"Each sport has its idol; at the national level, motor racing, Fangio; tennis, Vilas; soccer, Maradona; turf, Leguizamo; paddle ball, Manco de Teodelina. He is my idol, he is the idol of this There are many good and very good players, but there are few who transcend time. One of them is Manco." Juan Carlos "Salamin" Medici Inside the paleta court (place of the report) of the Teodelina Foot Ball Club we are in front of its medium build, which in a time was pure fiber, in which the trace of time and its late nights toasting to the glory of his triumphs and friendship, in front of his hoarse, dysphonic voice, which expressed not only data and concrete ideas, but also the defined personality and temperamental character that made him something more than one of the best pelotaris of all time., in a mythical character of this sport -the Ball to Paddle-. "Nobody teaches you the paddle, if you don't learn you don't learn, like in any sport; I think soccer is the same." -I was born in Teodelina on April 30, 1930. He is married and has three children, two women and one man; He currently lives in Chascomús where his son de él de él resides. -I don't remember when I grabbed a palette for the first time. We used to go to the courts when we were 4, 5 and 6 years old; we had a place when people stopped playing, we spent our time dribbling..., when they came back they would run us out, throw us out. Many times the police took me prisoner. At siesta, when no one was around, we would come to play and the police would take us;They made us wash down the police station, clean, and then they'd send us away. There have been afternoons that have taken me up to three times. The police are different now, there is more freedom. Those of before were strong, severe soldiers; It seemed to them that carrying a boy... Already at that age the paddle ball court of his hometown is part of his daily habitat and, between mischief and punishment, he begins to wield an anonymous paddle and turn it into a prodigious extension of either of his arms. -... And more or less when he was 10, 11 years old, he played games here in the Teodelina area, Arribeños. It was played at 10 cents, at 5 cents; there was a lot of poverty.His father indirectly influenced the practice of this sport since he was a good paletero, as well as one of his uncles; although he did not receive knowledge from any. The relationship he established with the sport was more instinctive and intuitive than technical and rational. -Nobody teaches you the palette, if you don't learn you don't learn, like in any sport; I think soccer is the same. Due to a deformation of his left arm from him, as a result of a blow that a horse gave him when he was a boy in the 'Duahu' ranch, he received the nickname by which we all know him: 'El Manco'.-In those years there wasn't the medical attention that there is now here -there were no sanatoriums or hospitals-, they plastered me with little tablets of quince jelly, and that's how it stayed. In those years there was a lot of poverty, 55 years ago there was not even anything to eat, there was nothing. We were 8 siblings and my father earned 1 peso some days and other days he earned nothing; we made a stew with 10 cents of pulp, when we found a piece of meat we pretended that piranhas were around. Before, at lunchtime we asked: what did you do mom? Before we didn't say mom, we said: mom! Today's boys say: what's to eat, old lady?; a little pout -she answers-; hey! You already have me rotten. Is it true or not? "In saying I'm not stuck, she had never seen a one-armed man with two hands so even." -Manco; are you left-handed or right-handed? -No, I'm right, brother. I handle my left hand well. -I have been told that he plays better left-handed than right-handed. -I'm more attractive to hit him, I have a better command with my left, but with my right I have more power, that's why I played more with this hand, when I was of an age that I won't return to. To my right there was no man who could beat me, hand to hand, on any court in the world. On my left there were many who beat me, on a thousand courts, not on one. -In addition to El Manco de Teodelina, they have given him another nickname: 'El Manco Milo'. Did you receive any other nickname besides 'El Manco'? -For example, there in Chascomús they call me 'Negro' Messina, but in general the nickname I have, almost worldwide, is 'El Manco de Teodelina'. -Did you ever think before starting a match that he was going to lose it? -No. I always entered with that faith that I was going to win, and many times I entered confidently and they have robbed me, huh?! I have been very liberal to play. Some games I have removed because God gave me that virtue to play the paddle, nothing more, but not because the games were favorable for me. -You. Did he have some game strategies to achieve his wins or did they result from body skill and fitness? -No, no! It depends on the opponent who touched me, because not all rivals are the same. Of course he had strategies, but for me the physical condition counts more. I played ten games and pretended that I had not entered the field, today, the girls are physically weaker than what I had. Today I don't move because the years have overcome me, at least, and sometimes a year or two goes by without touching a palette. Yes the physical is everything. If you're going to run on foot and you don't have legs... In this game you don't stand still for a second, if you hit one the other hits you back, they throw you at the wall, you have to go backwards -it's hard to play-. -Did you have any guesses? -No no no. I was a simple player.