For those nervous seniors still scrambling for a job, here's one for you.
It pays a maximum of $1100 a month for five months of the year. Travel is non-stop and relocations are spontaneous, so don't get too comfortable. Although travel fees are taken care of, you are constantly being evaluated and the yearly turnover rate is a startling 25-30%.
Now I know that the average Tufts graduate wouldn't exactly give up his or her first born for this opportunity. But see how the reaction changes when I further explain the responsibilities of this job. Simply put, play ball.
That's the job former Tufts pitching standout Randy Newsom landed out of college. Newsom, who is now entering his third summer of minor league baseball, has steadily advanced up the ranks. This year he has been assigned to the Boston Red Sox High-A affiliate, the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The following is the first installment of a two part interview.
Cole Liberator: First off, how's the life?
Randy Newsom: I am enjoying the experience. You get paid - although not much - hang out with a bunch of cool guys; and live away from the nine-to-five lifestyle. It's a lot of fun, but also a ton of work and about as frustrating as any job can be. The highs are high, the lows can be real low, and the in-between isn't very stable. But it has to be one of the best jobs someone could ask for.
CL: Give a rundown of your day.
RN: The lifestyle takes a little getting used to. You sleep in, but you also basically work the second shift. My typical day runs like this: 9:30 or so wake-up call, quick breakfast, then to the gym. Five days a week I start with a workout (usually thirty minutes if I could throw that night, and an hour on the days after I pitch). Afterwards I grab lunch. When you stay in a town you usually know the best spot and a lot of places won't let you pay. Lunch is important because that's how I get through the game. Then I will relax and then head to the park at 3:00.
If we are at home, we stretch and throw at around 4:30 for the usual 7 p.m. start. After throwing I get my running in for the day, either sprints or distance work depending on whether I am going to be "live" [able to pitch]. Then back to the clubhouse, relax, get phone calls, fill any media or autograph requests and eat.
Then it's show time. I usually shower at 6:30 exactly and then throw on my uniform and get out there for the National Anthem. Once the game ends, you shower, eat and then take any interview requests. Depending on the night, about half of the team will go out to a bar or a restaurant while the other half takes it easy. I pick my spots, usually going out only when I know I am not going to pitch the next day.
CL: I can't resist giving you one "Ball Four"-related question: do minor leaguers still take "greenies" or "shoot beaver" anymore? [Editor's Note: "Ball Four" is a now-canonical book written by ex-Major Leaguer Jim Bouton. "Greenies" are slang for uppers. "Beaver shooting" was a practice by which bullpen pitchers used a device involving a stick and mirror to look up the skirts of girls in the stands.]
RN: Greenies aren't common at all anymore, but kids drink those energy drinks like it's their job. Red Bull should move a cooler into every locker room. And as far as beaver-shooting goes, it's actually the managers who are the worst. Most players focus on the game, but I tell you those managers have signals and "go to's."
CL: What about the perks?
RN: I mean coming from Tufts, you don't usually play in front of six or seven thousand fans a night. And of course, TV isn't really an option. It's a trip to sign autographs and do interviews. There are some real unusual autograph requests too. Body parts, Playboys, we've all seen some interesting stuff.
But the best is when you are in a packed house and kids are scrambling for foul balls. By the fifth inning you can offer baseballs for food. Last year we gave a kid five balls and he came back with fifty dollars worth of concession food bought with his mom's money. She wasn't very happy but the kid thought it was a great deal. Later he became a bat boy so I think it was a pretty fair trade.
CL: Any real-life "Crash Davis-types" waxing about baseball cliches and Bermuda Triangles?
RN: Last year there was this 28-year-old pitcher in our league and he always had stories. So we called him Harris, from "Major League." He used about every trick in the book when it came to doctoring up the ball. Even though he pretty much had no arm left he still got outs because he was just about as shady as you can be on the mound.
CL: What about the female fans?
RN: Some guys have been known to write messages on balls and throw them to certain female fans. Last year one kid threw a ball with a little message to [a woman] and she ended up signing her number back on the ball, so that was an interesting technique.
For the most part though, a lot of guys have girlfriends and despite the typical stereotypes, most are real faithful. But the guys who don't have girlfriends make up for the rest of us. Last year we had one guy run through every female staff member in a certain minor league city. Although the quality of some of them was a little questionable, it was a pretty impressive feat considering the sheer quantity.
See Part II of the interview on Monday, Apr. 26.
