Softball and baseball’s
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The clubhouse attendants do it all!
By
Gordy Jones
You may have
noticed, as you’ve watched the Twins home games this year, that there’s a new
young man retrieving the bats and supplying the home plate umpire with game
balls.
Longtime batboy Adam
Hanson has moved up the ladder and is now a clubhouse attendant. He still
shares many of his old responsibilities with the new batboy, along with a few
new ones.
The biggest change
is that his work hours are not so grueling as they
once were. There were many days that Adam would arrive at the ballpark at
Now Adam and new
batboy Dominic Frost work closer to what resembles a regular eight-hour shift.
Their responsibilities are far more than retrieving bats and giving balls to
the ump, though. They wash the players’ uniforms, clean the bathrooms, shine
the players’ game shoes, prepare the team’s food and make sure the players have
all of the equipment ready that they might need.
When Adam was a kid,
he and his late father would go to
One day when Adam
was 13, he arrived at the ballpark early. The usher was happy to see his
smiling face. Unexpectedly, the Twins needed a batboy for that game, and the
usher wanted to know if the young Hanson boy could answer the call. “YES!” was
his reply. He must have made a positive impression, because he was substitute
batboy for the next two springs.
More than two years
later, in September of 2003, Adam’s dad got a call from the Twins. They were
inquiring about Adam’s school work and lifestyle. After some favorable
responses, the Twins popped the question: Would Adam like to be the
regular-season batboy? He accepted the position and has been their batboy up
until this year.
Having been around
the clubhouse and knowing the guys well, Adam often goes the extra mile. He is
computer-savvy, so he helps the players with their computer problems, and he
even runs personal errands for them.
The batboys usually
work all of the home games, and one road trip each season. The Twins supply a
batboy and attendant to the visitors’ clubhouse and dugout, as do the hosting
teams for the Twins when they are on the road.
I asked rookie
batboy, 17-year-old Dominic Frost, how he landed such a cool job. He explained
that the Twins recruited candidates through the Boys and Girls Club, where he
was recommended by his baseball coach, interviewed and hired.
I asked him if he
knew what he was getting himself into when he accepted the job. Most of the batboy’s
work is not visible to the average fan.
He laughed and said,
“I came to the ballpark thinking I’d pick up the bats, chase a few balls and
help out a little. When I got here, I was surprised at all of our duties. At
first it took me too long to get everything done. But then I worked hard, and
got used to it, and now I’m faster and can do a pretty good job.”
I asked Dominic if
it was difficult juggling school, playing ball and being batboy. He just smiled
coolly and said, “I get it done.”
Say Cheese!
A couple of Twins
have taken up a new hobby. Michael Cuddyer, a man of
many hobbies, from magic to writing, is now dabbling in photography.
Michael told me, “I
have the opportunity to travel and see places that many people don’t have the
chance to. I thought this would be a great way to preserve the memories.”
I asked him if he
had taken classes, and he said, “I read a lot about photography. I went online
and studied. Now I am practicing by taking photographs.”
The other shutterbug
is Joe Mauer. When I recently saw him at his family’s
charity golf outing, he approached me and said enthusiastcly,
“Gordy, I bought a new camera and I’m taking up
photography! Maybe you can give me a few pointers.”
We looked over his
new Nikon and I showed him some basic stuff.
Mauer, who was on the DL at the time, was riding in a cart with
his family, and was cleared by the doctor only to putt and chip. We talked
photography as we rode down the fairways, and while I shot pictures of their
event — which raised thousands of dollars for
I asked Joe what
inspired him to take up photography. He replied, “So far I’ve only taken
pictures of my little nieces and nephews. I think they inspired me, because I
don’t get to see them often enough.”
Fans! If you have any Twins related questions, email Gordy at gejones1@aol.com
Check out Gordy’s book at http://www.baseballguy.org.
Gordy can be reached at gejones1@aol.com.