The People behind those Moments

by Tallia Rodriguez

The crack of the bat makes every step with the chairs worth it. As we settle along the field, we all wait for that moment. The ball soars, and someone did their red, white, and blue job. The roar that follows is well deserved. I might be the loudest for my own boy, but this season I’ve been thinking about the people behind those moments—the ones who deserve applause too.

This month’s Latinaherstory honoree, Madeline M. Taylor-Rodriguez, is one of them. She is President of the West Side Baseball, Softball, and T-Ball League, mother and titi extraordinaire, proud Puerto Rican, wife, and community leader. Madeline grew up like many of us, with baseball as family tradition.

Today, she works to support the environment of achievement, learning, and growth experienced by West Side youth each summer. Year-round, she gathers followers, raises morale, and keeps alive a game deeply rooted in Buffalo’s history and Americana.

West Side Baseball, Softball, and T-Ball is part of our community story — shared in living rooms, at graduations, during holidays, and across generations of cousins and relatives. Our story is being re-energized by Madeline and the new and returning generations of Buffalo families.

The league itself was founded more than 50 years ago by Tovie Asarese, a legendary West Sider and business leader. He formalized our athletic energy already bursting through decades of Buffalo’s immigrant West Side — before the pasta was ready. Buffalo loves sports, and so does the West Side.

Madeline represents the best kind of baseball fan and a key target market. Alongside many Latinas who serve as coaches, organizers, volunteers, and administrators, she reflects growing investment Latino families are making in youth sports. According to the report Unlocking the Growing Power of Latino Fans: Building a Stronger Sports Economy, Latino youth sports participation grew 3.9% annually from 2019–2024, nearly double the rate of non-Latino youth.

The same report found Latino youth who play competitive sports are three times more likely to become avid fans as adults. And as adults, Latino fans spend more on sports and are more likely to attend live events. In many ways, the Latino family is its own sports ecosystem — a tío offering batting advice from the stands, a mom running the snack bar like clockwork, cousins shifting from teammates to refs, neighbors giving advice from their driveway, and a love of the game. One that becomes lifelong and at least indirectly impacts future spending inclinations, unless I’m the only one who has had more than my fair share of Buffalo Bison’s hats?

The West Side Baseball, Softball, and T-Ball League serves children ages 4–13, and registration is free. At a time when families are facing rising costs at the gas pump and grocery store, free access to sports is a meaningful gift. That gift is facilitated by a mother whose family story is bright, even if her own path there was not always traditional. She knows what it means to beat the odds, and that experience fuels her commitment to creating joyful, safe summers for children who deserve every chance to hit a homerun and maybe a belly laugh too.

If you ever had a plate that felt like home, or if you remember stepping out with big dreams and a bigger glove then, you know. People like Madeline make sure those chances are still here for the next generation. Sometimes that looks like showing up, sometimes it looks like lending a hand, and sometimes it’s as simple as remembering what the game once gave you.

Follow West Side Baseball, Softball, and T-Ball League on Facebook to stay connected or you can email westsidebuffalobpl@gmail.com, show support, and be part of the story as it continues to grow. Maybe, thank a coach somewhere and hey maybe look for your mit?

Ms. Talia Rodriguez J.D. is a bi-racial, bi-cultural, and bi-lingual Latina from Buffalo. Ms. Rodriguez’s mission is to write about Latina’s, who have shaped the face of our city and our region. It is Ms. Rodriguez’s believes that our own people should inspire us and in telling our collective stories, we push our community forward. Ms. Rodriguez is a community advocate and organizer. She is a 5th generation West Sider, a graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School, and an avid baseball fan. She lives on the West Side with her young son A.J… Ms. Rodriguez sits on the board of several organizations including the Belle Center, where she attended daycare. Ms. Rodriguez loves art, music, food, and her neighbors. You can send your comments or questions to talia.rodriguez.716@gmail.com.

The images for this article were provided by Talia Rodriguez and edited by our Editor in Chief for the purpose of this article.