On April 18, 1997 the Albuquerque Journal ran two stories that made me reflect on a number of related items, at least to my way of thinking.

The two stories revolved around the Woods phenomena that has gripped the country following Tiger Woods' Masters victory.

The first article, in the Editorial page by Charles Krauthammer, America Goes Nuts for Gentleman Athlete Tiger Woods asks the question, "Why is everybody in America pulling for Tiger Woods?" The answer seems to have something to do with race. Krauthammer argues, "An African and/or Asian American Masters champion is as rare as snow in Augusta." Continuing he says, "Yes, excellence, youth and ethnicity combined, account for much of Tiger Woods mania but it is not enough to explain (this) most remarkable wave of adulation to sweep this continent. What then?

Woods is more than just good, young, black and Asian. He is gracious. In an age of the commercially hyped, trash talking, in your face sports star, here is someone who combines great athleticism with decency and respectfulness, poise and manners and simple soft-spoken politeness. He has, not just the old fashioned virtues of respect for his parents, his elders, his competitors; he has a deep respect for the difficulty of his own craft. He knows its history. He speaks with genuine gratitude of his debt to the black golfers that preceded him. A paragon in sports is easy to define. Someone whom you would be pleased to have your child emulate. America is mesmerized not just because he is champion. Not just because he is a young gifted, African and Asian American Champion. But because he is a paragon and a rarity: a gentleman athlete."

The second article comes from the Sports Page and is by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press, entitled Paving the Way and details the many ways in which Woods showed his gratitude to the black golfers who preceded him. He thanked Ted Rhodes who along with Bill Spiller and Madison Gunther in '48 sued the PGA challenging the Tour's "Caucasian Only" rule. Woods also thanked Charlie Sifford, the first black to regularly play the PGA Tour, as well as Lee Elder who in 1975 was the first black invited to play the Masters. Woods' tip of the cap to Rhodes, Sifford and Elder surprised those gathered in the clubhouse at the Ted Rhodes Municipal Golf Course to watch the final round of the Masters. "Praise the Lord that he let me see this day," said Joe Hampton who caddied for Rhodes and has been the head pro at the Rhodes Golf Course.

Tiger Woods Phenome

Tiger Woods                          Wins The Masters

So what do these two accounts of the Tiger Woods phenomena do to me?

First, I join in the adulation. I rejoice in seeing his abundant talent being praised around the world not a la Dennis Rodman, Deion Sanders, Andre Agassie, Jimmy Connors, or John McEnroe traditions, but more like the tradition of Pancho Segura. And who is Pancho Segura, you say. No, he was not with the "Trio Los Panchos" rather he and another Pancho dominated the Tennis World of my youth. The second Pancho was Pancho Gonzalez who had the reputation of tending to behave somewhat like Conners and McEnroe on the courts in his physical aggressiveness but his Hispanic nature proscribed his verbal aggressiveness.

Secondly, I coil up in my ethnicity and dream about a Chicano with a Tiger Woods aura. Is there one? Can there be one? Perhaps.

Oscar de la Hoya has the charisma, the manners, and the upbringing to become our Tiger Woods. However he has some extra baggage that he must deal with, his ethnicity, and it is this very ethnicity that can trip him. It has to do with having pride in who you are. Tiger Woods is certainly proud of who he is and he shows it by being who he is.

Oscar de la Hoya is proud of who he is and he can show it by being who he is. This is a truism that applies to everyone not just Tiger Woods or Oscar de la Hoya. Be proud of who you are, of your elders, of your ancestors, and of those of your background who preceded you. In order to do this, like Tiger, you must know the history. To understand the history you must know the language and to appreciate the language one must use it correctly.

Oscar de la Hoya

Oscar de la Hoya                          In Mufti And As Boxer

We Hispanics can show pride and respect in ourselves by appreciating our language and using it correctly. A person's name is the sweetest sounding word in anyone's language. Do not say Pancho when you mean Poncho. Pancho is diminutive for Francisco, Poncho is a blanket-like garment that is used in South America both as a coat and as a blanket. Do not say Chili when you mean Chile. Chile is a multi-use word with both singular and plural applications. You never say chiles, the word chile does it for one pod or a whole bag or truck full. So what is chili? It is some “guero” concocted word for something they put tomatoes, kidney beans and other ingredients into; I understand Texas chili even has Armadillo in it. Well Chile is what we eat in New Mexico, not Chili. To say chili is insulting to the culture of the Mexican American. It is like calling my friend Francisco something like Poncho!

And what is “guero” concocted? That is what the Anglo-Saxons do when they appropriate one of our Spanish words apparently because an English word just does not quite express what they want to express as well as the Spanish word, albeit prostitute it so that they can Anglicize it and pronounce it, inappropriately, of course.

Some examples: The word coyote is pronounced co-yó-te, it is not kai yo tee. Burritos, Fajitas, and Margaritas are pronounced bu-rrí-tos, fa-jí-tas, and mar-ga-rí-tas not burrridos, faheedas, or margareedas.

To encourage the prostitution of the language is to prostitute your culture if you are Hispanic, to allow non-Hispanics to do so without correcting them is to allow the colonial mentality to continue to exist unabated.

Our first language is the Spanish language, we should pronounce it like we are proud of it. Do it like you are

S O M E B O D Y.

You too can be like Tiger Woods, you do this by being yourself. Do not denigrate your culture, speak your language with pride. Saludos!

Me avienté!

Just Tearing Down Walls and Breaking Ceilings!

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