" He left behind the world he knew for the chance to shine on the diamond ."
BARBARO GARBEY
Country of Origin : Cuba Occupation : Former Professional Baseball Player
" He left behind the world he knew for the chance to shine on the diamond ."
Barbaro Garbey chuckles at the idea that long bus rides are some sort of inconvenience in life .
“ You are talking with a Cuban who came on a boat for 12 hours ,” he says . “ No pressure for me to be on a bus for six or seven hours .”
In 2016 , the 59-year-old Garbey finished his fifth year as a coach with the Mississippi Braves , a Class AA minor league baseball team . Long bus rides were the norm . When the season ended , he headed to Venezuela to coach in a winter league and more bus rides . That ’ s his life . A good life .
“ I ’ m just happy to stay in baseball ,” he says . “ It doesn ’ t matter what level . As long as I can continue to teach and stay in baseball , I ’ m happy . This is the game I love . That ’ s the only thing I know . So I ’ m very satisfied .”
Garbey offers much more to the young athletes he now mentors and coaches than help with their baseball skills . They might at first see him as just another guy who has spent a lifetime bouncing around professional baseball with an all-too-brief taste of the Big Leagues . When they get to know him , however , they find that his personal journey represents the power of persistence , the value of second chances , and the importance of following your passions in life .
THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT | THEAMERICANIMMIGRANT . US | TREATMENT
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