The Religion of Baseball

Some people tell me I have an unhealthy addiction to baseball. I don’t know about that, I just love the game. People have different things in their lives that bring them joy, mine is baseball. That is why I chose to pursue a career in the game, because I wanted to work in a job that I love.

Some people choose to work in baseball for just the pure fact that it’s a job. Then there are people like me that can’t get enough of it and would live at the field given the opportunity.

It’s tough on me to be away from the game this season; however being away makes me think about how much I love it even more. Despite all the scandals that happen at the big league level with steroids and contract disputes, working in the Minors has really made me appreciate the game even more.

Baseball really has become a religion for me and the stadium like my church.

I usually would be one of the people that got to the ballpark early because of my job, having to prepare the media notes for the day and get ready for the broadcast. Often times I would get there at eight in the morning but I loved it because there is nothing better then smelling the fresh cut grass of the infield or hearing the rhythmic sound of the sprinklers as I ran around the warning track for an early workout.

Getting to the ballpark early in the morning not only served to give me some much needed alone time, but it was also like going to church before the crowd and choir got there. You could just take it all in, think, clear your head and reflect. It also allowed me to get my work done relatively early because then I could be at the field when the players got there.

For anyone that has ever been in an empty church listening to the choir rehearse and hearing every note reverberate around the empty walls and echo through the halls, that is the best way to describe being at a ballpark in the afternoon for early hitting.

Every crack of the bat is echoed throughout the empty grandstands. You get to hear the sound of the ball hitting the bat, the sound of the fielders’ glove popping when catching a ball. The crunching sound of players cleats as he runs around the infield dirt. The clanging sound the weighted donut makes around a baseball bat and the laughter of players and coaches talking about previous games.

It’s a beautiful thing to see and hear.

As the day goes on and the gates open up, the church starts to fill up. Just as beautiful as the sound of a choir playing in an empty church is, it’s just as magnificent hearing the loud organ pipes and entire congregation singing in unison.

That’s how it is during a game. The stands are packed, everyone cheering for a single to left, or an RBI double down the right-field line or if you are lucky, a majestic two-run homer to win a game.

It really is true there is nothing like the sights, sounds and even the smells of the ballpark.

For me day baseball was the best, especially when it seemed like God himself was smiling down watching the game and awarding the lucky faithful with a day full of endless blue sky. The smell of the burgers and barbeque drifting across the air along with the smoke from the grills really painted quite a scene.

It is summer at its best and truly makes a day at the yard one of the best places to be.

I know there are a lot of individuals that work in the Minors for the sole purpose of making it to “The Show.” That is what I wanted; work for the Cardinals in my home town of St. Louis has always been a dream. However, for me it seems the Minor Leagues are just so much more pure.

Those big cathedrals in the city sure are nice, but it’s being in the small country church that really makes you feel at home.

Good luck to all my friends and colleagues working in baseball this year and enjoy another summer under the sun.

Long Days In Single-A Baseball

I am not sure too many people realize the amount of work and hours it takes to be a broadcaster in Minor League Baseball, at least at the Single-A level. I am not sure on the hours put in by Double-A and Triple-A broadcasters since I have yet to reach that plateau, but in Single-A, the days were long and grueling.

I was in a discussion with a college kid the other day about working in broadcasting and the day to day work expected. We got on the subject of my days in baseball and he, like I am sure everyone else in college or people that are not familiar with the industry, assumed I worked just the game. So a typical day was about four, maybe five hours long.

On the contrary, I usually was at my desk at 8:30 in the morning and did not leave the office until 11:30 p.m., sometimes later if there was a rain delay, double-header, or the game just dragged on. If you want to know what I did exactly, you can read about a typical day on the job here.

Try doing seven, eight, 10 days like that in a row. Try doing six days in a row like that, then having to be back at work at six in the morning because you have a game at Noon to prepare for.

Those days were the trickiest for me, games that started at 10:30 a.m. or Noon games. Sometimes the stats were updated instantly on the web and most work could be done after the game so I would stay up until one and two in the morning getting my game notes done for the early game the next day.

However, there are those times when other games in the league and in the organization go long and the stats don’t get updated. So the only option is to wake up at five or six in the morning to get the work done in time for that early start.

The hours I put in during a typical week usually added up to around 90 hours a week on average.

There are also the long bus rides and overnight trips to and from cities. Don’t expect to get too much sleep on those buses, they are not the most comfortable things in the world. The seats are usually close together and are tough on the knees, back and neck. If we have a sleeper bus, the rookies and first year guys immediately head to the beds thinking those are the prime seats.

Within an hour of the trip, guys are pouring out of the beds because if you have a bed at the top of the bus, it’s hot as hell and you are dripping with sweat. If you have a bed at the bottom, it’s usually the coldest place on the earth.

During a typical summer, a broadcaster can expect maybe 12 days off with three days off in a row for the Mid Season All-Star Game. So take away those three days off, and during a five month season in which 140 games are played, a broadcaster can look at having nine off days. Now depending on where a broadcaster is working and the league, some of those off days have to be used for travel days because cities are so far away, so an off day is not really an off day.

I was fortunate to work in Augusta where most cities were three-four hours away, so our travel was usually done the day of the game, or after the last game of a series.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved working in baseball. Going to work everyday and getting paid to watch baseball and talk about, what more could you ask for? I loved every minute of it!

It is work though, and requires a lot of hours at the lower levels and not much free time. Summer time growing up was the best time of the year. Pool parties, BBQ’s, hanging out at the lake with friends and just enjoying the long summer days.

However, if you want to work as a baseball broadcaster, you need to realize when everyone else is making plans to head out after the game, go to the lake, or whatever, more than likely you will still be working.

So that’s it in a nutshell, a little peak into the world of Minor League Baseball for all those out there who are not familiar, or thinking about getting into it.

A lot of fun, but a lot of work and a lot of hours.