In the Ballpark: The Working Lives of Baseball People

by George Gmelch, J.J. Weiner

Interviews with twenty-one individuals who work in association with baseball fields, from people in the public eye like Bernie Williams and Jim Leyland, to groundskeepers, ushers, clubhouse attendants, and others behind-the-scenes

Genres: Baseball, Sports

254 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 1998

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of fascinating to me. To see how hard pretty much all baseball people work, how much they sacrifice for very low pay (excluding players) to be involved in the game. I used to think I'd like to be a "baseball person". Now I'm pretty sure it's not for me. Not when I have a family and such.

[Ronnie Ruxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look behind the scenes instead of the famous players. It takes a lot of people to make a team work and it’s not always the people you see out front. 50 interviews with all the people from the clubhouse to the mascot.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at the people who toil behind the scenes -- and out in front -- at ballparks.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes 22 narratives of men and women working in the work of baseball in various different roles. No major star stories, only people doing unglamourous jobs for the love of baseball. Most of the narratives are people working in the minor leagues. Gives you perspective that there is a lot more behind a baseball game than giving young players balls, gloves and bats and telling them to have fun playing. Even thought the world of business mirrors the world of business in some aspects, the people working in baseball do it for the love of the game. Back office jobs and minor league jobs including minor league owners are not making they type of money they could get in the business world but truely love the game and enjoy the fans, players and entertainment aspect.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A terrific inside look at those who work in the various jobs related to baseball, unusual in its look at those who usually not heard from--beer vendors, mascots, umpires, minor league officials. Nice to look inside baseball while we're waiting for its return!