-Did you obtain any title at a national and international level? -No; because I did not play in the championships. I played only one Argentine championship in the year '71; It was the year that Ringo Bonabena fought with Clasius Clay. -You., with Salamín Medicci (a sugar cane paletero) they beat the world champions... -Hey!, several world champions, everyone, everyone. I was not a world champion because they did not send me because I am a radical and at that time there was Perón. I was a poorly carried countryman, I wouldn't let myself be groped by those dirty faces, and of course, radical; it had all the cons. But what did he earn? He stole from them! But they didn't send me.Did you see how life is? -Despite not having won any important championship, he is known throughout the country and abroad by his nickname. -You are going 1,500 or 2,000 km from here, to whichever side you go; you go to load gasoline and they ask you: where are you from?; -from Santa Fe -you tell him-; -from what town?; -from Teodelina; -ah!, you are from the town of El Manco. And besides, I am known in foreign countries. -Did you go play in Europe? -No. The only country I know is Uruguay; I have played in Montevideo many times. What happens is that I am very named; you go to any foreign country and you name 'Manco de Teodelina', they don't know me personally, but they know who 'Manco' is, who plays the palette well, nothing more. -Did you play more as a couple or did you prefer individual? -I almost always played alone. -Did you have any effective companion? -As an effective partner I had Teodelina's Negro Cacho (Acevedo); We spent our whole lives together, almost 50 years together, nothing more than he lives here and I live there. He must be 56, 57 years old, he was younger than me. I wore it, he was a countryman. "I didn't play fart. I could play for pleasure because it was necessary to pay homage to a person, because money was needed for an old lady, a sick man or a thousand cases. So I didn't get paid, but the game was already played for money before I entered." -Is there notable differences between the players of before and those of now? -For me, yes. For me, in general, at a mental level, there was best players before than now; perhaps someone beats him hand to hand, like Supan, the Ross, who say they hit with effect -I wish I had seen them 30 years ago to see if they had hit him with effect-, but anyway It doesn't happen there, two or three players, no more. I tell you, in Villa Cañás there were thirty good players; how are they now? I don't know, but they were players. People played, they played barefoot, barefoot, you couldn't play in espadrilles because if not, what would he go out with at night or in the afternoon. And, ...everything has changed. -As of today, which players do you like? -Me, Of all the players, the ones I like the most are: Supan and Romano -that boy is from Azul-. For me they are the ones who play the most. -When he was young, did he have an idol? -No. I had no idol. Of the old men that I knew, from our time, there was a great player who was Nestor Delgui, but he played on a closed court, not on an open court like us. I played on any court, for me it was the same; they, on the other hand, were great players in closed, they did not know the open. - Would you have liked to be something else? -Year!; I am happy. I'm happy because I'm full of friends, everyone loves me, to top it off I'm kind of funny, I like to say verses. -Do you mean that if I were born again I wouldn't change anything? -I don't change anything, quite the opposite; Year! I wish I was born again to be able to play, not what I played before but half of it. I don't play anything now. -All the parties had the same interest for you, or did you consider some more important than others? -No no; the majority, because I was a man, if you like, search in the towns. There was a game and they took me to do the box office, many tickets. On the other hand, not now, you bring four good players and you have to pay them 10 or 12 million ($1,000 or $1,200), if you don't pay, there's no game. So no, you had to look for the money and put it on yourself; if he won, he won; if he lost, he would come out dry. You had to have yours. I was a silver player. -I didn't play for nothing... -I didn't play fart. He could play with pleasure because he had to pay homage to a person, because money was needed for an old lady, a sick man or a thousand cases. So I didn't get paid but the game was already played for money before entering. Instead of playing 1 million pesos as is played now, he played 100 pesos; At that time it was a lot of money. -Have you made a lot of money? - Fortunes! Now I have nothing. I threw it away And if I never worked! -Is he a bohemian, Manco? -Yes all the life. I never worked, I traveled all over Argentina for 50 years, since I left when I was 14 until now that I am 65. -Now what do you live on? They retired me a month and a half ago. "Teodelina is giving me a ball, if she loves herself, now that I'm old. People used to say that he was lazy. I asked myself that. I was lazy." -They told me that from time to time they invite you to a radio program in the capital. -I have a lot of friendship with Antonio Carrizo. Now I haven't seen him for a long time, like 3 years; I have to go. You know that the last time I went, I was talking an hour and a half about myself. By radio it is difficult. For example, I'm talking to you, if I make a mistake in some words nothing happens, but there you have to... everything is exact. That time I went it was on radio Rivadavia. -When you played a game in another town and earned money, you. did you stay in that place for a while? -Year! I finished that game and woke up singing and sucking; The next day I had to go play in Vedia, in Colón, in Venado Tuerto... -Was it resisted by Teodelina's people, was this sport frowned upon? (The photographer interferes) -Teodelina is giving me a ball, if she wants to, now that I'm old. People used to say that he was lazy. That's what I asked myself. I was lazy You were talking about me, Manco, for them I was a..., now they realize. I laugh, Such is the case that I have been absent from this town for 50 years and I have never changed my address, and I am not going to change it until I die. I have been living in Chascomús for 37 years and I vote in Teodelina and I am a radical. The Wonderful Game of Living He lived with the Hungarians; they sponsored him for two years. He is a huge drinker, above all, of beer. He was always crazy about gold rings, they stimulate his fantasy. Those close to him comment that each of his matches was a particular anecdote. He