ESPN Deportes will air a special three-part series on Sunday, Sept. 28, Monday, Sept. 29 and Tuesday, Sept. 30 on former Major League Baseball pitcher Ugueth Urbina, currently serving a 14- year sentence in Venezuela for the attempted murder of four workers on his family's ranch. The segments will air as part of the nightly SportsCenter (11 p.m. and 2 p.m.) and repeat on the morning SportsCenter.

Baseball expert Ernesto Jerez and a camera crew were allowed exclusive and unprecedented access for two days into the Penitenciaria General de Venezuela, the maximum-security prison in San Juan de los Morros, where Urbina is currently incarcerated.

In part one, Urbina, once considered among the most effective closers in MLB, describes life behinds and his hope for regaining freedom. Part two shows Urbinas' 10 x 6 cell, fitted with a color television, a small refrigerator and a laptop computer, as well as footage of him playing on a prison basketball league team. In the series final segment Jerez asks Urbina about his family and future plans as he awaits a court date for a appeal his defense lawyer presented in June of 2007.

Excerpts:

Jerez: How would you describe your life as a player compared to your life now in prison?

Urbina: "Well, the difference is huge. When I played baseball, I had all the comforts and all the success. I was in a completely different world... here in jail, it's the complete opposite; you begin to see what suffering can be from a young age."

Urbina: "The days are never the same here. Never. There are days, as we call them here... there are visiting days and routine days where there is this routine you have set up from the minute you wake up. If you want to play sports, you do or maybe you watch a TV show or something... you try, you know, to stay busy all day long."

Urbina on why he has never permitted visits from his children: "Everyone has their ideology. Mine was never to have my children see me in a situation such as this. I know I'm in their hearts and that's what is important to me."

Ernesto Jerez will appear on ESPN Deportes Radio's baseball show "Decima Entrada" to talk about his experience Sunday, Sept. 21 at 12 p.m. ET. The radio interview will be streamed on ESPNdeportes.com the same day, along with behind-the-scenes photos from the interview. A behind the scenes look at this production will also appear in the November issue of ESPN La Revista. The three-part series was produced by the ESPN Deportes Feature Unit, winner earlier this year of a coveted Edward Murrow Award for "Outstanding News Series."

Source:  ESPN Deportes

Comments (4)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Thanks for posting Maury
written by james becker, September 21, 2008

I was unaware of the whereabouts of Ugy Urbina. Thanks for the memo Maury. I look forward to seeing the interview.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

stay in jail
written by fan, September 24, 2008

he should stay in jail

• 
• +0
• 
• 

attempted murder
written by ex fan, September 25, 2008

he should have received more years behind the bars. He attempted to kill several people, what was he expecting. It was so obvious that he couldnt pay to cover the whole thing up. You have to see the pictures of the victims. I saw them

• 
• +0
• 
• 

dont judge
written by just, October 08, 2008

I respect everyones believes but how do you judge someone you dont even know? A newspaper will hold any inforamation, true or false, that is on it. When the press wants to rise you it does and when it wants to kick you down they do. Nobody knows what really happened and in that country there is a lot of corruption. And you if guys actually read the story well you would understand that thers alot of discrepancies in the case.It seems to be politcal. Have you guys ever asked yourselves how can one man do all those things to a couple of people. so he suddendle became the incredible hulk? It's clear that theres more to this than they print in papers.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Name

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment