When people find out I work in Major League Baseball, they often say "Oh my gosh that's so cool, how did you land that gig?!". This question often makes me giggle because I'm thinking "I've had almost every job possible in baseball besides a spot in the starting lineup", but resort to telling them about my most recent internship that led me to my current role in Phoenix. I rarely go into much detail about just how many jobs I've had in Major, Minor, and collegiate baseball, so I thought I would dive into that now.
1. "Boardwalk" Kids Game Operator
- Yes, it was as awful as it sounds. I came home from school one afternoon my junior year of high school and as I was walking to my room my dad yells "Get dressed, you have an interview in 45 minutes!". I remember popping my head back into the living room and saying"uhh, you said what now?!" My dad then explained that he had responded to Craigslist ad (doesn't sound terrifying at all) and had set up an interview for me at Autozone Park to work in their kids game area. I was hired on the spot and then taken on a tour of the area. It was full of loud machines, picture a ballpark version of Dave and Buster's. Most nights I would be in charge of the "Bird Bath"- where children would shoot water into Rockey's, our mascot, mouth to win prizes. The trailer played classic rock hits like "Welcome to the Jungle" at deafening volumes. I went home every night with a headache. Although the job itself wasn't fun, I fell in love with the atmosphere of the ballpark and my coworkers. One day, a coworker saw the promo girls standing at the main gates and asked "Why don't you do that instead?!" That got my wheels turning.
2. Team Rockey Promotional Squad
The next season I applied to be a part of Team Rockey (formerly called the Redhots my first season) and continued doing that for 5 seasons. This was a promotional squad in charge of executing all the on-field promotions in-game. With the help of the emcee, we would find fans who would want to participate and bring them on-field with us. Games included sumo suits, build-a-burger, and trike races. The biggest blessing from this job was meeting two of my very best friends [shoutout to Abi and Emily]. The job became 10 times more fun with them to goof around with during rain delays, bucketball becoming a rain delay staple, and sling t-shirts with. I came into this role being a shy person, but I left it with so much confidence in myself. I always said I had a "ballpark alter ego" where I would transform into a new, outgoing person, which leads me to my next job.
3. On Field Emcee
This job sounds insane for someone who is shy, and.. IT WAS! After 5 seasons of watching our emcees Rick and Maria do their thing, when the chance to fill in for them was presented to me, I jumped on the opportunity. Throughout my career in baseball, I have learned to never say no to a new opportunity because these are the moments I will remember forever. I was flattered that the front office felt confident enough in me to get the job done. The only catch was that season the front office had added a 90 second monologue in the middle of the 1st inning for the emcee to kick off the game and explain the upcoming theme nights at the ballpark. My first night I had my monologue down, until... I HEARD MY VOICE OVER THE SPEAKER. I had never heard my voice so loud before which threw me off and I couldn't stop thinking "wow, do I really sound that Southern?!" I couldn't get my train of thought back and needless to say, my monologue was a train wreck. I just knew I would never be asked to emcee again. Throughout the game I was able to settle into my job and surprisingly, I was asked to emcee again the next day. I came back the next day with a new attitude, knowing what to expect, and I killed that monologue :)
4. Scoreboard/Videoboard Operator
During my 5 seasons at the ballpark, I made sure to make it known to the front office staff that my long term goal was to work in baseball Media Relations when I graduated. Through those relationships, I was given the opportunity to take my talent from the field into the control room, closer to my desired spot in the press box. I was sad to leave the promo team, I'd miss the girls and the fans, but this is what my career needed. I started splitting time between entering stats into a computer to run the scoreboard and clicking through our videos and promotions on the videoboard. Little did I know but entering stats would help me tremendously when starting my first Media Relations job.
5. Media Relations Intern
University of Memphis: While completing my undergrad in Sport and Leisure Management, I interned for the University of Memphis baseball team. Looking back on my short, but full career in baseball thus far, this was one of the most rewarding jobs I've had. I was making nothing- literally zero dollars- but the experience is something I will always treasure. My boss Kevin (K-Rod) never treated me like an intern and gave me so much responsibility that it was easy to transition into a role with a big league club the next year.
St. Louis Cardinals: I interned with the Cardinals during the 2017 Spring Training season in Jupiter, Florida. This was the first time I had moved away from my family besides the one-year in Fayetteville, Arkansas for college. At least in Fayetteville I could drive home on the weekends if I felt like it. This internship taught me to embrace my independence. I am okay on my own, I actually thrive in it. This is something that is important within the game of baseball- constantly on the move. I don't think I've ever cried more than the day I found out I landed this internship. It was so surreal to work for my favorite team, the same organization I had spent 5 seasons working around, dreaming of the day I could work with them at a Major League level. I spent a large part of my day taking players like Dexter Fowler and Adam Wainwright to various interviews and appearances, running social media and watching games. My role in paradise ultimately led me to the desert.
Arizona Diamondbacks: I am currently halfway through this internship. I can already tell my writing skills have grown tremendously and I enjoy getting a new side of Media Relations that I didn't have the chance to use with the Cardinals. I also love being around for a full season. You think you know the ends and outs of working in baseball, but until you experience a full season, you genuinely have no idea. I can't wait to see what the second half of the season holds.
{and Counting}
Although I am still in love with the Media Relations side of baseball, I feel the Lord is calling me into a new direction in the next 5-7 years. More on that in my upcoming post "Legally Brunette"