseball played in his home country, Panama. “In any part of the world, there are going to be differences in any sport,” Moses said. “Baseball in Panama is more aggressive than it is here. The audience is more enthusiastic about the sport.”
Moses, a sophomore finance major, has only been playing at TCU for a little more than a year, but head coach Lance Brown said he’s already a good defensive player. “He’s getting better at hitting, but there’s always room for improvement,” Brown said. Moses is only 19 years old, but he already has traveled across the world playing in tournaments. Four years ago, Moses was named the best second baseman in a Latin American tournament in Puerto Rico. “Ramon is a smart player,” Brown said. “He runs the bases well, and he knows what he’s doing.” Besides teaching him about baseball, Moses’ tournaments have also taught him about other cultures, Brown said. When Moses moved to Fort Worth from Panama, he said he had no problem adjusting to the different culture of most of his teammates. Only one other player is from South America, but Moses said he gets along with all of the players and spends time with them off the field. But Moses said he owes everything he knows about baseball to one man, Cristobal Giron. For three years, Moses trained with Giron in Panama. The way in which Giron talked about baseball and his ability to train Mosesmotivated Moses to continue playing. Moses has dealt with anything from a broken wrist to a scratch on his knee. Last season, Moses hit himself in the eye while playing with a rubber band which kept him from playing for two weeks. At age 16, Moses broke his wrist playing baseball and was out of the game for four months. Even though Moses realizes how difficult baseball can be, he said that he would like to play professionally some day. However, at this point in his life, school is more important, he said.
“One never knows what will happen when playing baseball,”
Moses said. “I want something to fall back on.” “Traveling throughout the spring semester and keeping up with schoolwork can become a strenuous task,” Moses said. “The difficulty of studying with so many people around can be a distraction.” Brown has noticed Moses being distracted at times but not because of schoolwork. “There are always about 10 to 12 people from his home area at the games, and that can become a distraction from the game,” Brown said. “It also might slow down his English language.” Moses grew up speaking both English and Spanish, but Brown said there are times when he has to carefully tell Moses what to do during a game or practice to make sure Moses understands. Moses’ sister, Melissa, a senior graphic design major, has been going to his games ever since the two were little and continues to attend them now that he is at TCU. The competition in the United States is the only difference Melissa has noticed between playing in Panama and playing here. Brown described Moses as constantly smiling and fun-loving. He enjoys being with the team and just about anywhere the team travels, Brown said. Moses isn’t the first international student to play TCU baseball. There have been others from Puerto Rico and Northern Mexico. Brown said the international students, especially those from Latin America, are always unique because of their different cultures and how their adjustment to those cultures reflects their playing style. “They don’t always make it here,” Brown said. “But, I see Ramon as very determined, and every day he gets better at everything.” One of the reasons Moses ultimately decided to come to TCU was because of his family. When he was 16 years old, Moses came to TCU with his older brother and the two went to a baseball game. At that moment, Moses said, he knew he wanted to play for the TCU baseball team. Moses applied to three other universities, but he said none of them could beat having his family here. “Since I’m from Panama, my parents are so far away,” he said. “I feel at home having my cousins and my sister at the games for support.”
Yvette Herrera |
