It’s July 1st. There are reasons to be excited today. It’s the day many Major Leaguers are reporting for Summer Camp. It’s opening night for the Coastal Plain League’s Savannah Bananas, and I’ve signed up for Bananas Insiders to be able to watch their games live. So, why is my mood subdued and dampened? Yesterday, the expected became official. There will not be Minor League Baseball in 2020. 
   Minor League Baseball means so much to me that it’s difficult to explain with black words on a white backdrop. I’ll give it a go anyways. In 2016, I was at the lowest point of my life. I had, in many ways, given up. I was floating through life emotionless. I had no need for ambition or motivation. It was a dark place to be, but I was there, and I was allowing the darkness to take me in. In August of that year, a trip to Durham Bulls Athletic Park with my family sparked a change. That moment, the sun, the sights and sounds of the ballpark, started my ascension. Since that day, the ballpark has been my church. Every Spring marks the return to my favorite 5 months of the year. My excursions to Minor League ballparks represent some of my happiest memories.
   In the Summer of 2018, I started attending Johnson City Cardinals games on a regular basis because I was dating someone who lived in Johnson City. In September of that year, I moved in with her. For the first time, I had a home team! I had grown up in the heart of the Appalachian League but had never lived in the same town as a team. I have to admit, my roadtrips to attend games were great, but it was really nice to be able to drive across town to go to the ballpark. As you can imagine, the news that most of the teams in the Appalachian League were potentially going away hit me pretty hard, much like yesterday’s announcement that COVID-19 has claimed the 2020 MiLB season did.
   The news was certainly not unexpected. I think all of us in and around Minor League Baseball saw the writing on the wall. I guess, in a way, it’s nice to finally know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. That doesn’t take away the hurt. Many people working in baseball have already been furloughed or let go altogether. I can’t imagine the uncertainty felt by many others after yesterday’s announcement. Mix in the increasing COVID-19 numbers and the general unrest amidst Black Lives Matter protests, and these are truly dark days. These are typically the times where, at least for me, baseball is an escape. The ballpark, the green grass, the brown dirt, a hot dog, and a cold beer eliminate the idea of “strangers.” The quirky, creative team identities and wacky promotions bring us together like nothing else can. While the health and safety of everyone in this country is of the utmost importance, we could all use a little baseball right now.
    So, how do we feel the void? I don’t know that there’s a good answer, really. I’ve already been struggling with the inability to celebrate my favorite time of the year. No ballpark trips. No new caps to add to the wall in my office, signifying another stamp on my Minor League passport. I’ll fill some of the void with baseball on TV. I’m grateful for the chance to watch the Bananas and my beloved Dodgers, but that still can’t replace the feeling of walking off the concourse and out into the great outdoors. I won’t feel the cool breeze or the warm sun on my face sitting on my couch watching baseball on TV. I can drink beer and eat a hot dog, but the taste won’t be the same. Not even close. 
    Over the last 24 hours or so, I’ve been encouraged to see everyone associated with Minor League Baseball create a support system for one another. It’s been uplifting to read the connections so many people have to MiLB. It means so much to so many. I’ve seen it dubbed “the land of opportunity” for those seeking a career in sports. It’s a rare place as a first job for teenagers and college graduates as well as a final job for retirees. For the players on the field, it represents the promise of realizing a childhood dream. Those players are just steps away from Major League Baseball. If that isn’t enough to grab you and pull you in close, Minor League Baseball is also the ultimate fan and family friendly experience at a cost affordable for anyone. All that energy combines on gameday to create something so special and unique that words can’t convey it properly. You have to feel it on your own to become a believer. 
   In conclusion, I am not sure how I’ll fill the void left by Minor League Baseball. I’m sure I’ll continue to watch any baseball available to me on streaming platforms. Here’s what I do know for sure: opening day 2021 will be nothing short of magical. I’ve already started plotting where I will be to enjoy that wonderful day when the clouds will part, the fog will rise, and the darkness will return to light. Minor League Baseball is made up of the most positive, resilient individuals I have encountered in my 34 years of life. I look forward to sitting down with a hot dog and a beer to experience the game and once again appreciate what those peoples’ exhaustive work creates. What a joyous, magnificent day that will be. 
   In the meantime, I will continue to write about the inspiring people that are a part of the game. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to date on new articles. Thanks for reading!

