When I learned that Armando Ferrer was returning to coach the Matanzas team in the last National Baseball Series, I was overjoyed, because when you know someone has a passion, the most beautiful thing in the world is that they can enjoy it, and the mentor may like many other things, but he enjoys none as much as being on a baseball diamond.

Some people go through life and never discover their true passion, so having it is already a success, because it will always serve as a beacon in the densest fog.

For some, it's in a paintbrush, a musical instrument, a dance, the gift of gab, or any of the activities that make us special, but even more so, dependent on that adrenaline rush as if it were the oxygen we breathe, the breath that sustains the weary traveler on their journey.

Ferrer's passion is being on a baseball field, and I've seen him enjoy it not only from the dugout, but even when he had less demanding roles as an assistant to other mentors, because ultimately, even as a third base coach, you can feel that inspiration that beautifies the everyday and the silent promise that every effort is worthwhile.

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Armando Ferrer

However, when you have a great responsibility, you suffer more than you should, for yourself and for others, and your body feels it. He feels the same way the Matanzas native did before the last season.

At that time, his health gave him a scare, and he even had to be hospitalized, followed by several months of recovery. Now, his body has given him another warning, so he decided to skip the upcoming Elite League to be at 100% physically and mentally for the next championship.

That's understandable, because a passion isn't a passing interest or a fleeting pastime; it's an inner fire that burns never-ending, which molds the soul beyond worldly noise and insatiable haste.

In Ferrer's case, more than an act of joy, it’s also a profound dedication, a constant struggle against doubt and discouragement, between duty and power, especially when, as a coach, you may have very clear ideas but you are not the one putting them into practice.

This man, small in stature but great in spirit, has many virtues, and the best proof is that his students give their all for him, sometimes forgoing better opportunities and even returning from retirement.

But one quality stands out above all others, and that is gratitude, because it’s very easy when you reach the top to think you have wings, but he always keeps his feet on the ground and never forgets where he comes from.

That's why, when he won the title for Matanzas that its wonderful fans had been waiting for so many years, he didn't claim the glory for himself. His first thought was for his mentor, Sile Junco, and he dedicated the victory to him.

For details like that, I can't help but wish Ferrer a speedy recovery, so he can once again indulge in the audacity to dream with his eyes open, to dance with time, and to embrace uncertainty as a faithful companion, to open his heart to wonder and let himself be surprised by the twists and turns of this beautiful sport which ball is round, but comes in a square box.