Panamerican Games, Central American Games. Cruz is the author of Softbol de Alto Nivel, a book about the fundamentals of strategy, exercises, and rules of the game of softball. He became president of the Puerto Rican Softball Federation during much of his period as mayor of Guaynabo. But, Cruz's love for sports touched more than buildings and parks. He was, perhaps, best known for his devotion to the game and its athletes. From cockfighting to volleyball, Cruz was a tireless promoter of Puerto Rican sports. An achievement filled-life combined his love for sports with his desire to impulse Puerto Rico, and in particular, his town of Guaynabo, to economic development. It was not by choice, but to make a point, that Cruz decided to join the New Progressive Party (Partido Nuevo Progresista, in Spanish). In 1972, Cruz, then a physical education teacher, went to the Guaynabo City Hall to ask the town's mayor for a donation to buy running shoes for his track and field students who were competing in a regional event. The mayor denied the request and told him to let the students "continue to run barefoot". That disappointment led him to join politics as a way to make a change in sports. Cruz was often heard saying, "it was sports that led me to politics so I could help sports from a different platform." Cruz was an advocate of statehood for the island. His first incursion into politics for the New Progressive Party as a member of Guaynabo's city council representing the Barrio Santa Rosa III in 1972. He later became president of the Guaynabo City Council from 1972-1976. In 1976, Cruz was elected to the House of Representatives for District 40; where he presided over the Commission for Sports and Recreation. In 1979, Cruz was elected as mayor of the City of Guaynabo, a position he held until his death in 1993. From that day on, he began the job of transforming the town into a city. An interesting fact is that in all the political elections in which Cruz participated, he received more votes than the candidates to Governor of Puerto Rico, regardless of the political party, and had support from constituents from all the political parties on the island. [El Nuevo Dia, Pepo Garcia 1993]. Cruz fought to increase the powers and autonomy of the island's mayors and joined the PDP-controlled Mayors Association to