Batboy
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In
A batboy should not be confused with
History
Calvin Griffith served as a batboy for the Washington Senators, which was owned by his uncle Clark Griffith, including during the World Series of 1924 and 1925.[2][3] The younger Griffith became the principal owner of the franchise upon the death of the elder Griffith in 1955, and orchestrated the relocation of the franchise after the 1960 season; the team has competed as the Minnesota Twins since 1961.
Uniforms
Batboys typically wear the same uniform design as their associated team. They will also usually wear a batting helmet to protect them from flying balls or bats.
During any given major league game, both the home and visiting team batboys will be drawn from the city where the game is taking place (batboys typically do not travel on the road with their team, unless they are relatives of a player). Home batboys often have regular jobs with a team, and thus may wear their first names on their uniforms; visiting teams, on the other hand, usually do not know who will be serving as their batboys on the road, and thus will send uniforms of various sizes to accommodate batboys of varying heights and weights.
A batboy may be provided his own number, but will usually wear 00 or 'BB' in its place. If a batboy uniform does not have a first name on it, it will usually have the term 'BAT BOY' or no name at all.
In the news
- In the 2002 World Series, a batboy (Darren Baker, the 3+1⁄2 year old son of San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker) was involved in an incident when he went out to get a bat while play was still in progress. J. T. Snow, while in the act of scoring a run for the Giants, grabbed the young boy at home plate, avoiding the batboy possibly being involved in a collision with other baserunners or players from the opposing team.[4][5] After the incident, Major League Baseball set a minimum age of 14 for batboys.[6]
- Matthew McGough described his batboy experiences with the New York Yankees in Bat Boy: My True-Life Adventures Coming of Age with the New York Yankees, a book published by Doubleday in 2005. McGough's book served as the basis for Clubhouse, a prime-time television show that aired on CBS in the fall of 2004.
- On April 27, 2007, former human growth hormone, Clenbuterol, amphetamines and other drugs to "dozens of current and former Major League Baseball players, and associates, on teams throughout Major League Baseball." He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine,[7] but he was sentenced to 5 years probation and ordered to pay a fine of $18,575 due to his cooperation with the federal government and the Mitchell Report.[7]
- In a pregame ceremony on May 5, 2007, Stan Bronson Jr. received recognition by Guinness World Records as the "Most Durable Batboy" ever. Bronson, known as "Stan The Man", had served as the batboy for the University of Memphis baseball team since the 1958 season. His 50 years of service was recognized in the 2008 edition of the Guinness book.
- Dominick Ardovino wrote about his batboy experience with the New York Mets in The Bat Boy (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967).
Batboys who became major league players
Examples of batboys who went on to play in the major leagues include
In popular culture
The batboy, Bobby Savoy, is a supporting character in the 1984 film,
Two
.See also
References
- ^ "Bat Boy or Ball Boy Interference". baseballrulesacademy.com. 15 August 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Richman, Milton (March 11, 1979). "Washington Needs Griffith Economy". Miami Herald. p. 3-C. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- Lancaster New Era. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. United Press International. October 9, 1925. p. 17. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ 2002 World Series incident, USA Today, 2002-10-24. Retrieved on 2009-07-11.
- ^ "2002 WS Gm5: Snow swoops in to save Baker's son". MLB. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Selig to Raise Age For Batboys to 14". New York Times. 17 December 2002. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Ex-Mets clubhouse worker admits dealing steroids to players" NBC Sports
- ^ "Talent with Indiana ties targeted throughout draft". The Herald. Jasper, Indiana. AP. June 11, 2009. p. 33. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Litsch's only peer: himself". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
External links
- "A Boy and His Job.” 1969-06-04. Elliott Ashley, bat boy for the New York Yankees, explains his duties in this documentary produced by National Educational Television, preserved in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.
- Morris, Peter Eddie Bennett via baseball biography project
- Excerpt from Matthew McGough's book Bat Boy (Part 1)
- Excerpt from Matthew McGough's book Bat Boy (Part 2)
- Grossfeld, Stan (April 27, 2005). Batboy finds it tough to pick up his life. Boston Globe
- ESPN (August 25, 2005). Suspended batboy mulling two offers.