B.J. Garbe

MOSES LAKE — B.J. Garbe said the lessons he learned through sports have served him well his entire life. And those lessons, he said, can and are learned through many kinds of extracurricular activities.

“There are so many character traits that you learn - that apply, most importantly, to the kind of person that you become,” Garbe said.

Garbe, a 1999 graduate of Moses Lake High School, had a legendary athletic career at MLHS, recognized by induction into the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is scheduled for this coming Wednesday at noon at the Renton Pavilion Event Center, 233 Burnett Ave. S in Renton.

“I think that sports and extracurricular activities are so important for kids, because I think you learn so many different things that you don’t learn in the classroom. Like teamwork, hard work, dedication. It’s a confidence builder. You learn how to win, you learn how to lose. I think there are just so many lessons that are learned that really do help you in your professional career afterwards,” Garbe said. “Sports only lasts so long, for anybody.”

Garbe was the three-year starting quarterback on MLHS teams that made it to the state semifinals his junior and senior years. He was a four-year starter on the MLHS baseball team, playing in the outfield as well as pitching.

“We had an amazing team,” Garbe said of the MLHS teams. “And it was run by a bunch of good people.”

He was one of the leaders on a Columbia Basin Riverdogs team that won the Senior Babe Ruth world championship in the summer of 1998.

The late Pete Doumit was the MLHS baseball coach at the time and a coach on the Riverdogs. Eventually Doumit also coached the Big Bend Community College baseball team. Garbe cited Doumit, who coached him from the time he was 10 years of age, as an example.

“Even at a young age, we had a notebook that was filled with all of these different values, and sayings and virtues, basically. He taught us, not only the fundamentals of baseball, but he taught us how to be men. And he led by example,” Garbe said.

“One quote I’ll never forget was, ‘Games won or lost are soon forgotten, but the kind of person you are never will be.’ He emphasized character as much or more as the game itself,” Garbe said.

His athletic career led him to challenge himself and try a variety of things, Garbe said, and there were lessons in that too.

“For your personal resume, doing different things - and maybe they’re out of your comfort zone. But you grow as a person by doing those things,” he said.

Athletes, students in the music or robotics program - whatever activity they’re involved in, regardless of whether the team does well or not, young people get a benefit from their participation, he said.

“Without a doubt,” he said.

He cited his own experience after he retired from baseball.

“I got the opportunity to invest in and start a new business, and I started running that,” he said. “And all the things I learned in baseball, football - sports in general - translated over really well. Especially in my position, because as the general manager or CEO, I had to lead a lot of these people.

“I had to build a team. I had to coach or teach them the ways the company needed things done.

And I caught on really quick because of my background. I found that fascinating,” he said.

“Also the competitive nature of business is another thing that’s very similar to sports, and that I really, really enjoy,” he said.

And Garbe made friends on those teams he played on, many of whom remain friends to this day, he said.

“Still, some of my best friends to this day are my teammates, my old teammates. There are so many benefits,” he said.

Garbe was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America after his senior season, and was the fifth selection overall in the 1999 major league baseball draft. Two of his teammates and friends, Jason Cooper and Ryan Doumit, were drafted in the second round.

“It was important to me to be a good student as well, because I wanted options with different colleges,” he said.

His athletic and academic achievements earned him the offer of a scholarship to Stanford University. He opted to play baseball instead, he said.

Currently Garbe is in charge of construction for a restaurant and business building on Pioneer Way; Enzo Italian Restaurant will anchor the facility. Garbe will be the general manager for owners Dino and Rhonda Cacchiotti for the restaurant and the business spaces that will be available for rent. Previously Garbe was the CEO for Ten Pin Brewing and Papa’s Casino, and said he likes the hospitality business.

“Now I get to build another team,” he said. “I’m really excited about it. One of the things I love about the hospitality industry is that I get to serve people. And in my position, I get to serve our employees and our guests. It’s incredibly rewarding.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com and welcomes all news tips readers may send her.