Capítulo 190 de El Infield Podcast. Freddy Chersia, Carlos Valmore Rodríguez y Efraín Zavarce entrevistan a Federico Rojas Zabolotnyj. El nuevo gerente deportivo de los Navegantes del Magallanes habla del proyecto que convenció a la directiva del equipo para su nombramiento y ratifica la urgencia por contratar al manager para la campaña 2025-2026 de la LVBP.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00I'm going to go ahead and
00:30say hello to the new manager of the Magallanes Navigators Team, Federico Rojas.
00:35Federico, thank you for accepting our invitation.
00:38Thank you for giving us part of your time.
00:40And welcome to Infield, because this is going to be your home too.
00:44Thank you, Freddy.
00:44Thank you, Carlos Balmore.
00:46Of course, Efraín, for the opportunity.
00:49We've been brothers in the media for many years.
00:53You were my boss too.
00:55So we're always going to be in this open dynamic and, of course,
00:59we're going to be able to support you because we understand the work and
01:03the importance that you carry out and what we can contribute and
01:07that is available to us, count on me.
01:09Federico, if this had been a kind of candidacy,
01:16a kind of suffrage that you would have to do,
01:21a kind of propaganda for your election,
01:27why is Federico the best option to be the manager of the Magallanes?
01:33What does Federico bring to such an important team?
01:37Look, Freddy, there are things that, within what I can,
01:42let's say, offer in terms of my management,
01:46it goes through the operational plan that I have,
01:51to give you some background, in other organizations.
01:54Although it is true that there are other sports in which one can say,
01:57hey, look, but this man has not been managing in baseball as such,
02:03and it may be one of the things that they say, and how is he going to adapt to this sport?
02:09At the operational level, at the functional level,
02:12the sports are really similar in their structure.
02:16What really changes is the game itself, right?
02:20And it is there, that other side that, fortunately,
02:24this has been a sport in which we have had a lot of passion,
02:28in which we have gone through different stages.
02:31At the time, I even started as an official League scorer,
02:35with Gil Reyes, 20 years ago.
02:40At that time, I was already starting to get to know and familiarize myself with a sport
02:47in which, from my place of origin, from Puerto Cabello,
02:51we all live and love baseball.
02:54Today, perhaps it has changed a little bit with the inclusion of factors related to football,
02:59but there is always a lot of talk about the savannah,
03:03but when you analyze what Puerto Cabello has,
03:05you can find a tremendous historical lineup, right?
03:09And in that case, one always had that passion.
03:14José Bernardo ended up being a house in which we often coincided as well,
03:21in terms of the media, with you, I knew many of you there.
03:25And then other stages were born, right?
03:29I wanted to train a little more, perhaps in the communication area,
03:34I felt that I wanted a little more, right?
03:36To have that spark and get involved in the operational area.
03:40I moved to Europe a few years ago to study,
03:44first English, then Sports Management.
03:47And it was a career, let's say, with a lot of calm, right?
03:52The opportunity was given at the time with Trotamundos,
03:55first as an appointment to the presidency,
03:58then there was that step when the Palmiusano group acquired Trotamundos in 2017
04:03and we started to operate.
04:05So, what do I offer?
04:06Well, one of the characteristics that we have achieved at the management level
04:11is to have that synergy between all the parties involved, right?
04:16For the teams to achieve their big goals, their final goal,
04:21and at least be playing in the last week of January,
04:24which is to dispute that final,
04:26we have to combine all those elements.
04:30If any of them falls, if any of them goes to one side,
04:34it doesn't mean that it can't be achieved, but it's going to be more difficult.
04:36So, here, one of the elements that we mentioned
04:40is to try to combine those factors.
04:44We have a challenge that we have already been advancing in this first week,
04:48which is to meet, either virtually or personally,
04:53with the majority of the players.
04:55We are talking about more than 250 players who are linked to the Magallanes.
05:00And that, of course, personally, from here in September,
05:02it's not going to be easy.
05:04But we understand all the value that each member of the institution has,
05:09and that's something that we're going to emphasize, right?
05:12We're not going to be able to count on all of them.
05:14It's impossible.
05:15There's no bed for so many people, right?
05:18But we'll know how to try to focus in that way.
