When I was growing up in Mt. Lebanon, my mentor was Roberto Clemente. He could hit and also catch. Pittsburgh got accustomed to his excellence. Clemente was a legend. He won a litany of awards during his two decades in baseball: National League Most Valuable Player in 1966 and the first Latino player to receive that award; World Series MVP in 1971; National League Gold Glove Awards in 12 consecutive seasons; NL Batting Titles: 4 times (1961, 1964, 1965, 1967); All-Star: 15-time NL All-Star.

Roberto

During the World Series in 1960 between the Pirates and the Yankees, I was working out with the cross-country team. Between laps, we listened to the play-by-play by Bob Prince on our coach’s transistor radio.

Beyond his playing abilities, Clemente was an outspoken mentor for several important reasons. He stood up to being discriminated for being the first Puerto Rican in the major leagues. He paralleled Jackie Robinson, who was the first black player in the major leagues.

Picking mentors is important. Mentors will help individuals as they journey down the yellow brick roads of life. Mentors can help us avoid the pitfalls of life. Clemente said, “Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world, and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

That is the backstory. This essay is another Kierkegaardian either/or essay. I am presenting you with two potential mentors. You pick which is a better mentor. Your first potential mentor is Trump.

This is the Access Hollywood video of Trump discussing going shopping for furniture with a woman.

Another issue relates to the haunting Epstein files. Trump's name, according to The New York Times, appears more than 38,000 times. There are over 6 million Epstein files, and only half have been released. I wonder why the government won’t turn over all the files.

E. Jean Carroll sued Trump twice relating to sexual abuse. In the first case, Carroll won $5 million. In the second case, she was awarded $88 million.

Then there was the Stormy Daniels $130,000 hush-money trial. The jury found Trump guilty of all 34 counts, making Trump our first convicted felon president.

And now for another mentor. The alternative mentor to our president is Jack Smith. The name Jack Smith didn’t resonate with many in America when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him as Special Counsel. When his picture crossed the Internet, this type of photo appeared.

Jack Smith

Smith was the chief prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. He led at The Hague, the international tribunal, as his group investigated and prosecuted people for war crimes in the Kosovo War.

I watched a Nicole Wallace interview of Jack Smith. What I saw wasn’t some austere legal mind but a caring human being. Smith was honestly a person who was into working together with his colleagues. He paid tribute to them.

This clip is Wallace asking Smith about the possibility of Trump having him indicted.

This is Smith’s comments about recidivism in America.

Wallace asked Smith whether he was afraid of speaking out.

Finally, Smith wanted to be an example to his family and to America. If you are looking for a mentor, Smith is a great example of a mentor.