[1] Born in Maracaibo, Zulia, Briñez spent almost 30 years in Venezuelan baseball, playing in three different leagues while managing in two of them.
[6] He then moved to the Cervecería Caracas club in 1946, to become a founding member of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in its inaugural season.
As a manager for Caracas, he replaced Tim Thompson in the midseason, but the timing could not be better for the last-place Leones, who finished with a 21-30 record and 10½ games out of contention.
[10] Since then, significant Venezuelan sportspeople have been awarded over the years, among others ballplayers Wilson Álvarez, Luis Aparicio, Tony Armas, Miguel Cabrera, Chico Carrasquel, Dave Concepción, Andrés Galarraga, Freddy García, Ozzie Guillén, Félix Hernández, Vidal López, Magglio Ordóñez, Luis Salazar, Johan Santana and Omar Vizquel.
The long honorees list of the CSJV also includes boxers Betulio González and Vicente Paúl Rondón; cyclist racers Daniela Larreal, José Rujano and Leonardo Sierra; motorcycle road racers Carlos Lavado and Johnny Cecotto, as well as basketballer Greivis Vásquez and free-diver Carlos Coste.