Newly elected president of WNY Little League has checkered past
Usually, the anonymous phone call draws very little attention in this corner, but the call received recently was certainly one that caused time to stand still.
"Mr. Hague, I’m not one to start gossip," the caller said. "But I knew you’d want to know this. Orlando Gomez was just elected president of the West New York Little League."
Silence. Needless to say, I was more than stunned. Orlando Gomez? The same Orlando Gomez who was fired as the coach of the Memorial High School freshman baseball team last year? The same Gomez who allegedly has had numerous altercations with umpires, league officials, opposing coaches, and opposing players, on baseball fields for more than a decade?
"That can’t be," I said to the caller. "How can they make him president of the Little League?"
"Check it out," the caller said. "It’s true. I just left the meeting. He got voted in."
Township officials confirmed the story. Orlando Gomez was indeed elected the president of the league.
Gomez had his version of events last week.
"I didn’t just get voted in," Gomez said last week. "I was demanded by the parents. I think I got a vote of like 58-10. In my opinion, I’m the most popular guy in this town. I don’t think I deserve the position; I earned it and got voted in. It may sound like there are a few people who don’t want me, but the majority of people do."
Now, I’ve always been a believer of people getting a second chance when they do something wrong. I’ve believed that people deserve the benefit of the doubt and should get the opportunity to turn their lives around after making a mistake. Or two.
But in my opinion, Orlando Gomez has made so many mistakes, all involving the game of baseball, that he has perhaps surrendered his right to the benefit of the doubt. After a while, you have to accept his continual antics as being simply ridiculous, repetitive behavior.
On one instance, Gomez got into an altercation with a well-respected umpire during a Build Better Boys Baseball League game, which carried over to other coaches, players and the parent of one of the players. It was an incident that eventually helped to lead to the disbanding of the league itself.
And then just last spring, Gomez was in prime mode again as the freshman baseball coach at Memorial, getting into yet another nasty verbal war with the coach and an umpire at Ferris, an argument that caused the game to be stopped.
In every instance, Gomez has used the race card as part of the reason for his behavior, insisting that both the umpires and the opposing coaches used ethnic slurs in the heat of the verbal altercations and the use of those slurs incensed him to the point that he lost all sense of what he was doing.
"If someone calls my kid a ‘spic,’ I’m not supposed to do anything about it," Gomez said last week. "The last incident was ugly, but no one asked me what really happened. The fact of the matter was that there were 40 parents there who backed me up and saw what happened. I’m still going to defend kids if they are called those names."
Now he’s getting another chance. And this time, he’s governing younger, more impressionable kids. Approximately 500 youngsters ages six through 12.
Gomez insists that he’s a changed man.
"There are some things in my life that I wish I could take back," said Gomez, who teaches at Memorial High School. "When I was younger, I did some things I’m not proud of. I still believe that the incidents were made a bigger issue than what really happened. I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’m not going to excuse myself for some stupid behavior. I know that I can do a good job."
Gomez was the president of the West New York Little League for six years and served as an officer in the league for 22 years. He said that all he’s ever done is keep the good of the kids in mind.
"I taught my kids to have discipline and to have class," Gomez said. "That’s what I worry about more than anything. It’s not my job to lose my head. I have a job to do in running the league."
Gomez said since he was elected as the new president three weeks ago, he’s already made some improvements in the League.
"I’ve secured four new sponsors and we’ve been able to purchase more than 400 new uniforms," Gomez said. "We’re going to start a Pee-Wee division, which will involve another 100 kids. And we’re going to have a prospect league for kids who were not picked to play in the major leagues. That will involve another 85 kids. That’s what I do now. I don’t worry about balls and strikes and umpires anymore."
But how in the world can Gomez make decisions about the actions of players and coaches in an entire league with his record of poor behavior? What happens when a kid or a coach acts out of line? Gomez will have to make a ruling, enforce some sort of policy to punish the kid or the coach. How can he make such a ruling with his checkered history of poor behavior himself?
"I know I handle it and I guarantee that I will make the right decisions," Gomez said.
And how does a league actually elect Gomez as its president, knowing full well his past performances?
Apparently, the powers-that-be in the town were somewhat oblivious about Gomez’ past when asked how it could continue to sponsor and help to fund a league with Gomez in charge.
"We really didn’t know anything about it," said one high-ranking township official. "We’re going to look into it."
"I don’t want to comment on it," said another high-ranking official. "The Little League raises its money separate from the town, with its concession stands, booster cards and sponsors. We help, but they’re more self-sufficient. If Mr. Gomez was duly elected president of the league by the members of the organization, then he’s the president."
Personally, I would never question the intentions of Orlando Gomez. He has never looked to harm kids and has always kept their interests in his heart. No one questions his heart or his dedication. Only some people question what goes on in his head and why he has acted the way he has in the past.
"I’m done with those days," Gomez insisted. "People are welcoming me back as president again. Maybe some parents didn’t like it when I yelled and they’re the ones that are calling you to complain about me. But no one will ever question my integrity."
Not worried about integrity, but I have deep concerns about a temper.
One of the umpires that Gomez allegedly verbally attacked six years ago was asked if he was surprised about Gomez resurfacing as a Little League president.
"Honestly, what kind of role model can the man be for little kids?" the highly respected umpire said. "On one hand, I can’t believe that he would get another chance. But then again, on the other hand, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. He keeps getting chance after chance."
It sure looks that way.
And in this corner, it doesn’t make sense. I personally have nothing against Orlando Gomez. I just think he’s had so many instances of bad behavior, using the race card as a gigantic crutch time after time, that he can’t actually be asked to lead a league of youngsters.
We have to see what transpires over the next few months. But it appears as if Gomez has once again landed on his feet. It’s safe to say that he’s lived a charmed life. Now, the ball is in his corner.
"I’m personally inviting you to come to Opening Day on April 7," Gomez said. "You’ll see for yourself how much things have changed."
We can only hope so.