05:21And on the other hand, in the focus of baseball,
05:24let's say beyond the operational or management level,
05:27that one could have something related to knowledge,
05:32but in baseball, at the time, I had a small step through Magallanes,
05:37a couple of years in the role of analyst,
05:40maybe a little more empirical at that time.
05:42Then I tried to form a little more,
05:46learning all this current dynamics related to biomechanics,
05:51with all of that.
05:52And well, fortunately, there were opportunities
05:55to be working here in the United States,
05:58currently linked with the Tampa Bay Rays,
06:02which is an organization that I thank very much for this opportunity,
06:05because if you go to the Civil,
06:09my experience was much more assigned to other sports,
06:11and fortunately this path was given,
06:14in which it has been a year of a lot of learning,
06:18a year in which we have been linked, especially to that role,
06:21with all these trends related to the tracking system and all that.
06:25Federico, you talk about trying to achieve synergy
06:28between all the parties involved,
06:30and that reminds me that the Magallanes board
06:32is really very broad.
06:35That's why I ask you,
06:37how independent are you going to be as a sports manager?
06:43Look, the sports managers, if they want to handle themselves
06:46simply as an island and that everything falls into one,
06:51you can be successful at a given moment,
06:53but at some point that can be dilapidated.
06:56If you don't plan to work as a team, it's going to be more complicated.
06:59And we, that precise factor,
07:03there are situations in which, let's say,
07:06with smaller groups related to commissions,
07:09in this case, sports commissions,
07:11you have to work, because sport also requires
07:15that spark very quickly,
07:17to have the determination to execute quickly,
07:21because you can lose opportunities to make changes,
07:24to make contracts, because another team got ahead.
07:27And that's one of the things that when the board contacted me,
07:31I emphasized, we're all going to get involved,
07:34we're all going to try to be on the same page,
07:36but we have to have the speed of the case
07:38so that when we have to get on the accelerator,
07:41we can execute, because otherwise it's going to be more complicated.
07:44In the other institutions, at the managerial level,
07:47it was a little shorter,
07:48and that presence that you say is important,
07:51but there has to be a conviction,
07:54and our part of the project, when we presented it to the organization,
07:58the board was convinced of what we were doing,
08:03and I think this is a first step.
08:06The work, and one of the things I mentioned,
08:08we can't wait until September, August,
08:10to be on that path.
08:12We have to take full advantage of the off-season,
08:14there are more hours of work for us,
08:16but this is what it's about,
08:17to have the balance within what we are currently doing here,
08:21and also, of course, everything that concerns Magallanes,
08:24and all this time, all this off-season,
08:26is going to allow us, in some way,
08:28to be able to make our way,
08:30and that we can bring together the greatest possible talent.
08:34Federico, in the press conference that you offered with Magallanes
08:41a few days ago to introduce yourself as a sports manager,
08:46you referred to the budget,
08:48and you said that you didn't have an exact figure yet.
08:53However, one assumes that when you were interviewed for the position,
08:58you probably told the board,
09:03with how many resources am I going to count?
09:06And I guess they would have told you,
09:07look, manage the abundance with the criteria of scarcity,
09:12or look, tie your belt,
09:14and that's what you're going to work with,
09:16and if you don't like it, well, we'll look for another alternative.
09:20Where are the draftees going?
09:22I'm not going to ask you for a budget number,
09:24because there are people who don't want it,
09:25but maybe a magnitude of the budget,
09:29with which you already more or less know that you will be able to work.
09:32Look, I think I have a person by my side
09:34who knows a lot about having to adjust to budgetary situations.
09:39I don't know how many,
09:42in all the companies I've been to,
09:46you don't often have free rein,
09:48so you have to try to adjust to elements
09:53and be as productive as possible with that.
09:55This does not mean that the team will be fully limited,
10:00but it is there where we have to know how to balance certain things.
10:04We have to, in the operational plan, be very intelligent,
10:07be very creative, be in that part of the day-to-day,
10:12see how we can save elements that allow,
10:15in some way, this also in terms of the payroll,
10:20which generally in Venezuela is the bulk of the teams,
10:27and that the budget is generally 70-80%.
10:31This is common.
10:33Certainly, one of the things we talked about,
10:35in what plane can we position ourselves?
10:37In what plane are we going to be?
