The game was over, another victory for the R-Phils, and the night sky was lit up with the brilliant glow of another Baseballtown fireworks show.  Sitting outside the front of the stadium, I was enjoying the light show while one young fan leaving with his father was not very interested.  He was walking behind his dad with his hands covering his ears and his eyes squeezed shut.  After seeing this young fan and how unimpressed he was with the fireworks, I came to realize that not every fan enjoys the numerous fireworks shows held throughout the summer.

Every summer, fans can watch a fireworks show almost every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night starting in May.  The fireworks are a big crowd pleaser and help to draw a large number of fans to weekend games.  The younger fans, however, are not always amused.

The first flash of light causes numerous little eyes to be squeezed shut.  After the accompanying bang, hands fly up to cover little ears.  With the next few flashes and bangs, the tears start to flow and the screaming begins.  This is a scene that I have witnessed more than a few times while watching young Phillies fans during a fireworks show.  I have seen kids trying to hide behind their parents, kids being held by their parents with their faces hidden in mom or dad’s shoulder, and kids just sitting in their seats crying while still watching the fireworks.

I must be completely honest, when I was young and coming to Reading Phillies games, I was not a fan of the fireworks.  I did not enjoy the flashes of light or the loud noise.  I would close my eyes and cover my ears in the exact same manner I see young fans reacting each summer.  Although I do not remember any tears, I’m sure there were plenty.

At the end of the day, while I do get a small dose of amusement watching young fans during fireworks, I also sympathize with them.  I was in their position once and I know how scary fireworks can be.  I’m also sure that although they may not admit it, there are other older fans at the ballpark each summer who were scared of fireworks when they were younger.

As players and coaches continue to prepare for the upcoming season, it is hard to believe that opening day is only two months away.  On April 12, the Reading Fightin’ Phils will play the home opener of what is sure to be another exciting season in Baseballtown.

With the beginning of the new season, I will be moving into a new, yet very familiar position at the stadium.  After two exciting and educational summers as an intern, I will be returning to concessions.  This will be my seventh season working in concessions and my ninth season with the organization.

Although my job has changed, I will continue to share my insights into Reading baseball and its fans.  I will also be sharing some experiences I have had with concessions in the past.  As I am sure this season will have its fair share of funny and exciting moments, I will be sure to share them with you.  Therefore, consider this post to be the preface for “Confessions of a Concessions Worker.”

After all, there are six seasons worth of stories just waiting to be told!

“It’s a tough life to live. I think people don’t realize how tough it really is—especially on the wives. You have to have a very special wife…” – Andy Pettitte

While a baseball player may have 25 teammates who join him on the field each and every night, the most important member of his team is almost never seen by the fans.  The wives and girlfriends of baseball players come to games to cheer for their partners and melt into the crowd as if they were just regular fans.

The only time a baseball player’s wife or girlfriend can be picked out of the crowd is at the end of the night when she can be found waiting patiently for her husband or boyfriend to get changed and spend time with the fans who are waiting just like she is for an autograph or a picture.  When his job is finished for the night, they can finally say hi to each other and head out to spend some time before it all starts again the next day.

During my two years as an intern, I have seen a number of girlfriends and wives waiting outside of the clubhouse and have even had the opportunity to talk to some of them.  It is incredible to hear how far some of them travel just to be able to spend time with their significant other.  They come from a number of different states, and some of them even come from outside the country.  Some of the wives bring their children with them and it is so cute to see how the players interact with their children; they become a completely different person than who they were on the field just hours before.  The kids are excited that they finally get to spend some time with dad; the same kids who were upset hours before because they could see dad on the field but they couldn’t get to him.

Baseball players spend their summers living in apartments or hotels separated from their families by hundreds or thousands of miles.  If they’re lucky, they can afford to have their family travel to visit them, but even then they spend half of their time at the stadium and have a limited amount of time to spend visiting with family.  Baseball wives spend their time watching their husbands on national television or traveling between cities for the summer just to spend time together.  This commitment to spending time with their significant other has earned every baseball wife the title of “ultimate teammate” in my mind.

It’s a job that a number of young boys would love to have.  Hanging out with the players, sitting on the field during the game, and getting to wear a baseball uniform.  That’s not all the Reading Phillies bat boys do on game days   Ever wonder where the players get all that bubble gum and those sunflower seeds? The bat boys carry them out to the dugouts and the bullpens before every game.  They also make sure that both teams have towels to use during the games.  After the game is over and both teams have returned to their clubhouses, the bat boys clean up all the bats, helmets, towels and any other equipment that may have been left behind.

