I conducted an interview with a longtime friend Randal Mendez. Randal is currently a sophomore playing Division I baseball at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Randal is 6'4 and weighs about 215 lbs. He was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City when he was three years old with his mother, father, and sister. Randal regularly goes back to the Dominican Republic and is fluent in English and Spanish.
I have not seen Randal in about 4 months and we have not talked in about a month and a half. But we are still good friends and mingled for a little while about how college has been for us. I then proceeded to start the interview.
How do you think your social life and friendship have been influenced by sports?
Sports pretty much are where I got all my friends from, and l don't know I guess it is my social life. Like I talk to other people and go out, but like the people I chill with are all from baseball or kinda basketball. My best friends are all from baseball and when we go out we usually go out as a team. I never roll without my baseball friends and usually even the girls I meet are somehow connected to baseball or follow the baseball team. It's like baseball is way more than just baseball for me, it controls my life. But I love baseball and my friends from it more than anything.
How did your childhood and upbringing impact your views on baseball and sports?
Well in the DR (Dominican Republic) baseball is pretty much everything. My father played in the Dominican Leagues (Semi-professional) and he started teaching me how to play before I can remember. Baseball really has been everything to me; not just playing it but everything that's come with it. My coaches are my mentors, and my family comes to watch all of my games. Baseball was all I've known since I was a little kid; growing up in a Dominican household, baseball was the thing we talked about most. It got me a scholarship to a division I school, so I'm pretty happy that I was raised a baseball player haha.
When you meet new people, what do you usually talk about?
Umm that's a pretty weird question, so like I don't know. I guess I somehow I always talk about baseball; it's what I do. I don't really have any good friends that don't play baseball, I sort of chill with a few kids who play basketball. I bring up baseball whenever I meet someone new so I can see if I'll like them I guess. I don't like non-athletes, so why would I wanna talk about anything else to someone?
How do you think your life would be different without baseball and sports?
Wow, I've never really thought about that. It would suck; I don't know what I'd do everyday. I don't know what I'd do. Definitely not art or theater or some shit like that. I hate school, so I wouldn't wanna spend all my time studying. I guess I'd be pretty different. I'd be a big fat kid.
How do you think your friendships would change if you did not have baseball?
I wouldn't really have many friends. I'd have to be friends with kids in school which would kinda suck. I have a girlfriend now, but I'd be more focused on having girlfriends always if I didn't have baseball. I really couldn't imagine my life at this point without baseball, it's just who I am.
So Randal, we've known each other for a while now, do you remember when we first got to know each other? What were your first impressions of me?
Well Josh, honestly I just thought you were some short white kid that wasn't gonna be good at baseball. I probably weighed twice as much as you, and could probably hit a ball three times as far. I did not think for a second that we would be teammates for as long as we were cause I thought you would quit at some point. You were one of like two or three white kids on a team full of Dominicans and you were probably the worst on the team. You seemed like a nice kid, but all I really care about is baseball and I thought you sucked. I was wrong though. Trust me, I did not think we were gonna be friends for years like we are now.
I actually was kind of intimidated by you; I didn't feel like I really should have been on the same field as someone as big and as good as you. But I really wanted to become good. How do you think our friendship developed?
I don't really remember lol; you seemed like a nice kid. I don't know. I mean that first season I don't even really remember playing with you. I know you were on the team and everything, but the only thing I remember is when you collided with Steven (In my first season on a baseball team with Randal I was playing the outfield in one of my rare appearances not on the bench and I collided with another outfielder who broke his leg). I guess we didn't really become good friends until the past few seasons. We had some fun times together though.
I have not seen Randal in about 4 months and we have not talked in about a month and a half. But we are still good friends and mingled for a little while about how college has been for us. I then proceeded to start the interview.
How do you think your social life and friendship have been influenced by sports?
Sports pretty much are where I got all my friends from, and l don't know I guess it is my social life. Like I talk to other people and go out, but like the people I chill with are all from baseball or kinda basketball. My best friends are all from baseball and when we go out we usually go out as a team. I never roll without my baseball friends and usually even the girls I meet are somehow connected to baseball or follow the baseball team. It's like baseball is way more than just baseball for me, it controls my life. But I love baseball and my friends from it more than anything.
How did your childhood and upbringing impact your views on baseball and sports?
Well in the DR (Dominican Republic) baseball is pretty much everything. My father played in the Dominican Leagues (Semi-professional) and he started teaching me how to play before I can remember. Baseball really has been everything to me; not just playing it but everything that's come with it. My coaches are my mentors, and my family comes to watch all of my games. Baseball was all I've known since I was a little kid; growing up in a Dominican household, baseball was the thing we talked about most. It got me a scholarship to a division I school, so I'm pretty happy that I was raised a baseball player haha.
When you meet new people, what do you usually talk about?
Umm that's a pretty weird question, so like I don't know. I guess I somehow I always talk about baseball; it's what I do. I don't really have any good friends that don't play baseball, I sort of chill with a few kids who play basketball. I bring up baseball whenever I meet someone new so I can see if I'll like them I guess. I don't like non-athletes, so why would I wanna talk about anything else to someone?
How do you think your life would be different without baseball and sports?
Wow, I've never really thought about that. It would suck; I don't know what I'd do everyday. I don't know what I'd do. Definitely not art or theater or some shit like that. I hate school, so I wouldn't wanna spend all my time studying. I guess I'd be pretty different. I'd be a big fat kid.
How do you think your friendships would change if you did not have baseball?
I wouldn't really have many friends. I'd have to be friends with kids in school which would kinda suck. I have a girlfriend now, but I'd be more focused on having girlfriends always if I didn't have baseball. I really couldn't imagine my life at this point without baseball, it's just who I am.
So Randal, we've known each other for a while now, do you remember when we first got to know each other? What were your first impressions of me?
Well Josh, honestly I just thought you were some short white kid that wasn't gonna be good at baseball. I probably weighed twice as much as you, and could probably hit a ball three times as far. I did not think for a second that we would be teammates for as long as we were cause I thought you would quit at some point. You were one of like two or three white kids on a team full of Dominicans and you were probably the worst on the team. You seemed like a nice kid, but all I really care about is baseball and I thought you sucked. I was wrong though. Trust me, I did not think we were gonna be friends for years like we are now.
I actually was kind of intimidated by you; I didn't feel like I really should have been on the same field as someone as big and as good as you. But I really wanted to become good. How do you think our friendship developed?
I don't really remember lol; you seemed like a nice kid. I don't know. I mean that first season I don't even really remember playing with you. I know you were on the team and everything, but the only thing I remember is when you collided with Steven (In my first season on a baseball team with Randal I was playing the outfield in one of my rare appearances not on the bench and I collided with another outfielder who broke his leg). I guess we didn't really become good friends until the past few seasons. We had some fun times together though.
This is a picture of my summer baseball team from 2013
Randal is sitting in the front on the right and I am standing right above him.
Randal is sitting in the front on the right and I am standing right above him.