10:39So, there we have to review cases,
10:42that we cannot repeat situations,
10:43such as pitchers who may be three or four months
10:49and having little action.
10:50If there is someone who may not be performing,
10:52taking the case of foreigners,
10:54certainly there are some particularities
10:57of the hiring of foreigners in baseball
11:00that are different from those of football and basketball.
11:04I would say that in baseball it is a little bit in the middle,
11:06because you have that kind of guarantee of a period of time,
11:12of a month, unlike football,
11:14where you hire someone and you have to have him all the tournament,
11:18unless you reach an agreement.
11:21And in the case of basketball,
11:22if maybe you didn't like a player and you didn't guarantee it,
11:26it was a weekend and that's it.
11:29So, that's where we have to be very aware of the way,
11:33because the player is not only the salary,
11:35Carlos, what it represents is the lodging,
11:38that ticket, the visa management.
11:40So, when you start adding up here,
11:42hey, but so many Bolivars came out here,
11:45and here came another one, and here came another one.
11:47And those are the things that we have to be careful about.
11:51As I told you,
11:52I'm sorry to take so many operative references
11:54from other organizations,
11:56but it has always been like this.
11:59It's not that there has been that opportunity,
12:02it's that there is a white card in full.
12:05And we understand that.
12:06That has been our challenge all the time.
12:08We have handled it, we have understood it in a way
12:10to also be productive in sports.
12:14Federico, you also touched on that press conference,
12:19your connection with the Tampa Bay Rays
12:23and the possibility, perhaps,
12:24of being able to count on players from that organization.
12:28In addition to the Rays,
12:29do you have good relations with other organizations?
12:33Because here in recent years,
12:35the trend has been to look for imported players,
12:38no longer from organized baseball,
12:39but from Mexican baseball,
12:42from dependent ball.
12:45Where do you want to focus there in terms of importation?
12:48To seek, to resume that,
12:50to bring imported players from big league organizations,
12:54or to continue in this new trend?
12:56Look, fortunately, there is a good relationship
13:00with the Rays, that which you mention,
13:03to have a link.
13:04But that is not previously related
13:06to everything that one raises,
13:07look, I want this, and I'm going to do that.
13:09Not at all.
13:10Today, baseball has changed,
13:12and perhaps those possibilities that they had in the 90s,
13:17organizations like the Magallanes with Houston,
13:20the Blue Jays related to Cardenales del Ara,
13:23that is another world.
13:25Today, we have to understand that there are too many factors,
13:29and to be able to count on players
13:31that are in the one-on-one,
13:34the prospects available,
13:36is very, very difficult, right?
13:40But obviously, there are others that need
13:43the link with winter baseball.
13:46It happens a lot, of course,
13:47with the disposition of the organizations,
13:50it happens a lot with the player's own disposition.
13:52Because we have seen, for example, in the Dominican Republic,
13:55Jordan Lawlor played this year,
13:56who is one of the main prospects of Arizona,
13:59just to give you an example.
14:02We are going to make an important effort in that regard,
14:07and in fact, in the next few days,
14:09we are going to have official visits
14:11to several organizations,
14:13knocking the doors,
14:14trying to see how to pave that path.
14:20It's not going to be the only path,
14:21it doesn't mean that we are,
14:23that all the importation has to be full there.
14:25But we are going to try to make an effort
14:27to make a large part of it.
14:28Because there are other players
14:29who have come from independent circuits
14:31who have ended up having good performances
14:34in recent years.
14:37It is important that the importer
14:39who goes to Venezuela,
14:40manages to adapt to Venezuela,
14:42or wants to adapt to Venezuela.
14:45And that for us is decisive,
14:48because if you take a player
14:49who maybe in some tournaments
14:51the water was cold,
14:54that affects,
14:55and that affects all the team operations
15:00and team sports.
15:04I tell you, once in football
15:05we brought two African players,
15:08and one thought that they could adapt
15:14easily to the path,
15:17and there really was no way.
15:19They just spoke French,
15:21we put a translator on them,
15:22we made all the efforts.
15:24They eat differently.
15:25So all those things,
15:26one has to, let's say,
15:28prepare them to go down that path,
15:31have one-on-one contact with them
15:34so that they are willing.
15:37In Basque, one finds another type of importer
15:40who is, let's say, more open to go.
