Umpire Profile
Paul Porto
By Gary Reals
Paul Porto has been running and strengthening NV-MAC’s storied training program for more than a decade now. But, Blues, he does so much more!
Association President Dave Maher: “He’s my sounding board. If I run an idea past him and he says you’re crazy…I know it’s a bridge too far.”
A leading member of the MAC brain trust, Dave Lawrence: “It’s not about him ever. All Paul cares about is making the crew better.”
Paul Porto came to MAC with the class of 2004. “I’m the only one from that class still active,” he recalls. “With 4 kids in school getting ready to head to college, I was looking for some extra money.“ In true Porto form, Paul wasted little time.
Thank You Paul Earle
It was his dear friend, long time umpire and baseball coaching legend in Loudoun County, Paul Earle, who thankfully and wisely steered Paul to MAC. And that’s all it took.
After some training early that year, Porto’s first evaluation game “…was fortunate. I worked it solo, all 7 innings at the plate.” Suffice to say things went quite well rather quickly: “I proved early on I had the chops.” After that meaty performance, Porto ended up working a full diet of JV games his rookie year.
At the start of his second season in 2005, Paul attended umpire training camp in Florida, and guess who was there? None other than Rob Porter and of course he duly took note of the new guy. Wise and ambitious, Paul Porto “…worked hard til my head was ready to explode!”
His ship continued to sail throughout ’05. Working games with the likes of Bob Gustin, Al Straub and Dave Maher, word spread quickly about the new blue. 2006 presented Paul Porto his first varsity game. At the start of the season his partner at Paul VI (still located at the time in Fairfax City) was who else?? Rob Porter, who explains his methodology: “I want to make sure where he belongs. I want to verify it in person.” Listen to Porto, “I must have done well.” Rob counters not “well,” rather than well “He just rocked it!” Rob continues, “To pass the test the way he did is pretty freakin impressive.” Little surprise, following that audition, Porto received mostly varsity game assignments.
Over the past 20 years, Paul has worked a dazzling array of high school and college championship contests. In 2024, he umpired the JUCO District Finals from which the winner, Frederick Community College, advanced to the JUCO World Series. During the past 10 years, he’s called a host of semi- and final high school state championship games all around Virginia. Just last year, he was in Glen Allen, working the 2025 6-A final when Gainesville beat Battlefield.
Picking up the Reins
But Blues, do let us be reminded there’s much more than umpiring when we’re talking up Paul Porto. Back in the mid-2010’s, the aforementioned Al Straub, who had led MAC training for many years, recruited Paul to help organize camps, clinics and cage training along with Jim Clayton. A fortuitous pick for Al…because in short order Straub began phasing into retirement. Forgive Porto because he’s been so darn busy, he can’t remember exactly when it was that he took the reins and has served as our Training Chief Extraordinaire ever since.
Porto the Guru regards umpire training as absolutely essential and also fundamental. “If you start off on the wrong foot, it all goes downhill pretty quickly.” He adds, “We can teach mechanics and balls & strikes and rules. And those who come to training in February and March are going to be ready for JV. Those who don’t, they won’t be ready.”
And, of course, there’s more than training. There’s game experience. And if you don’t get the training, you’re not likely to get the games.
Relatively new umpires need to get the reps in order to learn the nuances of baseball, of which there are many. “You can’t teach judgement,” Paul explains. In his experience, “…among the best in baseball are the veteran players and coaches, especially the catchers.” Perhaps this life-long Dodger fan was thinking back to Yogi Berra, eh?
Porto says with training and experience together, newer umpires will learn to “…adjust for the best look, or angle, not just of a play, but at times for two potential plays.” And occasionally even more than two….
Rob Porter regards Training Chief as a “massive position” in our association and describes Porto this way: “He’s like a ninja out there… pulling out things….rolling through all the stuff he’s absorbed on the field and bringing them all together.”
Dave Lawrence believes training “is the hallmark of our association. Paul Porto has been carrying that flag far and beyond….and he is making it bigger and better than ever.”
Change
And Blues, as was underscored earlier, Paul brings so much more than the rule book and umpire manual to the game and to training camp. He brings himself; a gent cloaked in humanity.
Dave Lawrence again, this time witnessing it first hand when working games with Paul, “The coaches are not just happy to see him. They come up and hug him.” Let us be clear, brothers: some coaches. Not all coaches.
Another point of significance in the umpire life of Paul Porto: such perrrfect timing! Just as he came on board as Training honcho around 2015, John and Rob Porter had arrived at a profound and surprising internal assessment of MAC umpires and management generally. Rob bluntly puts it this way: “MAC had an attitude. We were too arrogant. We thought we were better than anybody else.”
Who better to lead the way and help to change that culture? Hear Dave Lawrence: “Paul is the nicest, kindest, most thoughtful person…who thinks of others before himself.”
In other words, according to Rob Porter, “Paul Porto fit right in. He’s on the front lines teaching our guys to be better people. And that’s been a big change!”
From NYC to SOCAL to DMV
Paul Porto was born in Brooklyn. When he was still a youngster, his father, a mechanical engineer, decided he had enough of New York, and eventually followed the Dodgers out to Los Angeles. When the family got established on the West Coast, Dad bought season tickets and young Paul became “a die-hard Dodgers fan all my life.”
He attended California State University at Northridge earning a BS in business management. A short while later, 1985, the Porto family was on a cruise to Alaska. As is often the case on those large boats on the high seas, there’s a lot of white hair and only a small number of young folk. The young Mr. Porto was quite taken when a young lady from McLean, Virginia, who was on a church cruise with her family, graciously invited him to “…come sit with her at the bar.” Blues, should we fast forward?? Well, let us just observe that here in 2026, 41 years later, Paul and Jacinta Porto are still going strong with a family of four children and thus far 6 grandchildren. During the 2020 Covid pandemic, Paul spent many happy hours on “Grandpa-ternity leave.”
Professionally, Paul has worked as a business management expert focusing heavily on risk management. For many years, he worked as an auditor and compliance manager for Freddie Mac and more recently he’s been applying his expertise for Navy Federal Credit Union.
Keep on Moving
Physically, Porto regards himself as being in good shape. Over the last 10 years, he shed much weight which he attributes to lots of exercise and flexibility training. He’s become dedicated to his regimen and plans to keep on moving.
Dave Lawrence with a bird’s-eye view, “He’s faster now than he was 10 years ago. He seems to defy aging.”
Rob Porter, “I’ve not even thought of his stepping back. He keeps getting better.”
Dave Maher, “He’s a critical piece of the pie.”
Paul Porto, “I’m going to stay on the field as long as possible, as long as I can do it.”
Blues, it would appear Paul Porto has a lock on the uptick! Hallelujah!!