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(photo courtesy of bostonherald.com)

   ‘Family’ is a word that has always been closely associated with baseball. Perhaps more than any other sport, baseball offers something for every member of every family in America. In the case of Emma Tiedemann, current Director of Broadcasting for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, the role of broadcaster came with similar family ties. Emma’s grandfather, Bill Mercer, was the first play-by-play voice of the Texas Rangers in 1972. He is known for covering a wide array of sports, including professional wrestling, is a Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer, and even covered the JFK assasination. When Emma was 15, she joined her grandfather on a college basketball broadcast, and from that moment on, she knew she wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and pursue a career behind the mic.

   “Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

   Growing up just North of Dallas, Texas, Emma loved competition and played many sports. She recalls attending Frisco Roughriders games and credits the intimate setting and atmosphere of the minors with attracting her to baseball. From the moment she found her passion for broadcasting, Emma worked as much as she could, holding multiple play-by-play positions during her time at The University of Missouri-Columbia, where she acquired her bachelors degree. 
   Wanting to work year-round and acknowledging that baseball was her weakest sport in terms of play-by-play, Emma spent a Summer in Palmer, Alaska as the voice of the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaska Baseball League. The goal was to immerse herself in baseball for an entire season. Thanks to a highly competitive team that included players that would go on to professional careers, including major-leaguer Nick Senzel, Emma’s goal became a reality. 
   By the time Emma graduated college, she had realized that she wanted to focus on a career in baseball. This led her to a position with the Medford Rogues, another collegiate Summer club. It was during her time in Medford, Oregon that Emma developed professionally away from the microphone the most. This was her first foray into press releases, social media, and corporate sales. She knew these were attributes that would help her advance into and within affiliated baseball. 
   From there, Emma gained a one season education in how to produce a great product while having fun by joining the famous St. Paul Saints. The atmosphere surrounding the Saints exudes fun, from the players, to the fans, all the way up to the front office. While calling games for sold out crowds every night, Emma realized this was a unique environment, the likes of which she may never experience again. Mike Veeck and the rest of the Saints’ ownership group nurtures said environment by promoting a courage to fail, empowering the team’s employees to take risks and bring unconventional ideas to the table. Emma recalls Veeck telling stories of his own past failures while laughing and viewing them as positive learning experiences. 
   After attending the Minor League Baseball Winter meetings, Emma was able to land her first position within affiliated baseball with the Single-A Lexington Legends. In the midst of moving to a new city and preparing for the challenge of her new job, Emma was tasked with writing and sending out the press release that announced her as only the second female broadcaster in Minor League Baseball. She describes her first few weeks in Lexington as a whirlwind. Emma spent 2 seasons with the Legends, knowing that her goal was to make it to a Major League broadcast booth. While preparing for her third season in Lexington, she caught wind of an opportunity to climb the ladder, an opening with a  Double-A club.
   Throughout the interview process with the Portland Sea Dogs, Emma fell in love with the ballpark and community in Portland, Maine. She was ready to take the next step towards her goal but had an interesting first day on the job.

   “So, I moved here in mid-March, and my first day in the office, we had a meeting at 8:45 that morning, and we were told to go home. We worked from home for the next 36 or 37 days. So, it was definitely a non-traditional start to a job.”

