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Vina Goes Stargazing After Sleepless Night
By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel Staff
July 01, 1998
Fernando Vina had a difficult time sleeping, so he pulled himself out of bed earlier than usual Wednesday morning.
That didn't help, either.
"It was a horrible day," admitted the Milwaukee Brewers' peppery second baseman. "I tried to let it go and get my mind off it by playing with the kids. But it was there."
The "it" was whether Vina would be named to play in the All-Star Game for the first time. Refusing to play it cool and pretend it wasn't preying on his mind, he talked himself on and off the team "10, 20, 30 times."
At 1 p.m. his telephone rang, and this time manager Phil Garner did all the talking. He told Vina that, yes, he had been named as a National League reserve for the game Tuesday in Denver.
Vina immediately broke the news to 7-year-old son Jordan, who has been visiting from Sacramento, Calif., the past two weeks with cousin Justin. Jordan responded the way any proud son would have.
"He jumped into my arms and hugged me and squeezed me as hard as he could. It was great," said Vina, who will back up elected starter Craig Biggio of Houston.
In only his third season as a starter in the major leagues, the 29-year-old Vina was deserving of the selection, whether it came as the mandatory Milwaukee representative to the game or not. Entering the Brewers' game against Cleveland, he was batting .299 with 18 doubles, four triples, four homers, 19 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .373 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot.
The 5-foot-9 sparkplug also has transformed himself into one of the elite fielders at his position. He committed only four errors in his first 79 games, going 54 in a row without committing one entering play Wednesday.
"If you take Fernando, all parts of his game have been very good," said Garner, who recommended Vina to NL all-star manager Jim Leyland of Florida.
"We've seen Fernando get better every year, mature as a player. At some point, we all thought he'd be an all-star. He's a tireless worker. What he has gotten, he has earned."
More than anyone else, Brewers shortstop Jose Valentin has come to appreciate the lightning fashion in which his double-play partner makes the pivot at the bag.
"To me, he's a better defensive second baseman than Biggio," said Valentin. "I'm happy for him. He deserves to be there. Hopefully, it's not the last time for him."
Much of that work involved bouncing back from a broken ankle that sidelined him for half of the 1997 season. Garner then met with Vina during the off-season and told him what was expected in the leadoff spot, including being more patient at the plate.
Accordingly, Vina had drawn 28 walks -- not great, but a big improvement for a player whose career high is 38 bases on balls in 1996.
"I just thank God I've stayed healthy this year so I could get this honor," he said. "When you get up here, you want to be the best you can be. I always try to reach for the highest goal possible.
"I didn't want to get too caught up in it because if it didn't happen, I didn't want to have a big letdown. I tried to stay as even-keeled as I could, but I have to admit I was excited and thinking about it. I'm just glad it's over now and I can enjoy it."
Though popular with the County Stadium faithful for his hustle and enthusiasm for the game, Vina probably was best known on a national level for being flattened by a forearm from Albert Belle in the base path two years ago. Vina handled that episode well, noting that bad publicity was better than none at all.
But he admitted he'd rather be known at this juncture as Fernando Vina, all-star second baseman.
"I've kind of shed that a little bit now," Vina said of the Belle episode. "Now, they also know I can play the game a little bit. This is the best way possible for my name to get out."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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