Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
There is an old belief that between any two people there are, at most, seven degrees of separation. One person may have worked with another person's cousin, which could draw a connection between two seeming strangers. This can become an exercise in the inter-connectivity between us all; plus an interesting parlor game.
This idea of inter-connectivity was on display during the recent Major League Baseball National League Division Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves. In the first game of the series, the home plate umpire calling balls and strikes was Mike Estabrook. According to www.mlb.com, Estabrook made his Major League Baseball umpiring debut on May 7, 2006 in a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins, at Sun Life Stadium, in South Florida. He has worked the 2015 National League Wild Card Game, the 2017 All-Star Game, in Miami and the 2020 American League Division Series. Estabrook was born in 1976, in Daytona Beach and graduated high school from Madison County High School as a member of the Class of 1994. He is the brother of Peggy Hasty, of Madison.
Lorenzo Cain is a center-fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers and began his professional baseball career in 2010, with the Brewers, although most of his career has been with the Kansas City Royals. Cain also graduated from Madison County High School as a member of the Class of 2004. Cain didn't start playing organized baseball until his sophomore year in high school. Cain was born in 1986.
It is unknown if Cain and Estabrook knew each other in their earlier years; especially considering the near 10 years age difference between the two. This year's playoff game was not the first time their professional careers have placed them together. There have been other times when Estabrook has called balls and strikes for a game in which Cain has played. It's also unknown if the two recognize each other today as fellow Cowboys, although it is quite likely.
This does give an example of just how small the world can be. So, the next time you want to yell at the umpire over a call, just remember: he just may be somebody's brother.