15:44It is less complex in that sense.
15:47Basically, what changes
15:48is certain elements of food,
15:50but they are bearable.
15:53So that is going to be part of our path.
15:56As I told you, I am not closed to other players
15:58who may be making a living in the League of Independents
16:01or in circuits like Mexico,
16:03so of course we will be working on it.
16:06We continue with this thread of importers,
16:08because this week in the press conference
16:10you said that for you the ideal would be
16:13to have importers as a good part
16:17of the importers with whom Lara counted
16:20in this season,
16:21in which she ended up being champion.
16:23That is, players who are available
16:27from the first day of the season
16:29to the last match of the final.
16:33However, I ask you, Federico,
16:36how feasible is that?
16:38Because at least two conditions are required
16:42to be able to achieve it.
16:44The first is that those importers
16:47are willing to be here
16:49from the first half of October
16:53until the end of January.
16:55And then, beyond the willingness
16:58to stay here for all that time,
17:03their performance justifies their being here.
17:06So that is why I ask you,
17:10of course it would be ideal,
17:12but really, how feasible is that?
17:14What you mention, Efraín, is the ideal, right?
17:17The world has dreamed of being able to count
17:20with those players that you don't have to move
17:23from the beginning.
17:24And it is not easy to be able to combine
17:27all those elements.
17:28But we have to be prepared
17:30so as not to get stuck
17:33with a group of the first wave of importers.
17:36Venezuelan baseball has always handled,
17:39at the time, with several waves of importers.
17:42I remember that they were always announced,
17:43even up to the second batch of importers
17:46that were going to be at a given moment.
17:48Today, the dynamics are perhaps a little different,
17:52but we have to be prepared,
17:53not only thinking about the plan
17:57to incorporate some pieces,
17:59but in the operational plan.
18:01Carlos Almorez, if I remember correctly,
18:03I think he made a mention
18:05when he was starting the round-robin
18:06or was going through the round-robin
18:08on the subject of visas.
18:10And that is another element
18:12that we have to take into account
18:14because visas are a factor that plays
18:18within that logistics
18:20of bringing in foreigners.
18:23Notice, when you analyze
18:24what are the characteristics of those importers
18:26that had precisely cardinals,
18:29none had a prospectus label.
18:30Or even others were in the League of Independents
18:34and others who already knew the circuit,
18:35as in the case of Ravelo.
18:38That served, that was ideal,
18:42that it could be repeated.
18:44Look, Magallanes, I think that for starters,
18:47people talk about the import of last year,
18:50but if you look at it,
18:52it seemed that it could be an import
18:55at an offensive level,
18:57mainly that it brought together elements of players
18:59that perhaps could have surrendered,
19:01in the case of Barnum, of Peter Bryan.
19:03And the truth is that they were players
19:05who unfortunately did not get the quota
19:09that the board bet on them.
19:12And it seemed to bring together that profile
19:16of those characteristics of players
19:17that could be until the end.
19:19Then it also happens because of their performance,
19:21not just because of the disposition.
19:24And that's what we have to be attacking.
19:25We have to be prepared for all these events.
19:30We take a break and we'll be back
19:32with this conversation
19:33with the new manager of Magallanes, Federico.
19:37Download and win now.
19:38Sports betting.
19:40Free match and live.
19:43International and national IP.
19:47Slots and mini-games.
19:50Casino live.
19:54Lotteries.
19:57Esport.
20:00ApuestasRoyal.com
20:02We are on the Infield Podcast with Federico
20:05Fonjas, the new sports manager of the Magallanes Navigators.
20:11Federico, in the press conference,
20:13you referred to the issue of the manager.
20:16And you said that, of course,
20:19the first door you were going to knock on
20:22was that of the pilot of the previous season,
20:25Eduardo Pérez, who led the club to round robin.
20:31However, the perception that I had, Federico,
20:35and maybe I'm wrong and that's why we have you here
20:38to ask you,
20:40is that you are not very sure
20:44that Eduardo Pérez could continue.
20:47Something like, look, I'm going to knock on that door,
20:50well, because it is what corresponds,
20:53because he is the manager.
20:55Tell us about that.
20:56How do you see the availability at the moment
20:59or let's say the willingness of the Magallanes
21:04to keep Eduardo Pérez at the forefront?
