Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Clubhouse guys having a ball

Call it a labor of love or the knock of opportunity, but the opening week of the 1996 Major League Baseball season at Cashman Field has been both a dream and a challenge for many who toil behind the scenes at the ballpark.

Among those are Marc Hoskin and Paul Minor, visiting and home clubhouse managers, respectively, two men enjoying a week in the life of the major leaguer.

"Basically, a ballplayer's a ballplayer," Minor said. "For us, there's a lot mork work dealing with the major leaguers, a lot more detail involved.

"We're limited here in space so we're doing the best for them we can. These guys are used to walking into a clubhouse three times the size of what we have here. There may be a few guys who are disappointed at having to start the season at a minor league park, so we just try to make them as comfortable as possible."

Hoskin, a junior communications major at UNLV, became the Cashman home clubhouse manager at age 16 during the 1989 season before moving to the visiting clubhouse in 1990. While Major League Baseball has been an exhibition staple in Las Vegas, he said games that count bring on an added sense of responsibility.

"We've had Big League Weekend every year except for when there's been strikes, but I've never experienced anything like this," Hoskin said.

"This is the real thing -- the regular season. It's the same (job) as the exhibition season, but you have to step up and do a little more. You have to go the extra mile for these players."

Hoskin said the chance to work with major league players and staff offers an opportunity for career networking, as well as other rewards.

"I've always considered this to be a possibility for a career," said Hoskin, who is also looking into television or print sports journalism. "There are two new teams coming into the major leagues as well (Arizona and Tampa Bay), so I'll be sending my resume. This experience is certainly a plus.

"Also, these players make more money, and so they're able to be a little more generous (with tips). There's a couple jerks, but that's the case on any team. Most of the guys are really nice to work with."

Minor, in his third season in Las Vegas following five years with the Class AA Wichita Wranglers, is no stranger to dealing with major leaguers. His brother, Blas, is a member of the New York Mets.

"I'd love to stay in baseball," he said. "This is a job that I enjoy. It's just fun to get up in the morning and go to work."

Extra innings

* MORE McSHERRY FALLOUT: In the wake of National League umpire John McSherry's death on Monday, fellow umpire Rich Garcia said he hopes that major league baseball will take a more active role in policing the wellness practices of its umpires. "I just hope everyone looks at this and realizes how important your health is," said Garcia, crew chief of the American League squad working the A's-Blue Jays series at Cashman Field. "People must take care of themselves. We have to be responsible for our own health, but we also need to have somebody responsible to continue to make us do these things. We don't have anybody at this point doing that."

* HOPING FOR HEALTH: The Oakland Athletics have to wonder what a healthy Mark McGwire could mean in 1996. McGwire opened the new campaign on the disabled list with a plantar fascial tear of the right foot after missing 33 games due to injury a year ago. When healthy in 1995, McGwire displayed incredible power, hitting 39 home runs in just 317 at bats -- one in every 8.1 plate appearances. On the medical downside, however, McGwire has been able to play in only 178 of the A's 421 games since 1993.

* PUTTING IN OT: Las Vegas Stars General Manager Don Logan has nothing but praise for his staff's handling of Cashman Field's extended Big League Weekend. "This is a great crew," said Logan. "They love it. They're willing to go the extra mile. You can't teach people to love the job like that. The difference between us and the big leagues is we have 15 people to do what they have 50 to do. But our people have been great at doing what it takes."

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