Pojoaque Baseball is a family affair for Konrad and Kurt Mueller

Kurt Mueller, he’s the father, Konrad is his son, trust me, I have all the facts after reading it was the other way around in the daily newspaper

 Both are assistant coaches for Pojoaque Valley baseball, with Kurt getting ejecting and contained by Konrad in Thursday’s District 2-4A doubleheader at St. Michael’s

Commentary by Arnie Leshin   | April 21, 2017                     

Mistakes are mistakes, but this is one for the ages, especially when it appears in a newspaper story, and in the photo.

When I first came to Santa Fe in 2001 after years of sweating in south Florida, my very first assignment for the Albuquerque Journal North was to cover the city’s Little League championship.

And finally finding the site, the first person I met was Kurt Mueller, who was manager of the VFW team that lined up against the Sullivan Design Group. On the mound was his son, Konrad.

The right-handed youngster pitched well but was up against husky 12-year-old righty Bill Hyde, owner of a fastball, confidence and unbeaten until. He went on to strike out two batters per inning, mixing his fast stuff with a slider and side-armer. He also hit two home runs, one on the first pitch he saw, and SDG went on to claim the title.

When I asked Kurt Mueller why his son was the starting pitcher, he said,

“Look, he’s only 10 years old, but was the best one I could put there. He will be fine once he gets stronger. He will become a star as he gets older.”

In Kurt’s case, it didn’t work out that bad, as he was named manager of the Santa Fe Americans for the District I Major All-Star tournament up in Pojoaque Valley.

For his roster, he had his choice of picks from his VFW team and the other teams in the district. So he chose Kirsten Cooper from the fifth place Davis & Associates, and Sarah Post from the Elks, the youngest team.

When questions popped up on why the girls, he flatly answered that Cooper is his best catcher, that Post also plays the position and is a very capable outfielder. End of conversation and whoever doesn’t like it, well, it’s his team.

Of course he grabbed Hyde, now his pitcher, his best pitcher, and his number one slugger. Konrad was also included, and when the opening game came around, it was he at shortstop, Cooper behind the plate and Post in right field.

What followed was three-straight wins before Hyde took the hill in the championship game after day-by-day game-delayed rainfalls mixed with hail, and hurled the Americans to a 7-0 triumph the over defending champion Santa Fe Metropolitan.

This advanced the Mueller squad to the state tournament in Roswell. It played twice and lost twice, but it was a nice introduction to the Muellers, Kurt and Konrad.

Konrad then went on to play four-straight years at shortstop for Santa Fe High and his dad followed along as assistant coach to John Morrison.

Konrad was All-District and named to the All-State team. He had grown into a star who was later followed by his younger brother Korwin, another splendid gift for the Demons.

The years went by. Kurt was still coaching, Konrad had gone on to play college ball, and Korwin did the same.

And just like this, Konrad became Kurt’s father. That’s what the story in the daily newspaper said. Now at Pojoaque as co-head coach with Victor Jaramillo, Konrad was also on the staff as an assistant.

So in Thursday’s District 2-4A game at St. Michael’s, Robert Mueller, always known as Kurt, and always known for his rallying cry, animation, and loud opinions, was ejected in game one of the doubleheader won by the Horsemen 2-1.

This came when Kurt charged at the home plate umpire Louie Barido a short while after a controversial call at home plate went against his Elks, and he never let it rest. So when he came out of the dugout and headed for the ump, Konrad was quick to follow, and had to hold his dad back.

To set matters straight and correct the publication, Konrad is the son, Kurt the father. And when I saw that Konrad was now the father of his father, both in print and on the photo caption, I felt it hard to believe that what I was reading, especially after knowing the family for 16 years.

Erica, the mother, the wife, must have also gotten a kick out of this. It was not a common mistake, it was an uncalled for mistake by a reporter who has written in this area for years and should know by now who’s the father and who’s the son.

And Korwin? Could he be the co-father by virtue of this error?

Oh, and Pojoaque also lost the second game, 15-13, with Kurt probably watching from the stands and Konrad keeping an eye on him. So much for Kurt looking younger and Konrad older, which is as incorrect as the mix-up created on the sports pages.

A family affair, yes, an error for the ages, yes.

And if I didn’t know who was who, I wouldn’t even have asked because it’s rare to see a son looking older than his father.