21:07Look, the case, Carlos,
21:08and I think it is very valid
21:11the question you ask in relation to Eduardo.
21:14Eduardo, I think he is a professional.
21:18I have dealt a little with him.
21:19There have been like three exchanges that we have had
21:23and recently,
21:25but it shows a lot of value
21:28in the way he behaves.
21:30And I think he has had a good relationship
21:32in each of the organizations that he has been linked to.
21:37We talk to him.
21:39There is still, as I have mentioned,
21:42there is not a yes or a no in full.
21:46He, like many of those who end up coming here to the United States,
21:52to combine the main work and that it can be repeated.
21:57Maybe sometimes you don't analyze everything that means.
22:01That lot of eight months here and four months here
22:05and what it means to the family.
22:07So those are aspects that,
22:09on the part of Eduardo,
22:11we are going to meet in the next 20,
22:16specifically in Norfolk with him.
22:18For us, it is important to have that approach.
22:23We know that he is someone who
22:25has shown all his professionalism.
22:28We are going to continue in some way that step
22:33and highlight the possibility that he can continue in command.
22:38Federico, until what date approximately
22:41do you expect to wait for a positive or negative answer?
22:48Regardless of what Eduardo Perez is going to say.
22:51Do you have a scheduled date?
22:53Well, if this date has not been decided,
22:55we are looking for another one.
22:56No, Fred, in fact, it will be until this month of March.
22:58After this period, we can't give many long ones
23:02because it goes through the complete
23:04conformation of the coaching staff.
23:07So one thinks, well, we still have six months
23:10for the start of the preseason,
23:12but that's really nothing.
23:15That's it and we can't give so many long ones on this matter.
23:21And obviously, that's where the conversation goes,
23:25that approach that we are going to have personally with Eduardo.
23:30Also, of course, not only Eduardo,
23:31but the issue of the coaching staff,
23:34which of course is given with what the head of the group can do.
23:39I have already been talking to some who have been last year.
23:43The truth is that the dynamics, we would like to talk to everyone,
23:46but it covers all the various commitments
23:49and how fast it has been these days
23:51and also the commitments that one has to make personally.
23:53But obviously, we can't give so many long ones.
23:57Going back to your question, we can't give so many long ones
23:59in the face of what the 2025-2026 season is going to be.
24:03And do you see Robinson Chirino as an alternative, Federico?
24:06Look, at the moment we have not fully analyzed
24:11that he is an alternative to Robinson.
24:13And we have not analyzed him as an alternative
24:15because first we must meet with Eduardo
24:18and from there we will analyze what other steps we can take
24:22to be official, to continue with the team,
24:27or if not, also from there
24:30all possible alternatives will arise.
24:33Everything seems to indicate, even from what you just said,
24:36from what you said in the press conference,
24:38from what has been shown through some leaks
24:45for weeks now,
24:48that the first option to go to the Magallanes
24:50next season is Eduardo Pérez.
24:52The first option from the perspective of the Magallanes.
24:57But be careful because Eduardo Pérez at some point
24:58during the round-robin said that he didn't see that possibility
25:04of returning so clearly.
25:07And there is a factor that is not only conditioning the Magallanes
25:13or could condition the Magallanes,
25:14if we don't know, he is also doing it in other teams
25:18and it is the economic factor,
25:19that is, how much a certain team could offer
25:24to a person, to a particular candidate
25:29to direct a team.
25:31That is a reality that is at the moment in La Liga.
25:34There is another factor that strikes me,
25:36usually when a general manager
25:42is assuming that role for the first time,
25:46when he is arriving,
25:47the logical thing, it happens in big leagues,
25:49it happens in some way here too,
25:50is that he wants to meet with people who are in tune.
25:57In this case, you are arriving,
25:59Eduardo Pérez arrived last year to the Magallanes
26:04and all this long preamble I do it to ask you
26:10if that decision of who is going to direct the Magallanes,
26:14separating the economic issue, which is very important,
26:19has to do directly with you
26:21or is it a collegial decision
26:23with this Magallanes sports commission
26:27with the other members?
26:29Yes, in the role of sports manager,
26:32the decision, the decision-making,
26:35happens a lot for one, right?
26:38I insist, in all the institutions I've been to,
26:41you don't just shoot and make the decision.
