Fast curva
The second biggest rivalry in the old Beer League de West Texas y Southeast New Mexico was between the Southside Dorados and the Estrellas del Ranchito. The Dorados were city raza and the Estrellas were, for the most part, rural raza, who lived in either the North or South Ranchito. Since their players all came from big extended families, the Estrellas also pulled from their kin in nearby Cremitas. And since it was a rivalry among close neighbors, the Dorados’ big star, El Bambino Nava, always showed up, unlike when they were playing against Mirlangas— an onda everybody was talking about more and more.
At the Friday night parranda (party) before the double-header between the Dorados and the Estrellas in the South Ranchito, word got out that El Bambino was coming. It was big news cuz he'd been absent the previous two weekends, when his team played a tournament and a double-header against the Potrillos de Mirlangas.
“Eeee! El Bambino’s coming!” said a vato who was bringing a case of beer into the party.
“Now?” a ruca in the crowd said.
“Nel, tomorrow. He don’t drink, watchas,” a vato following the beer vato said.
The crowd was mixed, Dorados and Estrellas and their respective fans. Upon hearing the news, the Estrellas fans flashed great concern. They knew they weren’t gonna win the game, but they hoped it’d be a respectable showing—at least a few hits and runs. But with El Bambino coming, they saw only a long sura end.
“Watcha, I’m gonna ponerle to the rancho for tonight,” a tall dark-skinned vato in the middle of the crowd said.
“I’m going too, ese,” a güero also in the middle of the crowd said.
“Where they going?” a ruca who’d stepped up to the beer asked.
“To Cremitas to recruit their uncles to come play,” a güera said.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that, esa,” a long-haired vato said.
“La brava, ese. They should bring all their uncles, ruquillos too,” the güera said.
Many in the crowd laughed.
“They’re not ruquillos yet, and one of them is so strong he can lift the front end of a pickup,” the long hair said.
“De aquellas, but can he see a fast curve ball?” the güera said.
“Oh, simón. He and his carnal can hit de amadres,” the long hair said.
“Better than everybody in Cremitas has for the past 3 to 4 years when El Bambino was puting’em all to sleep?” the güera said.
“Watcha, these vatos played ball full time during the war,” the long hair said.
“Oh, then they’ve only seen bombas that fall straight down. You see’em and jump out of the way. El Bambino’s pitches come at your eye before they curve and dive into the strike zone,” said the güera.
“We’ll see,” the vato said.
“No they won’t,” said the güera, to great laughter in the crowd.
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