Why I Am Where I Am

I was looking through old blogs that lead up to my Intermediate Regional and the night before I did a blog about my umpire mentors. I plan on doing that again tomorrow but tonight I wanted to go deeper and talk about my life mentors - people who have invested in me and made me who I am as an umpire and as a man.

I think the most obvious ones have to by my parents. My mom has been a beacon of calm in my life, a role model of patience when everything around is in a hurry, and a picture of perseverance when no one notices how much she does behind the scenes. I can't tell you how many times she has interviewed for a job where the people didn't realize she did as much as she did and they can't fathom it because she does it without seeking glory. My dad is my rock. He has become so much more than my dad over the last 20 years - he has become my friend and confidant. Some of my earliest memories are hanging out with my dad, watching Laker games and Kung Fu Theater. I remember hurrying up to go somewhere I had no clue where because we were running late. We pulled up a small street I had never been on before and at the end of the street I could see the hustle and bustle of something happening. We parked, dad signed me up, we changed my shirt in the back office, and I was officially part of the t-ball Pirates because it was picture day. My dad would become my manager in the minors and my first year of major ball. He became the league president for the next two years of major ball and I knew that he worked to not only make my experience worth while but all the kids of Del Rosa Little League as well. He did the job very well.
I look at my parents and think back to before we started going to church. My mom was always angry. My dad was angry because my mom was angry. Then mom had a life-changing experience and God started to work on her life until she is who she is today and I thank God that he changed her because he changed me through her. The change in her life, and my dad's life, molded who I am today with my wife and kids. I can never be grateful enough for their positive example of a Godly marriage and patience through everything - a trait that has served me well on the ball field.

My third and sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Barbara Umble, from Hunt Elementary School. In third grade, I was making major decisions which would affect me the rest of my life. Mrs. Umble never said that I was too young to think about those types of decisions but encouraged me. When I told her I felt God calling me to ministry, she said she wanted to be at my first sermon. She invested confidence in me I didn't have at the time. I used to sing really, really loud - as in scream. She didn't chastise me even when the rest of the class would complain, but gently guided me to become a better singer.  I ended up visiting Mrs. Umble for years after I left the school, at major times in my life. I showed up when I graduated. I showed up in my Navy uniform. I showed up with my first born. She invested so much in my life that I wanted to show her that her time was not in vain. She took a skinny poor kid and gave him confidence that he was intelligent and capable. She retired 4 years ago now. I missed her retirement (as I work in the school district now) and I still feel I missed out on something great. She was the best teacher I ever had.

Chaplain William J. Bartz, CAPT, USN
Of course, I knew Chaplain Bartz when he was a LCDR, but who's counting. In the Navy, there were plenty of chaplains I worked for but Chaplain Bartz was the best. He mentored me to be better than where I was working. When he came on board, I was part of a group of guys in my office who really liked each other and were friends. I was comfortable and just skated by on my work. He challenged me. He had me work with him on the predeployment book to give to dependents when we were about to go on a WESTPAC cruise. It was a lot of work and he was a stickler for the details. We worked on it until it was just right - a labor of love. His attention to detail rubbed off on me to the point where I enjoy making forms, books, and graphic arts now. I was a mediocre secretary before him. After, I'm still not the best secretary but I sure make it look good.

Dale Garland, pastor & friend
Dale Garland came to First Baptist Church in Fontana about 3 months after my wife and I moved there. Little did I know that he would become so important in my life. He personifies the core value of loyalty like no one else I have ever met. He brought me on as the children's pastor at FBC and showed me a lot more loyalty than I think I ever deserved. He invested in my spiritual life, my marriage, my ministry, and my attitudes. He was there during the darkest days of my life with an assuring hand, a steadfast love, and righteousness, for which I will always be in his debt. While my #1 core value is respect, loyalty has become a huge part of my life because of the example Dale set - a value I now carry over to Little League as we preach loyalty, character, and courage as what we want to pass on to the next generation.

Trina Escarzaga - wife, friend, lover, helper, and driving instructor
I joined the Navy at 17 and 8 months, so I never got my license before I enlisted. Once I enlisted, never had a need for a license. Rode my bike around everywhere. My wife taught me to drive. It was a condition of actually becoming her husband.
All-Star season, my wife knows that she becomes a baseball widow and the last few years she has turned that into a positive by taking the kids on road trips. I know the amount of games I did this year preparing for Regionals really drove her up the wall but she has been patient and loving despite my constant absence. She reminds me that occasionally I need to rest. I appreciate that. We have been married now for 17 years + and if you look at the kid I was when we got married to who I am today, she is the reason for my growth. I didn't think I could ever love someone as much as I do her - thank you, my love, for sticking it out with me these 17 years, even these last 10 Junes.  Thank you for putting up with my temporary passions. Thank you for putting up with my needs to be loyal to those who have invested in me. This year I have umpired in 6 different districts during All-Stars over far too short of a time frame. Thank you for being there when I get home at 11:30 pm, 12:00 am or 1:30 am.

I am 2 days away from one of my lifelong dreams, being a part of games at Western Regionals in San Bernardino. Time to make sure I am studied up so I don't suck.