While playing at ASU did help him on the field, it also represented a big adjustment. For the first time, Vina was separated from his family. I was homesick, big time. My parents had always been there for me. If you haven't left home when you're young, you don't know what it's like.
People can say it's no big deal.
But it is. Near the end of his stint at ASU, Fernando's girlfriend, Brandy, became pregnant. He also was drafted by the Mets in the ninth round of the 1990 draft. His son, Jordan, was born just before Fernando left for his first minor-league camp. Fernando and Brandy never married, but they remain cordial, and Fernando helps to raise Jordan, who is now 7.