does not know how to read or write, although he has read and written in the national and international history of Paddle Ball, in such a way that he is considered an idol of this typically Argentine sport. He earned a lot of money, but now he lives with just enough. He has recorded to his credit glorious experiences, a lot of friends scattered throughout the country, and the personality of a man who could have disappointed those who expected formal conduct and a conservative life attitude from him, but never himself, because he played paddle tennis, moved on and off the court, and expressed his thoughts with full authenticity. Mr. Oscar Messina -the 'Manco de Teodelina'- made a game of his life, and of the game -the ball with a paddle- something serious; although not so much as to prevent him from enjoying the wonderful game of living. Anecdotes about 'Manco de Teodelina' (Told by Juan Carlos -Salamín- Medici) -In the year '62 he beat him on a closed court in Uruguay, where the left-handed wall is longer -it has one square more- than in the Argentine courts, to Mr. Bernal, who was called 'El Perro'. There was no man who could beat him; El Manco went and won a game with 75 points. I think they played more than two hours. Bernal himself carried him around the field on his shoulders after the game, because it was crazy to have beaten the Uruguayan champion, 'El Perro Bernal' El Manco did not attend the championships because he did not like to play for trophies He liked to play for money. When he faced the world or Argentine champions he beat them; but he was not interested in trophies. Do you know what Manco's trophies were? The Rings. Every piece of money he earned bought gold rings, silver rings, with precious stones, whatever. The rings are a fantasy of his. He's a gold freak. One day, we went to Rosario, We went through a jewelry store and saw in the window a very large silver mate -of a very special size- with a silver lightbulb whose tip, I think, was gold. He entered the jewelry store -I wanted to die, "what is he going to do there"-, and asked: How much is that mate worth!? They told him a silver, what do I know what silver it was. If I win tonight -he concluded- I'll come tomorrow and buy it. We went to the Gimnasia y Esgrima club, we won both games and the next day he went and bought it. In '68 or '69 Santos Belluso and Donkey Gervasoni (from Entre Ríos) had gone to Spain and had emerged world champions on the open court. We played him at the Central Córdoba de Rosario club, on a very similar field; Never before had so many people been seen on a paddle court, nor in the Gymnastics club when the Argentine championships were played. And well, we beat him; Do we beat them...? He beat them! How did you do? He passed it to Belluso, he wouldn't let him touch a ball; the striker was Belluso, and he beat the other to death. To achieve this he has to always hit her with equal force to bring her to the same height 60 or more times. Stick, stick and stick, you can imagine, a game that lasted two hours could not stand it. At 18 points he fell to the ground. El Manco had told me before starting the game: after 20 goals he has to be on the ground, I'm going to beat the donkey to death. So it was. For that match he made a circle for me on the field with a piece of chalk and told me: you just stop there and stop the ones that go there. In a shot he told me: shoot the drum. I answer him: "if I throw it badly, you'll kill me", "he killed you anyway!" he answered me instantly. Things like that he had. He was and is a very fast guy mentally. Other:. -I had to go to play Pinto against a certain Cepillo and a boy who played very well, was a banker. Cantinfla calls me on the phone to go play. The game was set for Sunday. On Saturday afternoon El Manco calls me and tells me: you have to come to Venado tomorrow. But I stayed with Cantinfla... What a Cantinfla or macana! You came here because I tell you that you have to come and nothing else. Cantinfla to wait, to make a game for another day. I tell you no and no. Come here, here is the potato. I arrive at the Venado terminal on Sunday and find him asleep on a round table covered with more than half of bottles. ...I tell myself: last night I had played... And what could he have done? What are you calling me? I want to die! It is 9 am; the janitor asleep on a bench, Leaning on the counter, and he's asleep... What's going on here? More than thirty bottles on the table - he used to tell the waiter: leave the bottles there, move the empty ones to one side and leave the one you bring; and he didn't ask for a glass because he drank from the spout. He always had friends to share these moments. I touched him and he woke up. Ah! You came, luckily huh!? What Cantinfla! What am I not going to play to these countrymen?; I already beat them yesterday and today I win the final! Those parties were contracted to do exhibitions and tournaments were played. I play at eleven thirty -he continued-, I have time to bathe; and this afternoon we are going to do something, someone is going to bite. I took him to the bathroom, he got into the hot water and came out after a while, he had camphorated alcohol massage his arms and legs. He came in at half past eleven, twenty to twelve, to play and at ten past one he had already dispatched them. If you had seen what he played... When we went to eat -on the second floor of the paleta court, barbecue was served for all the pelotaris- he told me: I'm going to challenge with another and they won't play me, later I challenge them with you and they will take a trip. With you, I beat them easier than with the other, but shut up; Pretend you're going to eat but don't eat too much, eat just a little bit and drink a little juice. IM going to do the same. Now is the time to earn a lot of money. The forward hit him short and that made things easier. He looks how cute -he told me-, on a big field that hits him short; He looks how beautiful 'pa me, look how beautiful papa. The ball hits two meters above the fronton, no matter how hard it goes, it is a ball that returns low, on those very high courts you have to lift it.