Outside Looking In

Digging through my home office files, I came across three identical sheets of paper, all with the same name, address and phone number on them. It reminded me of a myriad of emotions I went through over 25 years ago.
One of the biggest breaks of my reporting career, or so I thought at the time, was when former Minnesota Twins shortstop Zoilo Versalles asked me to write a book about his life, including his fall from grace after retiring from baseball.
That was on May 13, 1995 when Versalles and former Twins great Tony Oliva were signing autographs at Ridgedale Mall in Minneapolis. I had been a big-time autograph collector at the time and wanted to get Zoilo to sign a photo for me since I already had Oliva's.
I had always been a big "Tony O" fan and he introduced me to Versalles as a "reeter"; his broken Cuban accent for writer. Olivia arranged for the autograph signing that day as a way of helping his former Cuban teammate earn a few bucks.
For those that don't know, Zoilo Versalles was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1965 when the Twins reached the World Series before losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Versalles hit .273 that season and had 45 doubles, 12 triples, 19 home runs and 77 RBI. His also won one of his two Gold Glove Awards and was named an All-Star. Oliva finished second in the MVP voting in '65.
After that season, Zoilo's career spiraled downward. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967 and played one season there. He also played one season with the Cleveland Indians, one with the Atlanta Braves and a part of one season with the new expansion Washington Senators, becoming the only players in Major League history to play for the original and expansion Washington team. He also played in the Mexican and Japanese Leagues.
For his career, Versalles had a .242 batting average with 1,046 hits, 86 homers, 401 RBI, and 84 stolen bases in 1,065 games.
For some reason, there were few people at the mall that day seeking autographs and the former star players seemed bored.
Zoilo asked me to grab a seat beside their table that had several photos of he and Oliva to sign, several black markers, cups of water and coffee, and a cooler with sandwiches.
I ended up sitting there for several hours as Zoilo thought I was there to interview him for a story, which I wasn't. He began to openly tell me about his decline. He had no money, lost his Twin Cities home to foreclosure, and had to sell his MVP trophy, both Gold Glove Awards and his World Series ring in order to make ends meet.
Even though he didn't know me or had ever seen anything I had written, Zoilo began writing on a piece of notebook paper, turned it over, wrote on another, turned that over, and wrote on a third sheet. He then handed me the three sheets of paper that he wrote his name, address and phone number on. To this day, I can't figure out why he gave me three.
I called Zoilo a few times and we discussed the things he wanted included in the book and when it would be convenient for us to meet again and get things organized. A book had been written about his rise to glory in 1967 as a young Cuban reaching the major leagues called "The Kid from Cuba", but Zoilo wanted an up to date account of his life.
I had no idea he was barely making ends meet for he and his family, nor did I realize that he was desperate for someone to write a book about him so he could earn some money. I was so excited at the time that I didn't realize he would have let a preschool child write his book with fingerpaints.
Of course, no one believed me when I told them. "Yeah, yeah, we'll have to see it to believe it" most of them said.
I delved into Zoilo's history, even requesting information from the Twins media relations department that I was unable to find on Zoilo as the internet search sites didn't really begin until the late 1990s.
Zoilo and I arranged to meet at his home in July. I had no idea how sick he was. In addition to back problems, he had suffered two heart attacks, underwent stomach surgery and was sustained solely by disability and Social Security payments.
On June 11, 1995, just 29 days after I met him, he was found dead in the shower of his Bloomington home. An autopsy revealed that he died from arteriosclerotic heart disease, or hardening of the arteries. Versalles was survived by his wife Maria, six daughters and several grandchildren.
For that one shining moment in 1965, Zoilo was on top of the world, winning an MVP and Gold Glove and playing in a World Series. However, Versalles was proof that fame is fleeting.
Life is full of strange twists. And I am reminded of that every time I look at those three sheets of paper.