26:46It has been the characteristic of what I have done
26:49and it is something that I will not stop doing.
26:52If I bring a coach, a manager, a head coach,
26:57it will happen because we are all aligned
27:00and why that person is going to come,
27:03why he is going to be there.
27:04And in relation to what you mentioned about the affiliations,
27:08in that sense I try to link the organization
27:14with people who can contribute, who are productive,
27:17they don't necessarily have to be my full friends
27:21because I believe that in this case
27:24professionalism goes first
27:26and people who, of course, can contribute to the organization,
27:29people who may be knowing initially,
27:32we will evaluate the scenarios, right?
27:34We will evaluate not only based on a first approach
27:39and say, this is it.
27:40One also begins to evaluate a little
27:42the dynamics that are currently in the United States
27:46and the processes are different.
27:48You go through multiple interviews,
27:50you go through multiple steps of candidates
27:55and that we are also going to take into account.
27:59As you mentioned,
28:01moving away from the economic issue,
28:03the economic issue is something that we have not initially addressed
28:07in negotiations.
28:09Right now we are first in approach
28:11and obviously that will end later.
28:13If there is availability in terms of the human factor
28:18of being able to be either with Eduardo
28:21or if it is not Eduardo and it is another candidate,
28:24all those elements have to be key
28:25because for us it is very important
28:28that whoever is linked to the team,
28:31be it the manager, be it the bench coach,
28:35be it players,
28:37they have to be willing and 100% focused
28:40on that stage that they can be for four months.
28:43We all have families, we all live in our moment,
28:45you spend it traveling
28:46and you spend more time together as a family,
28:50but obviously your group has to be aware
28:54and the important thing is that they can be
28:57in some way as calm as possible
29:00so that they can give 100%.
29:02It is not easy to combine all those aspects.
29:04We are all going to have situations in which,
29:06look, something happened at home,
29:09something happened to my son or something like that,
29:12so those are things that one has to understand
29:15because you are working with humans and that is what it is about.
29:18One of the first cases that we have to be clear about
29:22is that we are managing with humans,
29:24we are not managing with machines.
29:25Sometimes we don't take that mental factor into account
29:29because we follow a team
29:30because what we want is for a team to win.
29:32So someone has to give up,
29:33someone who gave up in the past
29:34and has to repeat their performance
29:37without knowing when they can be kicking.
29:40And the same goes for all those decisions,
29:42those conformations,
29:43that the moment someone says yes,
29:44we are already ahead of that.
29:47Federico, you have already had experience with the world,
29:51Cara Bo'o,
29:53and now you come to this stage with the Magallanes.
29:56The fans, on many occasions,
29:59want results right away.
30:03And sometimes,
30:05suddenly they don't know what might be happening inside,
30:08but they are very critical.
30:10And the fanaticism of the Magallanes is strong,
30:15it is tough,
30:15because we are talking about
30:17Leones and Magallanes
30:19who are the main teams in our league, in our country.
30:24How is Federico Rojas mentally and psychologically prepared
30:29to receive that criticism from the fans?
30:34Look, when you assume these positions,
30:38you know that you are going to be exposed to criticism.
30:42It is part of our job.
30:44And if we cling precisely to those situations,
30:47not only the fans,
30:49because there are going to be times when you are going to give a reading,
30:52look, he failed with this one.
30:53And you can't take it personally.
30:55You have to really perceive
31:00that it worked and that it didn't.
31:02And you can't get into that fight of who is right,
31:07because it is wasting a lot of time.
31:11Fortunately, the road to Trotamundo,
31:13I think it helped me to perceive that.
31:17In the first year, you know, you receive criticism and you know,
31:22not everyone is prepared for that first path,
31:25but then it becomes part of you.
31:27Those same elements are leading you on the path.
31:32And they are institutions,
31:35in the case of Trotamundo, in the case of Magallanes,
31:37in the case of Leones,
31:38Deportivo Tachira, Caracas Football Club,
31:41to mention a few,
31:43they are fans who want to win,
31:45who want to win every year.
31:47And we have to be prepared to compete at the highest level possible.
31:53You don't win every year.
31:54There is always that phrase that it is more normal to lose,
31:59as Ginoveli said, it is more normal to lose than to win.
