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Fernando Nation
In Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen. Nicknamed “El Toro” by his fans, Fernando Valenzuela ignited a fire that spread from LA to New York—and beyond. He vaulted himself onto the prime time stage and proved with his signature look to the heavens and killer screwball that the American dream was not reserved for those born on U.S. soil. In this layered look at the myth and the man, Cruz Angeles recalls the euphoria around Fernando’s arrival and probes a phenomenon that transcended baseball for many Mexican-Americans. Fernando Valenzuela himself opens up to share his perspective on this very special time. Even 20 years later, “Fernandomania” lives.
| Release : | 2010 |
| Rating : | 6.8 |
| Studio : | ESPN, ESPN Films, |
| Crew : | Director, Editor, |
| Cast : | |
| Genre : | Documentary |
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Reviews
Strictly average movie
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Back in the early 1980s, the hottest name in baseball was Fernando Valenzuela. So big, that he won BOTH the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in his first full season in the Major Leagues. However, by the early 90s, he disappeared from baseball and I always wondered what happened to him. While this is not THE main focus of this episode of "30 for 30", this question is answered. What the show IS about is his arrival at baseball as well as how important this was to the Mexican-American community in L.A. at that time. As usual for the series, it's fascinating, well made and worth seeing even if you aren't a big fan of baseball. Not among the best episodes of the series, but still quite good. What is the most interesting thing I learned from this show? That during this award-winning season, Valenzuela was paid the league minimum salary!! Crazy.
30 for 30: Fernando Nation (2010) *** (out of 4) The rise of Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela is cover in this episode of ESPN's series. We take a look at how Fernando got playing the sport and we learn about when he finally began to dream about becoming a pitcher. The documentary covers his now legendary 1981 rookie series, which included him winning his first eight starts plus a Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and a World Series title. As far as documentaries go this one here is pretty good as those unfamiliar with Valenzuela and what he accomplished will certainly get all the details. Those unfamiliar with him are going to get a lot of information but I think the majority of people who watch SportsCenter are already going to know all the stories told here so on that level there's really nothing new in terms of the pitcher. We see all of his awards and we learn about his no-hitter as well as him finally being released by the Dodgers. The most interesting aspect of this documentary happens at the start when we learn about the Mexican population in L.A. before the Dodgers came to town. We see how many were thrown out of their homes and into the streets when the city decided to build the baseball stadium where they were living. We hear some interesting stories from some Mexican people who turned their backs on baseball because of these events only to be drawn back by Fernando. These stories are certainly the most interesting in the film but overall this is a good entry in the series and one worth watching.
