Saying thanks to Portales

link Derek Major PNT staff writer

When I tell people I’m from New York City, the first thing I get is a weird stare. Then comes the question I’ve heard dozens of times in the eight months I’ve lived here.

What are you doing in Portales, New Mexico?

Now that I’m leaving, I must say the answer is the people of Portales.

Coming from New York, you cannot talk to strangers and when I first got here, I didn’t talk to anyone; I just did my job and went home. However, the people of Portales made an effort to get to know me and that helped me open up and get to know them.

So before I leave there’s a few people I’d like to thank.

• Portales High School Athletic Director Mark Gallegos, who was always willing to send me a score from a game, or a story idea on a student athlete and always laughed when I got on him for being cold in 60-degree weather.

• The Portales, Elida, Dora and Floyd coaches. They always made themselves and their players available and whether it was by phone text or e-mail, always got me enough information for a box score and a few quotes. I’ve worked with coaches in the past who were nowhere near as accommodating.

• Portales Police Det. Charlie Smart, for showing me his backyard, which is like taking a trip back in time and sports some great gas station collectibles.

• Portales football coach Jamie Ramirez, who was short on words during the football season, but always made time to say hey when I saw him at Portales softball games.

• Portales baseball coach Dusty Nusser, for always letting me hang out in the dugout or in the press box and for letting me be around the sport I loved the most.

• Eastern New Mexico University basketball coach Stott Carter. Even thought his team struggled all year, he answered every question I had honestly and as best as he could and baseball coach David Gomez, for giving me full access to his players during practices and games.

• Portales Public Works Director John DeSha. He was always willing to do an interview on the fly and always joked around with me like I was one of his staff.

• Former News-Tribune Editor Rick White, for being blunt about my work, but at the same time praising me for my effort.

• The Portales parents and students who always said they appreciated my stories and coverage of their children.

• Mark’s Restaurant for serving breakfast burritos after 11 a.m. on Sundays so I had a quick bite as I watched the Cowboys play.

As a sports writer I got to see how much people in this community cared about each other and local sports teams. Living here was a breath of fresh air from the agitations of living in bigger cities. Although I’m happy to be going back home, it won’t be long before I’m stuck in traffic, wishing I was back here covering a game and talking with parents and coaches.

Derek Major covers sports for the Portales News-Tribune.