   Going through this time of year without baseball has been surreal for Emma, but she appreciates the opportunity to become better acquainted with her new city, team, and coworkers. She admits that she has yet to adjust to the feeling of leaving the ballpark at 5 with no games or bus trips. Like many other teams, the Sea Dogs have found other creative ways to engage their fans and community, including a curbside pickup that allows the people of Portland to enjoy their favorite ballpark meals while they wait for the return of games. 
   Emma was very transparent in telling me that she never really viewed herself differently than her male counterparts. She believes that the culture is changing within baseball, and there is a newfound awareness that females are capable of excelling in careers in the game. Although she has been told multiple times by teams that they simply would not hire her because she is a woman, Emma is confident that we will see more women in baseball broadcast booths in the future. She also thinks that a women’s baseball league would be extremely beneficial to young girls growing up watching games. Representation is important to Emma, and she recalls seeing Kirsten Karbach become the first full-time female play-by-play announcer in Minor League Baseball and how that helped her believe she could achieve her own dream. Emma was also very complimentary of the WNBA’s work to showcase their players’ personalities in order to create stars and role models for young girls and women. Whether she realizes it or not, I think Emma Tiedemann is a fantastic role model for any young lady who hears her voice on a baseball broadcast. 
   You can follow Emma on Twitter @emmatieds. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to be the first to know when I post new articles. Thanks for reading!

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(photo courtesy of city pages.com)

   The St. Paul Saints are synonymous with independent baseball. They have built a great reputation since their inception in 1993 as one of the premier teams not affiliated with Major League Baseball. What is it that makes the Saints so special? How have they built this reputation? I gained some insight on this matter when I spoke to Sierra Bailey, the team’s current Marketing and Promotions Director. 
   Growing up, Sierra played many sports, focusing on basketball and volleyball by the time she was in high school. Her father coached her in basketball and coached her brother in baseball, so her family was constantly at games and tournaments. Sierra decided to attend the University of Minnesota to gain a degree in physical therapy, but she changed course to sport management as a sophomore. She was interested in the business side of sports, and her dream was to one day work for her beloved Minnesota Twins. Needing to pad her resume, she took an internship with the St. Paul Saints while she was completing her studies.

   “It was the first time I had ever had the Saints experience and just completely fell in love with the whole aspect of the entertainment side. It’s not just about the baseball. It’s about all the other fun stuff that goes on during a game.”

   Sierra was able to live out her dream of working for the Twins as an intern in 2010, the team’s first year at Target Field. From there she was able to land internships with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA and the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. She appreciated that baseball provided a more laid back environment than basketball and that, outside of the MLB, baseball games are largely the most affordable live entertainment experience in a given community. After completing her 4th internship, Sierra received a call from Scott Bush, the St. Paul Saints’ Assistant General Manager at the time, asking if she was interested in running promotions for the team that Summer. Sierra knew that she wanted to return to a job in game entertainment and had been waiting for an opportunity she was passionate about. So, she saw this as a good fit. She took a full-time role with the Saints in 2015 and has been with the team ever since.
   According to Sierra, the Saints strong brand and reputation has been built from the top. Team owners, The Goldklang Group and Mike Veeck, bring experience and leadership to the team, and that trickles down to a staff that feels like a family. There is care and consideration displayed in every aspect of the team. Sierra claims that the Saints staff does not compete with other teams. They compete with themselves, attempting to learn and improve every season. The Saints mission is to never get bored or complacent with what the experience they are providing for their fans. 

   “The people are #1. It’s not the entertainment. It’s not the promotions. If you make them feel like they’re important to your organization, then they are the ones who are going to support you. If we don’t have fans, what’s the point of having games?”

   The fans aren’t the only ones who are invested in the St. Paul Saints experience. Sierra feels like a big part of the team’s decision making process and feels comfortable taking risks to improve the game experience. She has remained with the Saints for as long as she has because she loves the challenges that come with being a part of a small, tight-knit team that have to work together and get involved in every aspect of the club’s operations, from sales to pulling tarp and everything in between.

