GLENDALE, Ariz. — Details of Jose Abreu’s defection from Cuba have
been hard to come by, in large part because of Abreu’s wish for privacy
on what he considers to be a sensitive subject, but the White Sox
slugger was somewhat more revealing during an interview with Chicago Magazine.
“It was dangerous,” Abreu said of the journey that took place in the
middle of a night in August 2013. “The waves were high but the Lord was
at our side. God gave us the chance to reach our destination.”
The scene described in the article published today is of Abreu, his
fiancee, parents, sister and brother-in-law huddled close together on a
boat headed from Cuba to Haiti.
“Jose was scared for his life in that little boat,” minor league
catcher Adrian Nieto, a teammate of Abreu’s in his first season in 2014,
said. “Everybody was freaking out.”
But Abreu was described as the tower of strength in the middle of it all.
“He told me many times: ‘If it’s everybody’s life or mine, I’m going
to make sure my parents and my sister live before I do,’ ” Nieto said.
Asked about the magazine article Monday morning at the White Sox spring training complex, Abreu again declined to elaborate.
“I agreed to the interview,” Abreu said through a translator. “I
don’t know what they have written. But I don’t feel very comfortable
talking about my journey from Cuba to the United States.”
Abreu would only say that it was an emotional time and it remains an emotional subject.
“Yeah I don’t want to discuss,” he said. “It’s very sensitive and I don’t want to remember that.”
Having most his family with him now in the U.S. has made the
transition to the United States easier. Abreu seems at ease and happy in
the clubhouse.
“It’s completely different because my family is here,” Abreu said
Monday. “For me, my family is everything. To be able to get them here is
awesome for me. It makes everything easier for me around the team and
around my life because I have their support.”
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario