It’s taken me a while to write this. Not for any other reason other than trying to make sense of this all. I struggle to find the right words to say or how to act. I am not good at these things. I don’t know if anyone is but I especially struggle dealing with former players passing away. I constantly ask myself why. Why does someone so young that has so much going for him and his future get taken away? Since last Sunday, when I found out about the passing of Dallas I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him and his family. Especially his father Mario.
In my profession, I interact with hundreds of families throughout the year. A lot of them play several years for us and then once their child graduates high school they kind of go their own way and move on to the next chapter in their life. This is natural. However, every once in a while, you have a family that the relationship goes outside of baseball. We often kept in touch with each other. Most of our conversations were about football actually.
Mario wasn’t the type of father that would make excuses for his son if he didn’t perform well. On the contrary, some people thought he was too tough on Dallas at times. I didn’t. I knew he was teaching Dallas not just about baseball but about life. He was raising him to become a man. A positive member of society. He taught him about respect and dignity. What it is to work hard for something that is important to you and to do things the right way. As a father to two small children now, I look back and realize how special their relationship was. Mario is probably one of the most generous & loving people I have ever encountered. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his kids or quite frankly just about any kid.
I’ll never forget in the summer of 2013 we headed to Arizona for the Perfect Game World Series. We had a player by the name of Anfernee Seymour who was living here by himself because his family lives in the Bahamas. Anfernee didn’t have anyone to stay with in Arizona as my room was full with players already. Without any hesitation, Mario stepped up and took care of Anfernee as if he was his own that week. I caught Mario taking Dallas and Anfernee to hit early before our games at the cages where Mario would be throwing to them. Sometimes teenagers aren’t the best at expressing their gratitude but I know that on several occasions Anfernee told me how grateful he was for Mario and Dallas. He felt like he was part of their family for that week in Arizona. This was not surprising to me at all. Dallas was used to being a good big brother.
When I met the Perez family at a local park by our house it was Mario, Dallas and Kyle. Dallas and Kyle must have only been 10 or 11 years old. I never got the chance other than once to talk to his wife and daughter but I know they must be saint’s to live in a house with boys that play multiple sports and have Mario who is a lawyer/coach/father and anything else he was asked upon him to do he would take it on to help out. Mario wore many hats but the most important one he wore was the “Fatherhood” hat. A few months after meeting the Perez family, I ran into them again at the park and he introduced me to his new son, Pinder Perez. I looked at Pinder and he was the opposite of Dallas and Kyle. First of all he was black and secondly, he was huge. I joked with Mario and told him that he was trying to build his own football team. He laughed and told me I don’t know if Pinder will be a football player but for sure he’s going to be the family comedian. Mario didn’t put emphasis on anyone of his kids being athletes, he put the emphasis on family. On doing the right things. On loving one another, and that’s why Dallas was the way he was and why he was loved by so many. He had a great example to follow.
As I mentioned I got the chance to meet Dallas when he was 10 or 11 years old. Mario sent the boys to my summer camp when I was starting out as a very young baseball coach. I instantly gravitated to Dallas. Even in the camp games you can tell how competitive he was. He always wanted to come in first place. He was mad when he didn’t. I often had to tell him it was ok as long as he gave everything he had but Dallas didn’t know any other way then to give everything he had. That’s what made him special. (Meanwhile Pinder is in the background distracting and messing with Kyle laughing like he always does.) Kyle and Pinder didn’t care who won. They cared more about what was for lunch. For Dallas, competition was what he loved. He thrived in it. It made him tougher and to work harder if he didn’t win.
The time that I will enjoy the most is when I got the chance to coach Dallas the summer of his Junior, going to Senior year. Dallas is the type of player that coaches talk about to the rest of the team. Always hustled always wanted to win before his own success. I fondly remember that trip in Arizona. Our 3rd day into it Dallas had a bad day at the plate and let his emotions get to him after a bad at bat. I had asked him to bunt (something he was really good at) and he failed to do so. He was so pissed. It was a crucial part of the game and we needed that runner on third base. He was mad at himself because he felt he let the team down. Those were his brothers. That’s what he loved the most in this world so it bothered him if he let them down. I spoke to him after the game and I explained to him that no matter how mad you are at yourself you can’t show negative emotions like he did. Fortunately, we won that game and had to win tomorrow’s game to win our pool and advance.
The following day we got to the park early to hit BP. On my way to the dugout I happened to catch Mario. I told him that I was not going to start Dallas this next game but most likely bring him in late because I wanted him to learn about the way he acted and the only way to teach him was this way. Now, I usually don’t explain to parents my lineup but because of the relationship I had with Mario I wanted to let him know that I was trying to teach Dallas on how to respond in situations like that. Mario’s response to me was “ You’re nicer than I am. I wouldn’t play him at all.” This was a typical response from Mario. It was bigger than playing in front of scouts or colleges, for him. It was about teaching and how you respond when things don’t go your way that he wanted Dallas to learn.
Fast forward to the 6th inning of that game. We had gone down by a few runs early before we managed to get within a run. The other team had made a pitching change to a lefty and the batter we had coming up was also a lefty and he was struggling himself. Being crazy the way I am at times, I brought Dallas off the bench to not only pinch hit, but he was going to squeeze bunt the tying run in. I told him that we were going to Squeeze on the second pitch and Dallas just looked at me with no expression. I couldn’t tell if he was confused I was asking him to bunt again after he failed doing so twice the day before or if he was still mad at me for not starting him. Either way I told him that he was the best bunter on our team and that I believed in him. Sure enough, Dallas laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line not only scoring the tying run but also beating out the throw at first base. With Dallas’ speed it wasn’t long before he stole second and eventually came around to score the go ahead run. We used that win and momentum to ride us into the championship game.
I remember telling Dallas I was so proud of him for responding the way he did. Sure, it wasn’t your walk of grand slam that you read about but it was an example of Dallas’ toughness and his willingness to do anything to help his brothers win. Just a few hours after he got benched. Dallas is easily one of the best competitors I ever got a chance to coach. Not to mention one of the most talented. Dallas wasn’t the tallest but could hit it as far as anyone, run with the best of them and had one of the most accurate/ strongest arms from the OF.
I wasn’t just a fan of Dallas the baseball player. I loved watching him be an athlete. I especially loved watching him play football. I remember Mario showing me his youtube video when he was a QB in pop warner and then turning on ESPN his senior year where he caught what I believe was the first play of the game a bomb from Torrance Gibson for a TD on a nationally televised game. I remember texting back and forth with Mario on how awesome Dallas was. He was all over the field making unbelievable catches and breaking tackles for crazy runs. I was so impressed by Dallas in all the things he did. He inspired guy’s like me. I’m only 5’10 so when I see a kid like Dallas go out and dominate and do the things he did it made me so proud to have been his coach or even associated with him.
By looking at social media and talking to his friends. It’s obvious that I am not the only one that feels this way about Dallas. He was loved by so many people.
In times like these your faith can be tested as to why someone like Dallas can be taken from us so soon. The only thing I can keep telling myself is that god needed one of the toughest and strongest people I’ve ever met to help him in heaven now.
Dallas, today we celebrate your life and we want you to know you will never be forgotten. You left an impression on everyone you touched. You inspired a lot of people. Even your coaches….
#DP21Forever
