Amateur baseball loses a friend

The sportsman's involvement at several levels was done with little fanfare.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
If Dr. Raul Hernandez of Boardman had pulled through from a heart attack he had two months ago, he may have been at a sandlot ballgame this holiday weekend.
Instead, his passing leaves Youngstown's amateur baseball landscape more barren.
Hernandez, a longtime benefactor who had a heart attack on May 8, followed by open-heart surgery, died Saturday night in a Zanesville hospital.
The 74-year-old retired physician broke into the Class AA League with Ohio Carpet in the late 1970s. After a couple decades, his involvement shifted to the Class B League and the W.W. Heating team. He currently co-sponsors Youngstown Propane.
Transformation
"When his playing days were over and his practice established, his release was watching games and sponsoring," former Ohio Carpet player-manager Greg Gulas said of Hernandez.
The former Cuban baseball player who came to New York City for his residency in 1956 went a step beyond the norm with his contribution.
"He and a few others signed a bank note to renovate Pemberton Park and Oakland Field," Gulas said of Hernandez and a handful of local businessmen, all of whom had a passion for baseball.
"Raul preferred not to talk about himself," said his wife, the former Kimberly Cercone. "He loved doing what he did. The public should know what a good man he was."
Hernandez left his Caribbean island when Fulgencio Batista was still in power. After a revolution and Fidel Castro's rise, Hernandez's father told him not to return. He was only back to Cuba twice, but he did help his sister and her family come to the U.S. His brother, a dentist, stayed in Cuba.
Carpet days
Ohio Carpet owner Carl Boni's association with Hernandez goes back many years.
"He loved baseball and he loved kids. He'd treat them and be there for games. He was well-connected with baseball. He didn't want much publicity himself."
During Hernandez's 20-plus years with Carpet, his right-hand man was George Kelso.
"With any of Doc's interests in baseball, Kelso made sure everything was done right," Gulas said.
Although Hernandez never managed, his presence was felt on-field.
"He'd let a manager know what his feelings were if something was wrong," Gulas said. "But he did so many things nobody knows about and never sought remuneration. He was instrumental in keeping the AA League alive when it was ready to die."
Rich Jones and his family operate Youngstown Propane, whose B League team franchise is held by Hernandez.
"We give him a few thousand bucks for the team, but the direction of the franchise belongs to Doc," Rich Jones said. "What we put up isn't enough to take the expenses of the team through the season."
Former player
Jones played for Carpet's AA team for nearly a dozen years.
"He was involved as long as I can remember," said Rich, 41, whose total years in amateur baseball spanned 1981 to 1995.
Apparently, the Jones connection has come full circle.
Rich said that his father, who was best man in Bob Cene's wedding, passed along his Jones Oxygen B League franchise to Cene in the '70s.
"Cene wanted a bigger franchise and Jones Oxygen became the Astro Falcons."
Rich Jones said the team's nickname evolved because most of the Oxygen players were from Austintown Fitch.
Now, four decades later, Propane hooked up with Hernandez for a franchise.
Jones echoed comments about Hernandez.
"He was a background guy. He didn't seek the spotlight, but you knew he was in charge. If Doc didn't like a player or manager, he wasn't around too long."
Retired in 1999
Hernandez retired in September, 1999 when he was on the staff in internal health at Forum Health.
"Less than one percent never fully recover," Hernandez's wife said of the bypass surgery. "He was in that category."
Hernandez passed away in the select unit at Good Samaritan Hospital in Zanesville where his son, Raul Hernandez Jr., is a nephrologist and critical care specialist.
bassetti@vindy.com