For those who are unfamiliar with this feature, I scour the most reliable internet sites to try to determine whether or not a former Minnesota Twin is forgotten or not. I use all the best sites – Wikipedia, Google, Bing, eBay, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Baseball Reference. If the player isn't featured to my liking, they are officially forgotten. The entire first paragraph will come from my own memory though. No guarantees for accuracy or insight. At the very end, I will ask one random person if they remember the player. Let’s start with someone I barely remember.
Enjoy!
My memories of Bernardo Brito
Can I say pass? I certainly remember his name because it's hilarious. But who is Bernardo Brito? I'm going to say he was an outfielder and that he was only with the Twins for two seasons. I want to say that he was on a Hall of Fame path as well. I'll guess that he played for the Twins from 1993 to 1994 and that he hit about 7 home runs. As you can clearly see, I have basically no recollection of Bernardo Brito.
Let's do some research!
Oh goodness, what a gold mine! Apparently he is known as "El Pupo." Fantastic. I love Bernardo Brito. I can't find a translation, but Google Image seems to think it means bellybutton. Is Bernardo Brito "The Bellybutton?" I am so glad I chose him. Brito was born on December 4, 1963 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He made his MLB debut on September 15, 1992. He was known for his power and hit five career home runs. He was an outfielder! He played in Japan after leaving the Twins in 1995 and also played for the Sioux Falls Canaries. His nickname was "The Bellybutton."
Brito was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1980 and made his debut in 1992. That is wild! Brito is the most fascinating player ever. Brito played 40 games for the Twins spread out over 1992, 1993 and 1995. He hit .219/.237/.466 in those games. His Minor League stats are amazing. He hit 295 career Minor League home runs. He played over 700 AAA games. He had just under 1500 hits in the Minors. His 1994 season at AAA: .309/.353/.572, 24 doubles, 29 home runs, 122 RBI. The Bellybutton!
Well, the third result down is a bit discouraging. Apparently I completely ripped this idea off from RandBall. Great. We've come too far to not proceed; I'll just have to make sure to not completely rip him off.
Stu's Hunt Down
No! That would be ripping him off. Idiot
Back to Google
Bernardo Brito E Cunha appears to be a Portuguese writer. Going down South America way, I guess. Anyway, he does not seem to be related to our Brito. Here's a great Google Image result of Brito when he was apparently 13 years old: Young Pupo. The card looks to be a million years old, and I really wish I had it.
Bing is stupid. Regardless, I'll use it. The Stu's Hunt Down feature is at the bottom of the second page of results, so that's something different. On the fourth page of results, I did find this baseball card on Amazon, which you can buy for just over 7 bucks. It's a great way to commemorate that awesome 1994 season that I mentioned earlier. The paid search results seem to be imploring me to "find Bernardo Brito" and "uncover Bernardo Brito," which makes me worried that we have a missing persons case on our hands. Probably not the case.
eBay
Oh man. Did you ever want a really fake looking baseball card AND a signed note card of Bernardo Brito? Here you go! You know this is an authentic autograph because no one would forge a note card. I had a friend write the third verse from Onyx's "Slam" on a note card in 3rd grade and that is the only note card I would take over this Brito autograph. No word on whether or not the note card is GEM MINT 10!!!
Oh man. Did you ever want a really fake looking baseball card AND a signed note card of Bernardo Brito? Here you go! You know this is an authentic autograph because no one would forge a note card. I had a friend write the third verse from Onyx's "Slam" on a note card in 3rd grade and that is the only note card I would take over this Brito autograph. No word on whether or not the note card is GEM MINT 10!!!
Facebook
Bernardo Brito doesn't have a facebook page that I can find. He doesn't have a fan page yet either. That's garbage. El Pupo needs a fan page. If anyone wants to go ahead and start one, I'll add a link at a later date. Garbage.
Twitter
Ok, there is definitely a guy named Bernardo Brito on Twitter and he tweets a lot. I don't think it's our man though. I can't read any of it, because I don't speak any languages, but the picture doesn't match and I can see faces. I decided to look for "el pupo brito" and that led me to this man who is arguing that Brito is a better hitter than Albert Pujols and Jose Bautista. Do you want to argue that?
El Pupo Brito. RT @Josearmandoacta: Quién es mejor jugador en la actualidad: José Bautista o Albert Pujols?
— Carlos Maxwell (@carlosmaxwell) June 29, 2012
There are all kinds of tweets including Brito and other fun baseball players but I can't read any of them because I only took 8 years of Spanish and I'm a fantastic student.
YouTube
I decided to roll the dice using "el pupo brito" as my search terms on YouTube, but the first result was about Julia Stiles, so I think I failed. I tried everything, you guys. I looked for Brito, Brito plus Twins, Brito plus baseball and there's just nothing. The internet is devoid of Bernardo Brito videos. This video of the 10 worst ceremonial first pitches will have to suffice.
YouTube
I decided to roll the dice using "el pupo brito" as my search terms on YouTube, but the first result was about Julia Stiles, so I think I failed. I tried everything, you guys. I looked for Brito, Brito plus Twins, Brito plus baseball and there's just nothing. The internet is devoid of Bernardo Brito videos. This video of the 10 worst ceremonial first pitches will have to suffice.
Random Person
I sent a text to a friend regarding Brito:
- Me: Do you remember Bernardo Brito?
- Friend: Nope
- Me: Did you know he was nicknamed "El Pupo?"
- Friend: How would I?
Verdict
I say he's forgotten. You can't have an HOF nickname like El Pupo or The Bellybutton,have such a lack of quality internet information and still be remembered. When you throw in his Minor League career, Japanese career and huge power, it just feels like there should be more to uncover. Thus, Bernardo Brito goes into the "forgotten" category, joining Pedro Munoz and Freddie Toliver.
What is your favorite El Pupo memory? Do you even have one?
I will never forget Bernardo Brito. I was at a game one time, and we came early to watch batting practice. A screaming line drive was hit right off of the wall, and Brito picked it up and tossed it into the left field stands at the Metrodome. My 15 year old self caught it. After the game, I hung out with my dad near the place where the players exited the Metrodome after the game, hoping to get Brito to sign the ball for me. Alas, he kept walking, but I still have that ball somewhere, and he will always be a Twin I remember.
ReplyDeleteIf only you knew at the time to call him "El Pupo," you might have gotten that signature!
DeleteTurns out Brito had a decent career in Japan with the Nippon Ham Fighters. I had no idea. http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/133628053.html
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a great video on YouTube from a sports show that had a highlight reel of Brito striking out and throwing a mini-tantrum at the plate. Hilarious stuff, but unfortunately, it seems to have gone missing. There is this, however, showing Bernie dropping one nearly into the left field seats somewhere in Japan:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_PxjI3tCI
Oh, the HR is around the 3:25 mark.
Delete