32:02We, in Trotamundo, went to five finals and in the last two years
32:05we were third and we were categorized as a failure.
32:07And that's what it's about,
32:09to understand that every year we have to improve
32:12and focus on what we fail at.
32:16I can't fully catalog or qualify everything that happened
32:21in the previous season.
32:23But, for example, we have to see what aspects did fail
32:28and try not to repeat them.
32:31And why do I say I can't qualify it?
32:32Because there is a person who I respect
32:37for all his career, which is the case of Luis.
32:40Luis did things that are not easy.
32:42Getting to five finals in 12 seasons and winning three championships
32:46is not an easy thing.
32:48And there are many sporting directors who have done memorable work
32:54and have been competing for a long time and then the result is not repeated.
32:58And well, they say, we have to move the bush.
33:01We are exposed to that.
33:02Year after year, we have to live with that adrenaline
33:06to compete at the highest level.
33:08You don't win every year.
33:09But I think the day you lose, personally,
33:14that desire to want to win and to enter a comfort zone,
33:17it's better to say, look, I've come this far.
33:19Because you have to live with that desire to win
33:23and not to win just to win, whatever.
33:26It's about building those steps.
33:28Building the victory
33:32is not just about grouping a lot of talented players,
33:36a group of coaching staff that is the best,
33:41but that each of those elements can be at ease being in the organization.
33:47And then it's about giving momentum.
33:49Then all those elements seem to come together
33:54in a way so that victories can be achieved.
33:56What do you consider, Federico Rojas,
33:58are the most important points of the project
34:02that you presented to the Magallanes board?
34:07Yes, one of the main points,
34:10that approach with each of the members of the organization.
34:15There are players who are not going to be there
34:17because they are not even prepared yet,
34:20because they are young people who have recently signed the professional
34:25and who are probably not ready to take the professional step
34:31in the LBP as such.
34:33But then, and that's where you would tell me,
34:36what role do they play?
34:37Well, the role with them is also to make them feel part of the organization,
34:44and not necessarily by playing.
34:45We have to promote the fact and the pride of being a Magallanero.
34:50That is a factor that one can say is a little intangible,
34:56but in order to get there, we have to move it from the inside.
34:59In my case, I always seek to have a frank communication
35:03with all the players, with all the staff.
35:06These are factors that we have developed
35:10throughout the management that we have carried out.
35:13That, on the one hand.
35:15On the other, all these relationships that we talked about are decisive.
35:20Being a little more assertive in terms of the choices of foreign players,
35:25that they can be productive.
35:28Being balanced in terms of budget management.
35:33All those factors, to mention something from a project
35:36that had a slightly more extensive presentation,
35:40but those are points in which we will emphasize.
35:43And we, of course, if we are aligning all those aspects,
35:48it will respond a little to what Freyja mentioned earlier,
35:51that we have to give an answer to that demanding fans,
35:56because the fans in Valencia are demanding,
35:58but they will respond to the extent that we can also make an effort
36:02to build a competitive team that can be at the forefront.
36:08And so we also need to be strong at home,
36:11because really the teams, I insist,
36:16and I take the example of Barquisimeto a lot.
36:20When you go to Barquisimeto, they make you feel like a visitor.
36:23They make you feel like a visitor because the fans are there,
36:28because Gregorio Valle is involved in every situation.
36:33And that speaks of an identification that the Valencian team has generated.
36:39The same thing happens with the Guaira Sharks.
36:43The Caribbean achieved, in that stretch of success of Samuel Moscatell,
36:49to also generate that identity in a city that reigned the basketball world
36:54with a team of a great identity as Marines at that time.
36:57So we go through having that niche.
37:01It is something that we have achieved in Carabobo.
37:03In Carabobo, when we played football, we did not have juveniles.
37:08We had a squad, basically, of 20 players and very little infrastructure.
37:14So we had to carve that path,
37:16generate that recognition from all sides of the fans.
37:23And today, Misael Delgado always sees it with good influence.
37:26And with Trotamundo, the same.
37:27In 2017, there were players who wanted to leave the team
37:32because they did not feel comfortable.
37:34Today, fortunately, Trotamundo is the institution
37:37where most Venezuelan players want to be and have a reputation.
37:42And the fans have also turned to support at important moments in the Valencia Forum.
