Offers pour
in for jobless
Little League dad
He quit when denied leave to
join his son at the World Series
Faced with choosing between his $60,000 annual salary or watching his only son play in the Little League World Series, Myron Enos Sr. didn't sweat the details.
He quit, borrowed money and took his family to the Little League World Series to support Myron Jr., one of the 12 Ewa Beach boys who brought the trophy home on Monday night, a day after a thrilling 7-6 victory over Curacao.
"I gotta do what I gotta do. In my mind, it's either my job or my family," the baseball dad said. "There's always a job. My family is one time."
Jobless but happy with his son's accomplishments, Enos was to return last night from California with his wife, Girlie, and 7-year-old daughter, Mylee.
His resignation from a well-paying job has raised eyebrows, but he's not being faulted. Instead, supporters are lining up to offer him financial help and even a new job. He said he has received more than 10 job offers.
Dr. Jim Barahal, president of the Honolulu Marathon Association, presented Enos with a $3,000 check at the Honolulu Airport last night.
Barahal said he understands Enos' decision. He has a child in the Kailua Little League, and as a youngster he played Little League in Michigan, where he was coached by his father.
"It would have been akin to missing your daughter's wedding not to go," Barahal said. "Any father who has the chance to go see his son play in the Little League World Series just has to go. It's once in a lifetime."
Enos has mixed feelings about the attention.
"I feel shame because people giving me money," he said. "It's kind of them to help support me ... I appreciate what everybody is doing."
Enos quit as a concrete-mixer truck driver at Island Ready-Mix Concrete Inc. when he was denied an unpaid leave.
Enos said he had recently returned from the Little League State Tournament held on the Big Island, where he used his 10 vacation days. When he asked for unpaid leave or family leave for the mainland tournaments, he was denied twice.
"I was all bummed. I was broken-hearted," Enos said.
That's when he quit, thanking vice president and general manager Francis "Shorty" Kuhn for the opportunity at Island Ready-Mix. "He shook my hand and said 'Good luck,'" Enos said.
In a written statement, Kuhn said: "We're delighted the team did so well over the weekend. Like the rest of the state, we are proud of the team's accomplishments. We also respect Myron's decisions and wish him well.
"Over the past year, we've been very flexible in accommodating Myron's requests for time off. Unfortunately, because other employees also have important family commitments and we need to support their needs, too, we were not in a position to grant Myron an additional three to four weeks off at this time," Kuhn said.
Though it was a difficult decision, Enos said he is glad he made it. "Just to be in Williamsport in Pennsylvania in the World Series in front of 20,000 to 30,000 people and to see your son on the field playing in the World Series -- the feeling is an unexplainable feeling," he said.
Before departing for the mainland, he told his wife not to worry about bills and their children's tuition at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City.
Enos said he started coaching his son when he was 5 and playing T-ball. Later he stopped, and work kept him away from watching him play.
Enos said he would ask for Saturdays off at least twice a month to watch his son play baseball. "Sometimes I watch, sometimes I can't," he said.
This time, with the world title on the line, he wasn't about to miss his son's moment.
"Fo' see your son over there, that's a whole different feeling. It's hard to explain. You like cry, you like get a heart attack, you get goosebumps," he said. "You get headache from yelling."
What's a job compared to that?
|
400 adoring fans greet
Little Leaguers in Ewa
The champs receive rock-star
treatment from their relatives,
friends and neighbors
Hawaii's Little League world champs arrived to shouts and cheers usually reserved for rock stars at a surprise homecoming bash in Ewa on Monday night.
An estimated crowd of about 400 screaming fans, friends, relatives and neighbors greeted the team at the Ewa by Gentry recreation center shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.
The teammates, coaches and parents arrived in two stretch limousines that took them from the airport to an adoring crowd, and the bright lights of TV and newspaper cameras.
Amid the roar of the crowd, Ewa Beach manager Layton Aliviado said, "Thanks to all the Hawaii people and everybody who supported us."
Pitcher and infielder Vonn Fe'ao was beaming as he walked through the thick crowd wearing leis and a big smile in contrast to the scowl he wore through the latter part of the championship game.
Fe'ao said he had gotten angry "because I got a home run hit off me," but went on to strike out the last two batters in the seventh inning. Last night, he said it "felt great" to arrive to all the fanfare.
As for his role in the championship, he said, "I just thought I got the job done."
Michael Memea, who smacked the game-winning home run, said, "It's real awesome" to have the huge welcome and people asking for autographs.
The Damien Memorial School 8th-grader said things will be different when he returns to school. "A lot of people are going to know me now," he said.
During the championship game, he said he only thought about one thing — baseball, and his coach's words: "If you want it, go get it."
"I wanted it badly," Memea said. Ewa resident Ryan Fagaragan, 12, holding several sheets of yellow construction paper, searched for the players to get their autographs.
"They're awesome," said Fagaragan who attends Holomua Elementary School. "I feel like playing baseball now."
His sister, Nicole, 13, said: "They made us real proud." She said it was exciting to greet them "because they're known all over the world now."
Several signs lined Fort Weaver Road, congratulating and welcoming home the Little League world champions.
Mack Memea, father of Michael, said, "I never expected something like this." He said that he thought the team would be welcomed by a small crowd at the airport.
Instead they were "lining up from the airport to Ewa Beach," he said. "It's great for Hawaii and Ewa Beach.
"I don't think the kids realize the magnitude (of what they've done)," he said.
John Baniaga, father of Sheyne, said, "It's unreal because for three days they get treated like big leaguers, especially in the championship game when they were shouting, 'USA, USA.' "
"Felt like I was at the Olympics."
Jesse Aglipay, father of player Alakai Aglipay, said the party was unexpected, that they were told about it at the airport. A crush of fans greeted the players as they entered the pavilion. "I gotta guard him (Alakai) because all the girls are attacking him," said Aglipay.
Residents came by the droves on foot as well as in their cars.
Gina Coffey walked across the street with her neighbor and waited with her camera, poised to take a photo of team members.
"It's wonderful," she said. "So much pride for Hawaii and for this little town of Ewa Beach. When you see the way these kids play baseball, they love it, and it's so much fun to watch."
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