   “I just feel really fulfilled with being able to walk in there everyday knowing that what I am doing matters.”

   As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Sierra has always felt comfortable and can speak of no issues regarding her gender when it comes to her career. She believes that the recent presence of women in player development roles is leading us towards more women on the field in professional baseball. Afterall, the first woman to pitch a professional baseball game against men, Ila Borders, was a member of the St. Paul Saints.
   Sierra feels that she is busier right now than she would be if the season had started as scheduled. Everyday, news is coming in regarding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and contingency plans are ever changing. The Saints are preparing for the possibility of games being played at CHS Field, but in the meantime, they are opening up the ballpark for youth baseball camps and are even turning the park into a restaurant. 

   “Whatever industries are open right now, we want to be a part of, so we can just open the gates. That’s all we want to do.”

   It is clear that “the people are #1” is more than just an expression to Sierra Bailey and the St. Paul Saints. It is what they live and breathe.
   You can follow Sierra on Twitter @Sierra_Bailey and the Saints @StPaulSaints. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest entries in this blog! Thanks for reading!

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   Today, I just want to show some love. I think I'm going to make this a semi-regular practice on the blog, but today I want to focus on podcasts I've been listening to and enjoying. Some of them I have already written about. Some I have plans to profile in the near future. More than anything, I just want to take a moment to talk about each show briefly and explain why you should check them out! Without further adieu, let's get started

No Crying in Baseball
   Patti and her friend Pottymouth are two women who have strong ties to baseball that date back to their early life. They have each raised families with heavy baseball influence (Patti's daughter is named after Camden Yards!). They got started podcasting because a friend noticed their banter while watching games was wildly entertaining. Now, they talk all things baseball on No Crying in Baseball. They clearly do their research, especially when it comes to picking out their "baseball boyfriends." If you want to learn a little more, check out my write-up on the show here. You can also visit the No Crying in Baseball website here.

The Pulling Tarp Podcast
   Bobby Coon worked for 3 different Minor League Baseball teams over an 8-year span. Now, he has found the time to do something he's wanted to do for a while, start a podcast in which he talks to people that work in and around MiLB about their experiences and unique stories. For instance, he recently spoke to Curt Bloom, the voice of the Birmingham Barons. Curt was in Birmingham when Michael Jordan played MiLB there for a season, and that episode of the Pulling Tarp Podcast offers a great companion piece to the recent Last Dance documentary series. Bobby speaks to his guests about their favorite walk-up songs and their experience with tarp. Because, everyone who has worked in the minors has pulled a little tarp. Click here to read the full article I did on Bobby and the Pulling Tarp Podcast, and make sure to check out the show wherever you listen to podcasts!

Two Strike Noise
   I'm.a relatively new listener to Two Strike Noise, but I immediately became a fan! Jeff and Mark offer great historical facts and figures each week, celebrating notable Major League debuts that coincide with the day each episode premieres. In addition, the duo bring on some fascinating guests, including former Major League hurler Sean Lowe, who recently did a two-part interview on Two Strike Noise. Maybe the most entertaining segment on the show is the Wax Pack Heroes, where Mark and Jeff break open old vintage wax packs of baseball cards and score the cards they pull based on many factors, some unorthodox. It's a fun, easy listen, and I am looking forward to speaking with Mark and Jeff in order to do a full write-up about Two Strike Noise. In the meantime, go get caught up by listening wherever you enjoy podcasts!

USA Baseball's Covering the Bases
   Daron Vaught, the voice of USA Baseball, does a superb job interviewing various guests with ties to the national team program on Covering the Bases. Once a month, Daron has a chat with a notable figure or alum of USA Baseball. He's had the likes of Chipper Jones, Michael Cuddyer, and Jeff Francoeur. In the second of Covering the Bases' two monthly episodes, Daron interviews an up-and-coming prospect from USA Baseball's collegiate national or youth teams. Daron is a. very talented interviewer and offers a laid back, relatable conversation with his guests. I may be a little biased, though, since Daron is my little brother. I wrote a really fun article about Daron here. You can listen to all past episodes of Covering the Bases on your podcast app of choice!

