ALWAYS THERE, IN A PINCH DODGERS COACH PROUD OF HITTING RECORD BUT PASSIONATE ABOUT CHARITABLE WORK.Byline: Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
``I feel like the Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, pasha of Egypt Muhammad Ali, 1769?–1849, pasha of Egypt after 1805. He was a common soldier who rose to leadership by his military skill and political acumen. of pinch hitters,'' Mota said with a broad smile. ``I am the greatest. I am the best.'' More than 20 years after Mota made his last appearance in a major-league game, his name remains a part of baseball, still synonymous with synonymous with adjective equivalent to, the same as, identical to, similar to, identified with, equal to, tantamount to, interchangeable with, one and the same as success off the bench. It likely will continue that way for quite some time, even though Lenny Harris
``I have great respect for Lenny Harris,'' Mota said, ``but when I set the record I was older and I did it in fewer at-bats. I think that still makes me the best.'' The notion of continued celebrity brings immense pride to Mota, and not only because it feeds his ego. Mota, 63, is building a new legacy through his charity group, the Manny Mota Mota, a Dodgers coach since his retirement in 1980, will use his name and fame to raise more than $100,000 as part of his 10th annual Campo de Suenos (Field of Dreams) charity dinner and auction Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . For all his baseball boasting, Mota insists this part of his life is more important than anything he accomplished on the field. ``Did she tell you about the water?'' Mota asks, referring to his daughter, Cecilia Mota-Molina, the executive director of her father's foundation and one of eight family members on its board of trustees board of trustees Politics The posse of thugs who oversee an institution's administration. See Board of directors. . Six years ago, a hurricane wiped out the electricity of a Dominican town and forced its residents to walk 3 miles daily for fresh water. People from outside the town tried to take advantage and sell gallons of water at extraordinarily high prices, ``to people who had no money but didn't have a choice,'' Mota said. Mota heard about the situation and, on loan, secured the use of a generator, which he brought to the town so its people could pump water out of the well for four hours a day until power was restored. ``I remember when the water first came out of the well, it was one of the happiest days of my life,'' Mota said, beaming even more than when he speaks about his baseball success. ``I called my wife, and I had tears in my eyes In My Eyes was a Boston straight edge band that spearheaded the 1997 youth crew revival along with Ten Yard Fight, Bane, The Trust, Fastbreak and Floorpunch. The band and its members were a part of the hot bed that was the Boston music scene in the late 90's and early 2000's. because I was so happy that these kids would have water.'' That story, much more than ego, feeds Mota's desire to stay in the public spotlight. The more people who remember him for his pinch hitting, the more likely he is to raise money for the children he holds so dear. The program began in earnest in the 1970s and began as a way to provide meals and health care to Dominican children. Now Mota, who spends all of the baseball offseason in the Dominican, also runs a baseball league for children, provides assistance to new mothers and distributes food and supplies during the holiday season. In 1992, the foundation expanded to help children in Los Angeles by providing such services as college scholarships, visits to hospitalized children and instruction at baseball clinics. ``It's amazing,'' Mota-Molina said. ``(Potential donors to the organization) sometimes don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. he's still with the Dodgers, and when they find out, they talk so much about him and they are much more willing to donate.'' Mota only once had more than 400 at-bats in a season in his 19-year career but had a career batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. of .304. In his most productive season, 1977, Mota appeared in just 49 games but helped the Dodgers reach the World Series by getting hits in 15 of his 38 at-bats, for a .395 average. He never quite had enough power or defensive ability to earn a starting job, but Mota said: ``I knew what my job was, and that was fine. I accepted it. If that was my job, I wanted to be the best pinch hitter I could be.'' Mota's charity is rooted in his childhood and adulthood. One of eight children, Mota grew up impoverished and saw baseball as his only way out. But even though players such as Juan Marichal and brothers Felipe, Jesus and Matty Alou were making names for themselves when Mota broke into the majors in 1962, he faced racism. ``There were not a lot of Dominicans there at the time, so it was tough at times, yes,'' Mota said, still reluctant to discuss the specifics of the insensitivity. ``But that just made me want to be a better person, to treat every person the same. ``But the Los Angeles people were great. Tommy Lasorda would go with me to stores and we would buy two bags of rice and try to get them to give us more for free. We would buy a few toys and ask for more, for free. ``That's how we started here in Los Angeles.'' And now, more than 30 years later, Mota continues to come through in a pinch, for a different type of team. ``I was always dreaming for a way to give something back to people,'' Mota said. ``Thanks to the Dodgers, and thanks to baseball, I have been able to do that. If I can make things easier for the children, that is what makes me happy.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Manny Mota) (2) Manny Mota's foundation will have a charity dinner and auction Sunday night. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion