EDINBURG – Raul Reyna is a lifelong baseball fan that takes pride in being able to call a good game.

"As soon as I got out of high school, I couldn't play ball anymore,” said Reyna. “In order to stay close to the game, what I did was start umpiring baseball."

An umpire since the early 1980’s, Reyna started in little league, moving up to high school, then college, and finally to pro games. His dedication to the sport was honored by the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame, which inducted him earlier this month at a ceremony in Monterrey.

"There was two umpires from the U.S. and three from Mexico,” said Reyna. “We had dignitaries from the Mexican baseball league present us the awards and trophies. They just put on a great show."

Reyna says being a sports official isn’t an easy job. It takes someone who can handle criticism from fans, coaches, and players.