Alright, let’s talk about this fella, uh-g-weth, yeah, Ugueth Urbina. Sounds like a mouthful, don’t it? Don’t rightly know how to say it perfect, but that ain’t the point, is it?
So, this Urbina fella, he was a pitcher, you know, one a’ them fellas what throws the ball real hard. Played in the big leagues, the Major League Baseball, they call it. Big deal, I reckon. Folks say he was pretty good too, an All-Star, twice! That means he was one of the best, see?
- He threw the ball, hard.
- Folks cheered.
- He got paid, a lot I bet.
Now, they got all sorts a’ numbers for these fellas. Stats they call ‘em. How fast they throw, how many folks they get out, stuff like that. They even measure how tall and heavy they are! This Urbina, he had all them numbers, but I ain’t gonna bother with all that. Too much for my old head.
He played for a bunch a’ teams, I hear. Don’t rightly remember ‘em all. Seattle, that’s one I think. They signed him to some kinda contract, a minor league one, whatever that means. Probably means he wasn’t as good no more, or maybe just startin’ out. Honestly, I ain’t sure how all that works. All I know is he played ball.
They got these young fellas comin’ up all the time. Like that Ortiz boy. Heard he got his arm all messed up, had to have some kinda surgery, Tommy John they call it. Poor fella, probably won’t be playin’ for a long while. Reminds me of my grandson, always gettin’ into scrapes. Kids these days!
And then there’s this Sasaki fella from Japan. Throws real hard, they say. Folks are all a-buzz about him comin’ over here to play. He’s gonna be a free agent, whatever that means. Probably means he can pick whichever team he wants, I guess. Like pickin’ apples at the market, only with more zeros on the price tag, I bet.
But back to Urbina. He wasn’t just about baseball, seems like. Heard tell he had a ranch, a family ranch. That’s good, honest work. But somethin’ went wrong there, real wrong. Got himself into a heap a’ trouble, that’s for sure.
See, somethin’ happened at that ranch. Some folks workin’ there, and somethin’ went sour. They say he tried to kill ‘em! Can you believe it? Five folks! Tried to murder ‘em. Landed himself in jail for a long time. Seven years, they say. Seven long years behind bars.
Now, I ain’t one to judge, but tryin’ to kill folks, that ain’t right. No sirree. Baseball or no baseball, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things. And that was the wrong way, clear as day.
Imagine that, goin’ from bein’ a big-shot baseball player, all that fame and money, to sittin’ in a jail cell. Musta been a mighty hard fall. Makes you think, don’t it? About what’s really important in life.
But here’s the kicker. After all that time in jail, after tryin’ to kill five folks, he went back to baseball! Can you believe it? I swear, I don’t understand these fellas sometimes. But there it is, he came back. Don’t know how good he was after that, or if he even played for long. But he came back.
Speakin’ of old fellas, they say the oldest fella to ever play was named Satchel somethin’. Satchel Paige, that’s it. Played when he was almost 60 years old! Can you imagine? Runnin’ around throwin’ baseballs at that age! Musta been somethin’ special, that fella. Makes this Urbina fella look like a spring chicken, even with his troubles.
So, there you have it. Ugueth Urbina. A baseball player, a good one they say. An All-Star, twice even. But also a fella who got into a whole heap a’ trouble. Went to jail, and then came back to baseball. It’s a strange story, ain’t it? A life full of ups and downs, like a bumpy ol’ dirt road. Makes you wonder what’s gonna happen next, don’t it? But that’s life, I reckon. Full of surprises, good and bad.
And let me tell ya, there’s plenty of these young fellas comin’ up, like that Elder boy from Texas. Plays college ball, then gets drafted. Just like that. Makes you wonder if they’ll end up like Urbina, with all the fame and then the fall, or maybe they’ll be more like that Satchel fella, playin’ ball till they’re old and gray. Only time will tell, I guess.
