How did you get roped into doing this, and what was your first thought when asked?

Amy Newport roped me in after I had a few adult beverages. My first was “Yes, of course I’ll do it.” But now that I know what is expected of me I’m like “WHYYYYY!”

 

Why did you say yes?

The club is important to me, I’ve been involved for seven years. The need for the club is great, and the funding we need to continue the mission is nonstop. Being able to support the community is important to me and the Emeralds.

 

What is your official job title?

I am the General Manager for the Eugene Emeralds

 

How would you describe your job to your mother?

I still can’t, she still thinks I’m trying to get to the big leagues! I would say my job has very little to do with baseball, but more or less trying to open community relationships that will generate good within the community and open up our team to new fans and new opportunities.

 

All families are unique, tell us about yours.

I’m a first generation born Nicaraguan, but my family is the quintessential American Dream story. My parents were born in Nicaragua, but they came here and worked hard to get their citizenship and make a good life for myself and my two sisters. We had our struggles, we lived up in a very poor area in Los Angeles but we still had a typical American family with lots of love and lots of support. I grew up watching my parents work 2-3 jobs to get us into good schools, and encouraging us to play sports, be in the community and get good grades. Their continuous push to be proud of who we are and what we can achieve really stuck with me. I’m extremely thankful for the sacrifices they did to put me in a position where I can provide for my family, have a job that I love and be able to volunteer and donate time to an amazing cause.

My immediate family is a small one. It’s myself, my wife and son Christian, and we are very close, incredibly close. I’m really proud of what Caitlin is doing with her career, her job as a mother and the tremendous support she gives me as a wife. And my son, who is by all accounts the best boy I could wish for; loving, good student, works hard and is completely unselfish. He always looks out for other people and asking how he can help.

 

Tell us about your personal passions, talents, and/or hobbies.

My biggest passion is probably music, not sports. I’m not the guy who can tell you every stat of every baseball player. People think because you’re a GM of a professional team that you’re the biggest sports nerd, and I’m probably not. I love sports, obviously I work in it, but my passion is certainly music. I love playing the guitar when I have the time.

I’m a very social person, so I really love to entertain. I love taking people out on our ski boat and teaching them to wakeboard. I love being out on the lake with my family.

 

What is something that you swore you would never do as a parent before you had kids that you do now?

Nothing I would want to say out loud! The one thing is now that my son is in high school I tell him if he is ever in a situation where he doesn’t feel comfortable, like at a party, and wanted me to come get him to just call no matter the time of night. As a kid I could never image telling my parents that. They were so strict with me I could never had done this. They would have killed me had they known I was at a party with alcohol. So I guess that’s a good thing.

 

Who inspired you when you were growing up, and why?

The boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. He was the person I wanted to be as a kid, he was the athlete I looked up to. He was just a super star. He was everything I wasn’t as a kid. He was flashy and would try to get people to come at him, but then when you saw him outside the ring I remember thinking he was such a nice guy. He was probably one of my biggest inspirations. He was cocky, but he was able to back it up.

 

If you could go back and talk to your 12-year-old self, what would you say?

To not be scared. Believe it or not I was a very shy kid. I was always, I mean always, afraid of getting into trouble or making the wrong decision. I was just a scared kid. I wish I would have tried out for more things but I was afraid of failing. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself, and I wish I could go back and tell myself “Dude, you’re a badass, you’ve got this!”

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