Off the Air with Joe and Orel
   The bias continues with Off the Air, a podcast started by Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser since the cancellation of Dodgers games during the pandemic. Each week, Joe and Orel talk with Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts as well as other great Dodger-centric guests. This past week, Joe, Orel, and Roberts discussed the recent protests in response to the killing of George Floyd. It was a real, at times difficult, conversation, but it offers a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought it addressed the current state of affairs in the best way possible. Under normal circumstances, the trio talks about the best thing they saw each week, the thing they're looking forward to in the coming week, and pick a top 4 topic each episode. I highly recommend Off the Air for all baseball fans, Dodger or otherwise. 

   Thanks for reading about my current favorite podcasts. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to be the first to know when I post new articles! 

(photo courtesy of Lansing State Journal)

    Minor League Baseball is pretty cool these days. Across the 160 teams that make up Major League Baseball’s affiliate system used to develop players, there are some unique brands that engage members of their communities at a multitude of levels. In 1996, when the Lansing Lugnuts revealed their new identity, this was not the case. Current Lansing General Manager Tyler Parsons, who grew up in nearby Danville, Michigan says that newspaper articles criticizing the Lugnuts’ identity are still displayed in the team offices. Tyler understands something that many within Minor League Baseball have learned since the Lugnuts blazed the trail for wacky, fun brands in 1996: you have to have the ‘cool factor.’

   “I use this for every community I’m ever in. You can tell where your team is viewed in the ‘cool factor’ based on, ‘Do bartenders wear your merchandise and your hat for no reason other than it’s cool to wear?’”

   Tyler has fond memories of going to Lugnuts games as well as games at Tiger Stadium in Detroit as a child. He remembers always being a fan of baseball and loved Cecil Fielder growing up. After high school, Tyler attended Central Michigan University, originally pursuing a career as a sports writer, but after one year at CMU, Tyler fell in love with the professional side of sports and changed direction to the Sports Management department. He acquired both his bachelor’s in Sport Management and his master’s in Sport Administration from Central Michigan. After briefly working in collegiate athletics, Tyler took a job with the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League. 
   The move to North Carolina was a bit of a culture shock to Tyler at first, but he soon fell in love with the South. After one season in Forest City, Tyler took over as the General Manager of the Martinsville Mustangs, staying in the CPL for the same company that operated the Owls. At the time, Tyler was the only full-time staff member in Martinsville. He learned the grit and drive necessary to make a team successful with the help of a small team of interns. The community rallied around the team, and Tyler got his first taste of the feeling of revitalizing a team’s relationship with their hometown fans. This would prove useful on the next stop of his career.
   When Tyler was considered for the GM position with the Appalachian League’s Johnson City Cardinals, he went out on the town in Johnson City, Tennessee to gauge the pulse of the city’s connection with the team. He found that most people he encountered had stopped attending games or were unaware that the team even existed. Despite the lack of interest in the team, Tyler fell in love with Johnson City. In a one day visit, he realized that really good things were happening there, and he wanted to be a part of it. His one condition in taking the position was that he wanted to be able to hand pick his Assistant General Manager. Tyler had grown up in the same town as Zac Clark. They even attended the same university and worked together previously in Martinsville. Tyler admired Zac’s loyalty and work ethic, and the duo began to rebuild the Johnson City Cardinals. They advocated for beer service at the park, teamed up with a new ownership group in Boyd Sports to upgrade the ballpark, and became involved in the community. The goal was to prove to the people of Johnson City that the team could be an asset to the community beyond baseball. Tyler believes there is a unique aspect to Johnson City’s relationship with their sports franchise. They seemed to come to games in the spirit of doing something for their community rather than a means of supporting a business. It wasn’t long before the ‘cool factor’ set in. Tyler recalls a trip with Zac to Holy Taco, a local cantina, when they saw a couple bartenders wearing Johnson City Cardinals caps. That was proof that their hard work was paying off and the tide was turning. 
   Tyler had said he would never take a job back home in Michigan, wanting, like many, to escape his hometown. He also felt that after 4 seasons in Johnson City, a new opportunity would have to be something special to convince him to leave. But, with age comes maturity, and Tyler admits that his priorities had changed. After turning down countless job offers, he took a visit with his beloved Lansing Lugnuts, who were in need of a new General Manager. Tyler was still on the fence about leaving the Cardinals and requested some time to consider the Lugnuts’ offer. On a 2 week trip to Colorado with a buddy, Tyler made his decision.