Once everything on the field is cleaned up, the bat boys make sure all of the players equipment is ready to go for the next day.  If the team is heading out on a road trip, the bat boys help to pack up all the equipment and load it onto the team bus. Over the past two season, I have watched the bat boys pick up batting practice balls, chase batting practice home runs, pick up food for the players at different concessions stands, and clean off cleats after a long game in the rain.

They are almost like the unsung heroes of the baseball club.  The fans rarely know their names, they don’t get to wear a number that everyone will remember, and they are never introduced on the field.  While the team may know how much work the bat boys do, they are only 26 out of the thousands of people who visit the stadium every summer.  I know that I never realized how much work is involved with being a bat boy, so I’m sure the majority of fans have no idea.  Next time you are at a game, take a minute to notice the two young fans who are lucky enough to be seated on the field throughout the entirety of the game and know that they have certainly earned those seats next to the dugouts.

Almost every time I tell someone I have spent eight seasons with the Reading Phillies, he or she always seems amazed.  The next question is usually, “when are you going to get a full-time job with them?”  What most people don’t realize is that the Reading Phillies have a very low turnover rate; which just goes to show what a great organization it is to work for.

At the end of each season, the Reading Phillies announce the newest inductees into the Employee Honor Roll.  Members of the honor roll are employees who have worked with the Reading Phillies for 10 years.  Each employee that makes the honor roll receives a plaque during a special pre-game presentation and his or her name is added to the board just inside the employee entrance.

In my experience, one of the best aspects of an organization like the Reading Phillies is the atmosphere.  This atmosphere can be attributed in large part to the relationships that form between the fans and the employees.  One of my favorite things about returning to Baseballtown each season is seeing the fans that I have come to know over the years.  The season ticket holders that return every year want to know how the off-season went and what everyone expects to happen during the season.  There’s the couple that always wears Reading Phillies gear, usually matching, and the gentleman who always asks for “two slices of cheese please” even thought I haven’t sold a slice of pizza in two seasons.  If a long time employee does not show up for a few games, everyone, fans and employees alike, want to know where they are and if everything is ok.

There are even great relationships that form between employees.  I have been asked numerous times by the ushers what my plans are as far as finding a job or even just what I might have planned for a week off.  I have met a number of great people and created an infinite number of wonderful memories over the past eight seasons.  Although each season also comes with its fair share of hard experiences, the good memories and friends are what make me come back each year, and what continues to add new names to the Employee Honor Roll at the end of each season.

Glutton: noun  excessive eating and drinking.

Gluttony Night: noun a night of all-you-can-eat concessions starting from the time gates open until the seventh inning stretch of a particular Reading Phillies game.

For the past couple seasons, the Reading Phillies have hosted at least one Gluttony Night during the season; encouraging fans to come out to a game and eat as much food as they can in a few hours time.  For a small dollar amount, fans can purchase a brightly colored wristband that allows them to receive foods from a specified list free of charge each time they get in line.

The length of the event is relatively open-ended.  It begins as soon as the gates open and runs up until the third out is recorded in the top of the seventh.  Any baseball fan knows that there is no time-table on how long a game can take.  One inning can last anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes, depending on how the team is playing.  For those fans waiting in the never-ending lines during Gluttony Night, long innings are something to be excited about.  The longer each inning takes, the more time the fans have to eat as much food as possible.  As soon as the official scorer records the third out in the top of the seventh, Gluttony Night comes to a close.

As someone who has been on both sides of Gluttony Night, I have witnessed both the good and the bad aspects of the event.  It is entertaining to watch how long people will stand in line to receive a single slice of pizza or a scoop of ice cream.  It is not as entertaining to deal with people who don’t understand the one per wristband rule.  I would have to say the most interesting part of the event, no matter what your role may be, is watching and waiting to see how quickly the lines clear up after it is announced that all food must now be paid for.  It is like watching the newest hit toy fly off the shelves during the holidays; five minutes and every last one of them is gone.  If you have yet to experience a Gluttony Night at the Reading Phillies, I suggest you try to make it a summer goal.  It provides an interesting insight into who comes to the ball park for the game and who comes for the food.

Code red.

