of MARVIN B. and MS. Z
The heart–warming, highly unlikely and utterly true tale of one player and his one–woman fanbase
July 2000
Giants 8, DODGERS 4
The Posse circled the wagons at Chavez Ravine to visit with one of baseball’s historic rivalries, the San Franciso Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a longtime former Bay Area resident and equally longtime Dodger hater, it was my first venture into enemy territory.
Before the game, we met across from Union Station at Philippe’s, a deli famous for its French Dip roast beef sandwiches. There, we met David K. Li, Cal State Fullerton alumnus and baseball stringer for the NY Daily News.
And thereby hangs the tale of a most improbable friendship.
At first glance, Marvin has the look of your basic Los Angeles gangbanger, minus most of the tattoos. He could pull off that persona with no problem at all. Relatively short, but unbelieavbly powerful–looking physique.
But the reality of Marvin Bernard is very different from the visual impression.
Marvin came to the United States from Nicaragua at the age of 12, with his mother and without a word of English. Ilene Zak was his English teacher in junior high in Los Angeles. She became totally devoted to Marvin and his family.
Marvin went to Lewis & Clark College in Idaho to get away from the distractions of Los Angeles (any farther away and he’d have been studying in the Arctic Circle). When the Giants drafted him in the 50th round, and his ex–teacher promptly became his one–woman fanbase.
She goes to every Giants game she can. She videotapes every game, and every highlight featuring Marvin Benard. When he’s in town, she has him and his family over for dinner, which she did that day after the game.
As for Marvin himself, he is a nice guy, very genuine and down–to–earth, unlike a certain Hall of Fame-bound teammate with a bush–league temperament (paging Barry Bonds! paging Barry Bonds!). How can you not like a guy whose all–time favorite player is Willie McCovey? Goes about his business quietly and seems to truly respect and appreciate the game.
Oh yeah, the Giants beat the Dodgers, 8—4. A good day, all around.
POSTSCRIPT
The Giants released Marvin Benard after the 2003 season. He latched on briefly with the Chicago White Sox, but was released in March. The White Sox claim he was cut due to a leg injury, but ominously, his name was been linked to baseball’s steroid controversy. Either way, it seems we are unlikely to see this personable young man on a major league field again.
Gregory Alan Gross
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