Life, Liberty and Little League

BARSTOW — Pete Esquivel wears his heart on his sleeve — well, actually under his sleeve.

Esquivel, or “Little League Pete” as most know him, has a passion for baseball and specifically for Little League. That passion has led him to Little League games, meetings and conferences.

Wanting a permanent symbol of his love, Esquivel got the official Little League logo tattooed on his left arm in 2003. With a week to go before the 2007 Little League World Series, he once again visited the tattoo parlor. This time he got a tattoo of the logo for the first Little League District of Williamsport, Pa.

“I just love Little League,” Esquivel said. “What better way to show it than a tattoo? I got the first one awhile ago, and I just got the first district tattoo done. I’m friends with Bill Bear, who was the first Little League batting champion, and I can’t wait to show him.”

The Perfect Game

Esquivel’s devotion to the game goes back more than 40 years to his first Little League practice. He began playing when he was 5 years old in a time when local teams still wore jeans to games.

As Esquivel grew older, he continued to stay involved with the game. Despite not making the All-Star team in 1974, he followed the 11- and 12 year-old East Barstow team as they advanced through the postseason to Sectionals. Esquivel and his dad made the trip to San Bernardino for the Little League Western Regional later that year

Now, 33 years after his first visit, Esquivel still hasn’t missed a trip to San Bernardino’s Al Houghton Stadium.

He even made two trips to the stadium this year. Esquivel went for the Western Regional Tournament and to be an extra in the movie “The Perfect Game.” It is the story of the 1957 Little League team from Monterrey, Mexico, that defeated a team from La Mesa to become the first foreign team to win the Little League World Series. The shoot lasted four days. West Barstow Little League All-Star Josh Lee joined him during one of the days.

“It was fun going to the movie shoot,” Lee said. “We had to go to wardrobe to get dressed like we were from the 1950s. They gave me brown trousers and a pink shirt. My favorite part was a scene they shot with all the extras up against the fence during a game.”

Making it to the World Series

Esquivel traveled beyond San Bernardino in 1998 when he made his first trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

During his trips to Williamsport Esquivel has met many people and made many friends. One of his friends, Steve Fallen, of Middlesex, N.J., invited Esquivel to see a sports museum he had constructed in his basement, but Fallen passed away before Esquivel was able to make the journey.

However, Esquivel now has his own Little League museum in a room in his home. The walls of the room are painted to resemble Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, where the Little League World Series is held each year. Esquivel recreated the stadium down to every detail. In left field, you see the scoreboard and hill that fills with up to 50,000 spectators. In right field, you can see the Little League Headquarters.

He even has foul posts erected in the corners. One wall is lined with T-shirts, jerseys, hats and balls he has collected over his nine years of world series. The room is crowded with cases of Little League memorabilia from a pair of decades-old unused Little League licensed cleats to programs from various world series.

“Pete has a whole lot of stuff in that room,” West Barstow Little League President Gary Vinson said. “He has a lot of unique items, and he knows the history on every piece in the room. I think he loves Little League because it’s something that everyone can play. As you get older, it’s more exclusive, but Little League is for everyone.”

Home away from home

Esquivel arrived in Williamsport for the ninth time at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. He began searching through antique shops for items for his museum as soon as he arrived. By the end of his first 24 hours in town, Esquivel had five new balls for his collection. Although Esquivel spends a lot of time searching for museum pieces, he said he’s really there to sit back and watch some baseball.

“It was a long journey to get here, but it was worth it,” Esquivel said. “It’s kind of like that movie ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles.’ I drove, then flew and then drove again to get here. I’m just happy to be here. It’s like the first time every time.”