To a baseball front office, these two little words almost always bring about a feeling of dread.  It means that the head groundskeeper could potentially run through the office at any minute and drag everyone out for a tarp pull.  It also means that rain is on the way.

In order to become a meteorologist, a person must complete at least a bachelor’s degree and graduate school spending numerous hours studying calculus, physics, chemistry and atmospheric dynamics before being able to say that he or she is a meteorologist.  In order to become a groundskeeper the suggested fields of study are horticulture and sport turf management.

Even though he may not have all the hours of studying or the knowledge of reading all the different maps and screens, it seems that a groundskeeper predicts the weather correctly 95% of the time.  The groundskeeper for the Reading Phillies is one of the best at both caring for the field and predicting the weather.  He can look at the radar and know that in 30 minutes, it will start raining and he needs to gather his tarp crew.  The majority of the time, his prediction is correct. It never ceases to amaze me how one person can take a quick glance at a map filled with green, red, and yellow areas and know that it will soon be raining.

When people talk about groundskeepers, they discuss how they take care of the field during both the offseason and the regular season and how much work they put into making sure the field looks its best.  When I talk about groundskeepers, from now on I will be sure to include the term weatherman in my description.

Yours in baseball,

Amanda

The clock doesn’t matter in baseball. Time stands still or moves backwards. Theoretically, one game could go on forever. Some seem to. – Herb Caen

Having spent eight seasons working at a baseball stadium, I have had my share of experiences with doubleheaders.  Playing two games in one day or night can result in a feeling that time has stopped.  The typical set up for a doubleheader is to play two 7-inning games with a break in between in order to get the field prepped and the second set of starting pitchers warmed up.  Going into a doubleheader, there is always the knowledge that it will be a long night of baseball, but also a small spark of hope that it will move quickly.  More often than not, the games go longer than expected.

There is a lost sense of time during a doubleheader due to the 7-inning game set up.  Every employee and fan knows that when the 7th inning rolls around, there are only two innings remaining, as long as the game is not tied.  With a doubleheader ,the 7th inning brings with it a feeling of excitement followed by disappointment when each person realizes there are still 7 more innings to play.  Add in a twenty-thirty minute rain delay and a tie game, and it feels like time has come to a stand still.

In baseball, you will rarely see anyone on the field wearing a watch; they know that looking at the time will not do any good.  Staff members who wear watches tend to get discouraged each time they look at it and some even wish there was a time limit on games.  In the end, time will always take a backseat to the sport of baseball.  To agree with Herb Caen, a doubleheader in baseball can certainly seem to go on forever.

What a better way to start a blog than to write about the biggest event of the minor league baseball season.  On July 11, 2012, the Reading Phillies hosted the Eastern League All-Star game for the first time since 1974.  After a year and a half of preparations, the big day arrived and the front office and game staff employees were ready to face it head on.  When I look back on the event I find that if asked, I would not be able to pick one aspect that really stands out in my mind as my favorite part.  The whole event was exciting (although a tad exhausting) and I am glad I was able to experience it.

– 50 Best Eastern League Players: It may seem weird to be excited about seeing the same players that visit Baseballtown throughout the course of the regular season, but there is just something about seeing them all playing on teams with each other that makes it a different experience.  All season these players are competing against each other and it’s interesting to see what happens when they are put on a team together and working towards the same goal.  The whole atmosphere of the game changes and it provides a great experience for fans and players alike.

– Same great Baseballtown experience: I think one of the best parts about the All*Star Classic is that the experience as a whole stayed true to the everyday Baseballtown atmosphere.  The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor threw hot dogs, the tooth fairy cleaned the bases and the veggies ran to avoid the evil candy.  Just because the game was a special event, everything else remained the same in order to provide new and returning visitors to the ballpark with the Baseballtown experience that is always talked about.

– Home Run Derby/Hitting Challenge: Aside from the main attraction of the All-Star Game, July 10 was the night of the 2012 All*Star Classic Home Run Derby/Hitting Challenge. If I attempted to describe everything that went on that night, you would probably not believe me unless you witnessed the event first hand.  All I can say is that it involved a party on the infield, a trampoline, a dunk tank, and pink lawn flamingos.  If you were not able to witness this once in a lifetime event, you might want to try to find a clip online; you have no idea what you missed.

Well, this post is just the beginning of many thoughts and insights from a Reading Phillies seasonal associate who is taking it one day at a time so as to not miss a single moment of this experience.

Yours in Baseball, Amanda