EL SEGUNDO HERALD July 1, 2021 Page 15
Sports from page 3
close to two million volunteers nationwide
makes the selection of Bob Motta all that
much more prestigious.
Established in 1991, the Lefty Gomez
Volunteer of the Year award is presented annually
by Babe Ruth League International. Its
recipient must exhibit Lefty’s commitment to
youth baseball and embody the spirit of the
Babe Ruth League philosophy, which is to
provide the best possible sports experience
for every child that has the desire to play.
Bob’s involvement with the El Segundo
Babe Ruth League has been unmatched
for longevity and arguably his success as a
coach and as the league’s president. During
his last 27 years with the league, Bob was
responsible for coordinating All-Star tournaments,
including hosting twelve District
Tournaments, seven State Tournaments, and
five Pacific Southwest Regional Tournaments.
He says the success of putting on
tournaments wasn’t what he did but rather
what all of the volunteers did to make it a
success. In each of those tournaments, his
wife Kathy was the official scorekeeper for
the game. “Kathy took her role very seriously,
and she scored every game,” Bob said. It’s
estimated that Kathy was the scorekeeper for
over 300 tournament games. After 10 hour
days at the ballpark, keeping score, Kathy
would go home and review each game with
Bob and make a list of innings available for
each pitcher for each team.
In 2016 Kathy and Bob were inducted
into the Babe Ruth Pacific Southwest Region
Hall of Fame. It was a big surprise to both
of them but given their selfless dedication,
it was not only appropriate, but it was about
time. During their acceptance speech, Kathy
told of how the Motta family, that included
their daughter Rebecca and son Ray, family
life revolved around baseball, volunteering
and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Bob
said, “Kathy knew, or at least I believe she
knew what she was getting into and what it
meant to me. My family made it possible for
me to continue volunteering and enjoy my
passion of giving back to youth baseball.”
Bob and Kathy were inseparable, and
she was his shoulder during defeats and his
biggest fan when his teams did well. Bob
says his success over the past 36 years of
volunteering started with her. “I couldn’t
have done anything without her support, nor
would I have wanted to.”
Bob is succinct when he talks about what
it means to win the Lefty Gomez Award. “To
be recognized nationally by an organization
that you believe in is a tremendous honor.
Having the award presented by the Senior
Vice President, Robert Faherty, and the Pacific
Southwest Regional Commissioner, Leonard
Hammer, was a big surprise.”
When Bob talks about the naming of the
score booth, he is embarrassed. “Neither
Kathy nor I have ever done this for any accolades.
In fact, she’s probably looking down
and wondering where she can hide,” he said
in his speech to the community.
The fact is others in the community, that
know Bob and Kathy, and their dedication
fueled the idea. The biggest supporter of the
naming was Bob’s good friend Ron Swanson
who approached the Recreation and Parks
Department with the thought. The commission
met without Bob’s knowledge to talk about
the idea and brought it to a vote during one
of the commission’s meetings. “My family
came to one of the meetings, and then I saw
Ron (Swanson) enter the room and thought
‘something’s up.’ I was overwhelmed with
emotion when it was approved.”
Towards the end of the ceremony, Bob
took time to mention Lars Nootbaar, the
2012 Batting Champion of the 2012 Babe
Ruth League World Series. Nootbaar is now
the starting right fielder for the St Louis
Cardinals. During his 36 years associated
with El Segundo Babe Ruth League, there
have been 13 former ES Babe Ruth League
players drafted by a Major League Baseball
team, Billy Traber and Nootbaar reaching
the Big Leagues.
Bob says he has many people to thank and
wishes to express his gratitude to each who
has been part of his journey. He’s expressive
when he names Bill Traber for recruiting
him back to the Babe Ruth League after
eight years volunteering at the Little League.
Without Traber’s insistence, Bob says he’s
not sure he would have been as active. But
the person he wants to thank mostly beside
his son and daughter is his best friend who
became his wife, Kathy. At the conclusion of
the ceremony, Bob took one final opportunity
to thank the most important person in his
life. Looking to the heavens, Bob emotionally
said, “Kathy, you were and will always
be my support. I miss you, and you are the
love of my life; I love you.”
Bob, on behalf of a grateful community
and the hundreds and hundreds of youth
athletes you coached and your commitment
to the Recreation and Parks Committee, we
collectively thank Kathy and you for your
love affair.•
Bob Motta, holding a plaque naming the score booth after him and his wife Kathy, is surrounded by his family. Bob Motta is given a standing ovation after his emotional speech.
Steve Shevlin addresses the crowd on what Bob Motta has meant to high school sports. Players from five Babe Ruth World Series championships pose with Bob Motta.
Longtime coaches Cirus and Eric Batty of the Angels helped Bob Motta celebrate. Dave Lubs gave an emotional tribute to Bob and Kathy Motta.