Francisco Lindor Is Trying to Save Baseball from Itself

cheap jordans free shipping B/R Mag LogoB/R MagThe new face of MLB isn’t Mike Trout or Kris Bryant. A Puerto Rico fan has challenged the gorilla mascot to cheap jordan sneakers a wrestling match in cheap jordans shoes the middle of the aisle. This is Guadalajara, Mexico, the home of mariachi music and Pool D of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The section has been adopted for the week by Puerto Rico fans, one of whom dukes it out with the gorilla. One armbar later, the gorilla is pinned to the ground. Another fan runs in to referee. cheap jordans free shipping

cheap jordans in china “UNO! DOS! TRES!” cheap jordans in china

cheap yeezys The gorilla walks away in defeat, but the mood doesn’t last long. Throughout the game, he salsa dances with another Puerto Rico fan as “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee takes over the sound system. He gives a woman a lap dance before walking through the stands and finishing abandoned beers. cheap yeezys

cheap jordans sale Some people focus on the mascot, but the pulse of the game emanates from the crowd. A group of nearly 100 Puerto Rico supporters gathers in the concourses before games, singing, dancing and banging hand held cheap jordans sale drums autographed by members of the national team. The Cheap jordans music, known as plena, became popular in Puerto Rico in the 1900s as a periodico cantado, or a sung newspaper, before evolving into a tradition at sporting events. cheap newapplemall.com jordans sale

The spirited environment is much like the one Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor grew up in. Baseball in Puerto Rico is “fun, electric and stylish,” Lindor tells B/R Mag. It’s no coincidence this description reflects Lindor’s game on the field too.

cheap jordans online “In Puerto Rico, baseball is played in a happy way, with music. I remember playing as a boy, here and there, with music, with our mothers singing and fighting with the umpire,” Lindor told ESPN in October. “It’s a different thing, and playing in Puerto Rico taught me to play with passion, with flavor, to be proud of my team. and to play hard.” cheap jordans online

cheap nike shoes Many Puerto Rico fans say baseball is like a religion for them, a religion that elicits song and joy. cheap nike shoes

cheap air jordan That joy translates to the field. Lindor looks loose and excited during batting practice before Puerto Rico’s first game of the WBC against Venezuela. He plays catch with Javier Baez, his childhood friend, before joining the first batting practice group of Carlos Beltran, Yadier Molina and Carlos Correa. cheap air jordan

cheap jordans for sale Lindor turns his hat backward when he steps in the cage, marking an outlier on the field, and begins spraying pitches across the stadium. He doesn’t hit for as much power as the others, but he’s not trying to be cheap air jordan anything he’s not. cheap jordans for sale

cheap jordans from china Francisco Lindor of Cleveland looks on during batting practice on October 28, 2016.(Getty Images) cheap jordans from cheap Air max shoes china

There’s a certain swagger in the way Lindor plays that makes him a magnetic force in a game hellbent on rigid traditions of years gone by. He pairs quick hands, reminiscent of those of Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, for whom Lindor dons the No. 12, with endless range. He loves chatting with his opponents, showering his teammates with gum, flashing his pearly whites and walking up to the plate to Space Jam music.

He’s young, flashy and fun everything baseball isn’t right now. “[Mike] Trout is amazing and the best player, but even if you see him go 4 for 5, it’s not that exciting. You want everyone to play like Lindor.”

The first thing you notice when meeting Lindor is cheap air force his ever present blinding white smile. The smile that served as an introduction to Lindor for many baseball fans during Cleveland’s playoff run last year, when Lindor hit a two run homer to break a scoreless tie in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. A smile that would stand out even on an Oscars red carpet replete with excessively bleached teeth.

cheap jordans on sale “Million dollar smile, man,” says Tim Layden, Lindor’s high school coach at Montverde Academy in Florida. “That’s what we’d always tell him: ‘In case baseball doesn’t work out, that smile will get you somewhere.'” cheap jordans on sale

Cheap jordans Lindor before Game 3 of the Championship Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against Team USA on March 22, 2017, in Los Angeles.(Getty Images) Cheap jordans

One of Lindor’s first major purchases after he signed a pro contract was braces, which he wore for 11 months.

cheap jordans shoes “I was smiling with messed up teeth, cheap jordans china but it was different once they were fixed,” Lindor says. “I didn’t stop smiling.” cheap jordans shoes

cheap jordans china Lindor says he’d be a dentist cheap jordans free shipping if baseball didn’t work out. It’d be a fitting backup occupation for a man who likes to help others look their best, as he does on the field for Cleveland and for baseball. cheap jordans china

cheap air force The combination of Lindor’s wide smile and enthralling playing style earned him the national spotlight. He doesn’t shy away from attention, regularly wearing neon yellow hoodies and acid washed ripped jeans while rocking a partially blond Odell Beckham Jr. hairstyle. He maintains a lively presence on Instagram, too, where he posts plenty of funny photos. That he speaks both English and Spanish only helps enlarge his fanbase. cheap air force

In a sport considered America’s national pastime, Lindor’s identifiable, relatable personality somehow makes him an anomaly. It also makes him an appealing star to cheap yeezys brands including New Balance, which lured Lindor from Under Armour with a multiyear endorsement in February. New Balance is trying to promote a fresh young backward hat wearing star in Lindor, something Major League Baseball hasn’t had since the Ken Griffey Jr. era, when Nike created the Swingman brand for The Kidand released several popular lifestyle sneakers. It’s something Nike’s been unable to replicate with cheap jordans for sale a guy like Trout, who exceeds Griffey’s talent.

cheap adidas “Nobody brags about wearing Trouts like they would wearing Griffeys, which are still cool,” Mintz says. “You feel like you would wear a Trout to dinner with your grandpa. It’s really unfortunate the most dynamic and exciting cheap jordans in china player since Barry Lamar Bonds has the personality of a desk chair.” cheap adidas

Lindor celebrates after Game 1 of the Championship Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against Team Netherlands on March 20, 2017.(Getty Images)

cheap Air max shoes The effort to make Lindor a star beyond the baseball bubble has already started. New Balance digital brand marketing director Pat Cassidy says Lindor will play a role in the company’s lifestyle and apparel lines, with the potential for a signature off the field sneaker that the infielder could help design. cheap Air max shoes

cheap jordan sneakers “His inherent sense of cheap jordans online style and personality goes a long cheap nike shoes way,” Cassidy says. “There’s the old adage in basketball that big men don’t sell sneakers, and there’s a reason for that. It’s hard to relate to Shaq and Tim Duncan. Francisco is a relatable guy and looks good not only with the on field product but cheap jordans in china in all of the lifestyle stuff as well. He’s got good taste.” cheap jordan sneakers

But for all the charm he brings which makes him a perfect ambassador for the sport that’s exactly what he had cheap jordans on sale to tone down when he turned pro. Lindor learned flamboyance is often punished with a pitch between the shoulder blades.