   “Really stupid and cliche, man, I said, ‘I’ll go out there and get a reason, a sign if that’s the right move.’ We were in Aspen, Colorado, hiking the Maroon Bells in the middle of nowhere, and I passed a guy in a Lansing Lugnuts hat. I stopped him and started talking to him. He goes, ‘Yeah, my son goes to Michigan State there, but I’m a Michigan fan, and I hate that school. So, this is the only team I’ll support, but go ‘Nuts!’ … For me, that was something that said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to see a sign, it can’t be much more blatant than that.’”

   After successful stops in Martinsville and Johnson City that involved rejuvenating the team, Tyler came back to Lansing, taking the helm of a strong organization with an established brand and amazing facility.

   “It was so challenging here because I was used to rebuilding things. Here in Lansing, everyone knows who the Lugnuts are, and the cool factor is definitely here. You can’t go anywhere without people knowing something about the Lansing Lugnuts or having been to a game here.”

   Tyler’s reward in moving back home and furthering the success of the Lugnuts has been the rare opportunity to become the General Manager of a team he grew up a fan of. The Lugnuts were one of the first Minor League teams to build their brand around entertainment and family fun. Tyler now has the honor and privilege of sharing the fun he helps create with his own family.

   “For me, it was really special to be able to bring my grandmother to a couple games. She was never able to make it down South to see any games that I had, but I got back here to Lansing and brought her out to show her a game, show her what I did.”

   While Tyler is missing games during the COVID-19 pandemic, he claims he is busier now than ever trying to keep up with news coming in everyday regarding state regulations and opportunities to utilize the Lugnuts’ facility to connect with Lansing in the absence of baseball being played. He is confident that no matter what, the Lugnuts and the other teams in Minor League Baseball will strive to bring joy to the towns that they each call home.

   “If there’s an industry that can find a way to find a light in all the dark of this COVID-19, it’s going to be Minor League Baseball. I think now, more than ever, we owe it to our communities to represent them and be part of the healing process, be an asset, and be a voice for our communities. That’s what has built Minor League Baseball, and that’s why it’s such a strong entity. All these communities, all 160 of them across the entire country, have stood behind each and every team through ups and downs through their entire existence.”

   Pretty cool, right?
  
    You can follow Tyler on Twitter @Tyler_C_Parsons and the Lugnuts @LansingLugnuts. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to date on all the great profiles and articles. If you enjoyed this article or any of the others on Baseball is My Muse, share the site with your friends and family! Thanks for reading.

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(photo courtesy of Radford News Journal)