37:47This is another premise that, based on other elements,
37:51we are going to be promoting, we are going to be developing,
37:54so that, also understanding all the needs that may exist,
37:59baseball has different characteristics from other sports.
38:01In football, you play twice a month, at home.
38:04And the operating expense is different from having to play
38:06sometimes a week, three or four times at home.
38:11But we understand that we have to try to recover that path.
38:15Because Caracas-Magallanes has always been, historically,
38:19a good affluence of fans.
38:21But in the dynasty era, for example, of the Tigers,
38:24the Magallanes Tigers in José Bernardo Pérez
38:26were practically full.
38:28And there has always been an affluence in games with Lara,
38:32with Zulia, with Sharks.
38:34And those are aspects that we are going to try to promote
38:37also within our link with the organization,
38:41which, certainly, in terms of marketing promotion,
38:43does not depend entirely on us,
38:45but what we do operatively in sports,
38:47will encourage that.
38:48If we are bringing together a competitive team
38:51in which we can convince renowned players,
38:55or those who are in that early stage of their career,
38:58but who have been doing good performances,
39:00like Luis Suizwell, like Luar Berarias,
39:04like Gabriel Rincones Jr., to name a few cases,
39:07those are also elements that end up being attractive
39:10so that that fan base becomes robust and can back it up.
39:15When Federico Rojas makes his first change of players
39:20with other LBP teams, what will he go out to look for?
39:25Look, I think he will go out to look for
39:28what is missing within what they have shown
39:32willingness to come with the team.
39:34And the same thing will be with the import, right?
39:36Obviously, the pitchers always end up being
39:40a desire, but also, Carlos,
39:42the opportunities that are presented,
39:44perhaps at a given moment,
39:45that maybe one is not looking for a particular path
39:50and it is presented, hey, you have to take it.
39:52And that is the dynamics of the sport
39:54that one has to understand.
39:57I'll tell you something,
39:59a month ago I was surprised,
40:01just on February 13th,
40:03well, I forget,
40:04a call from Hector Arias,
40:07through the board of directors,
40:10and this issue of sports management with Magallanes,
40:13I didn't have it in mind.
40:16The truth is that I had to go to Venezuela
40:20in the case of Trotamundos
40:22because my daily activities were combined here
40:26in the middle of summer with basketball.
40:29And Magallanes was not something I had in mind,
40:33even though it is an institution
40:35that I love very much,
40:36that I respect very much.
40:38And I was a little surprised.
40:40But then, analyzing all the pros and cons
40:43and combining the elements,
40:45it was an opportunity
40:47in which one took the step for the bid.
40:50And that's why I tell you,
40:51the same dynamism gives you
40:52that maybe things that you were not looking for
40:55can be an element that one considers
40:58based on negotiation.
41:00Federico, thank you very much
41:02for agreeing to talk to us.
41:05We wish you the best of success
41:10in this new stage of your career.
41:12And of course, we are at your service.
41:15This is your home.
41:16Thank you, Freddy.
41:17Thank you, Efraín, Carlos Balmores,
41:19because you really are a reference
41:22in all the work you do.
41:25Many times, I think people don't mention it,
41:27they don't say it, but the work,
41:30the effort, the sacrifice that you make is tremendous.
41:34You are traveling everywhere.
41:36Right now, you are abroad.
41:37In fact, you are about to take a flight to Florida.
41:42And really, thank you.
41:44And I hope you continue.
41:45And I hope many people can continue
41:47to multiply these factors,
41:49because I think the Venezuelan sport
41:51always needs it.
41:53At your disposal whenever you need it.
41:56There will be times when there are things
41:58that we can immediately respond to,
41:59and other times that we can't.
42:01But count on me to be open
42:04for whatever you need.
42:06Get ready for him to start calling you.
42:09Yes, when?
42:11The 20th of this month?
42:14For sure!
42:15The 20th at 6 in the afternoon,
42:18around there.
42:19If you want, you can set it up.
42:21Probably the 19th and I'll start.
42:27Federico, thank you very much.
42:28And a big hug.
42:30I'm sure we'll see each other on Sunday.
42:32For sure.
42:33Fans, you will find a new edition
42:35of the Infield Podcast
42:36through Baseball Play.
42:39This episode of the Infield Podcast
42:41was brought to you by Apuestas Royal.