Well, I reckon it’s about time I tell y’all a little bit ’bout a feller named Dave Roberts. He’s a big shot in baseball now, all famous and stuff, but he ain’t always been a manager. He come from humble beginnings, just like a lotta folks do. Dave, born on May 31, 1972, in Okinawa, Japan, is the son of a fella named Waymon Roberts and his wife, Eiko. Now, Waymon, he was a United States Marine, and that’s how Dave ended up being born over there in Japan. But don’t let that confuse ya none, Waymon’s an African American man, and Eiko, she’s Japanese. Quite the mix, ain’t it?
Now, Waymon, he done traveled all over while in the military, stationed in places like California, North Carolina, and even Hawaii. But Okinawa, that’s where Dave came into the world. He was real little when his family packed up and moved to San Diego, California. Dave was just five years old then, but he grew up to be quite the baseball player, so I reckon them early years in Japan didn’t slow him down none.
He went to Rancho Buena Vista High School in San Diego, where he made a name for himself in baseball. Now, this boy wasn’t just good, he was real fast too. You know, it’s that speed that helps a fella steal bases and get past them pitchers. And that’s what he did! He was good enough that after high school, he went on to play at UCLA, where he set some records for stealing bases. You gotta be real quick to pull that off, and I reckon he was.
In 1994, after he done impressed a few folks with his skills, he got drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round of the MLB draft. But don’t think it was all smooth sailing from there. Nah, life never works like that. He had to work hard, just like any of us do, to get where he is now. After a few years bouncing around in the minor leagues, Dave finally made it to the big leagues, playing for teams like the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, I bet you’re wonderin’ how he went from being a player to being the manager of the Dodgers. Well, he didn’t just wake up one day and decide to run the show. It took a lotta time and experience. After he retired from playin’, he didn’t just sit back on his porch. Nah, he got into coaching. He worked as a coach for a while, and then in 2016, he got hired as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He became the first manager of Asian descent to lead a team to the World Series in 2017. Ain’t that somethin’? And not just that, he led them to the World Series again in 2018, 2020, and 2024, even winning it all in 2020.
Now, Dave’s not just a baseball manager, he’s also a family man. He married his high school sweetheart, Tricia, back in 1997. Together, they got two kids: a son named Cole and a daughter named Emme. Cole, just like his daddy, is into baseball too. He played for Loyola Marymount University and even got drafted by a Major League team. Guess that baseball blood runs deep, don’t it?
But folks gotta remember, it ain’t all been easy for Dave Roberts. He’s had to fight through a lotta obstacles, just like anyone else. He’s the son of a Black man and a Japanese woman, and he’s had to deal with plenty of people who didn’t quite know what to make of him. But Dave, well, he just kept on pushin’ through. He didn’t let none of that hold him back. And now, he’s one of the most respected managers in Major League Baseball, leading the Dodgers with pride and honor.
So, the next time you hear someone talkin’ about Dave Roberts, just remember where he come from. He’s a product of his family, of hard work, and a love for the game. And that’s somethin’ to be proud of, no matter where you’re from.
Tags：[Dave Roberts, baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series, Waymon Roberts, Eiko, MLB manager, sports, family, biography]