    When I spoke to Betsy Haugh, General Manager of the Pulaski Yankees, she was standing on the warning track in historic Calfee Park as a crew worked to replace the last remaining seats from the park inherited by the Shelor Motor Mile Group when they purchased the team from the town of Pulaski, Virginia in 2015. Along with the New York Yankees taking over the affiliation that same year, the change in ownership has sparked a bit of a renaissance for baseball in Pulaski. Betsy has been a part of the continuation in improving Calfee Park and the Pulaski Yankees since February 2018.
   Betsy grew 9 miles North of Charlottesville, Virginia in the small town of Earlysville. She was a soccer player, and her brother was a baseball player. So, her family spent a lot of time at soccer fields as well as ballparks. After high school, Betsy played soccer for Marshall University. Shoulder surgery following her freshman season led to her sophomore campaign being her last as a player. Betsy then began working in the sports information office at Marshall, and that is when she decided to pursue a career in sports off the field. After completing her bachelor’s in sports management and marketing, Betsy went to Virginia Tech for her graduate studies, gaining a master’s degree in communication. It was during this time when Betsy fell back in love with the game of baseball. She loved the Baltimore Orioles rebrand that reincorporated the “cartoon bird” logo and watched a lot of O’s games during her time in college.
   From there, Betsy took an internship with the Appalachian League’s Danville Braves. After her internship Summer with the team, she was promoted to Sales and Marketing Manager and was taken on by the league as a publicist, assisting with social media, the league website and media guide, and press releases. Career growth is very important to Betsy, and after her second season in Danville, she saw an opportunity to take the next step in the form of Assistant General Manager for the Pulaski Yankees. Betsy says she is fortunate to have moved up the ladder, so to speak, each year of her career at that point. That did not change at the end of the 2018 season, when Betsy was promoted to General Manager in Pulaski. 
   Betsy also considers herself lucky to not have any horror stories from being a woman in a male-dominated industry. She commends Minor League Baseball and the work they have done to build a family of hard-working, capable women within the sport. She says that they are fully aware of the fact that baseball is dominated by men, and they embrace that rather than deny it. While the presence of women in baseball front offices is becoming commonplace, Betsy believes one of the largest areas of opportunity for women in the game is in player development, as we’ve seen more and more women hired as coaches and scouts in recent years. Her hope is that we are heading down a road that leads to a world where a woman taking a position within baseball is no longer a story. Betsy also commented that she appreciates how organic inclusion is in baseball. It’s one of the things that makes working in baseball so enjoyable for her. 
   The fact that Pulaski is the only Appalachian League team that is not on the list of 42 teams rumored to be eliminated from affiliated baseball has left Betsy in what she refers to as a “fortunately awkward position.” However, she feels strongly about the presence of the game in the other small towns that are facing the looming contraction.

   “That’s something that just cannot be highlighted enough. Baseball in small communities is what helps grow the game. To be able to keep baseball in those communities would just be so important for baseball as a sport, as an industry in America, and as a sport around the world.”

   Betsy believes that Pulaski has avoided being on the alleged chopping block by first focusing on facilities for players, then turning their attention to the fan experience. The club has made leaps and bounds in both areas as they prepare for the possibility of becoming a full season team. Beyond that, and more importantly in my opinion, the Pulaski Yankees have reignited a passion for baseball in their community.
   The reality that COVID-19 will prevent the 2020 season from happening has saddened the town of Pulaski. Betsy calls Pulaski a “small town with a big baseball heart” and believes that the lack of a season this year would be a blow to the culture of the small community. More than anything, Betsy Haugh is trying to remain upbeat and positive when talking to fans around town, and she is utilizing the unexpected free time to strengthen her relationships with other executives around Minor League Baseball and prepare the ballpark for upcoming special events other than games. Calfee Park will still be busy this Summer, as Betsy and the Pulaski Yankees refocus and concoct new ideas that they otherwise would not have thought to attempt. Make no mistake, Betsy will still miss the hustle and bustle of gamedays. She looks forward to being able to engage with every aspect of operating a Minor League Baseball team all in one day. Along with the tight knit bond built with others working in the game, this is what Betsy enjoys the most about her job. It’s not difficult to see why the Pulaski Yankees are thriving the way they are. 
   You can follow Betsy on Twitter @betsy_haugh and the Pulaski Yankees @PulaskiYanks. I have more profiles of great women in baseball coming up, so be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to be the first to know when new articles are posted!

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