Sports

No Doubt About It: Pirates' Bat Boy Has A Blast

Andrew Mark Olson, 19, attends Point Park University and majors in broadcasting. He is originally from Wexford and graduated from North Allegheny High School. He's been a bat boy for the Pirates since 2005.

KDKA.com intern Spencer Bartoletti asked Olson what it takes to be a bat boy for a major league club and some parts of his job that you may not have ever considered. 

Q: How did you get involved with the Pirates and how long have you been involved?

A: I know broadcaster Greg Brown. I asked him if he knew whether or not any positions were available; he gave me the e-mail address of my now boss, Roger Wilson. I emailed him, went in for an interview and a few weeks later I got a call saying I got the job. The 2008 season will be the fourth season with the team for me. I started in 2005 as a left field ball boy and in 2006 became bat boy.

Q: What are your tasks?

A: For a 7:00 game I arrive to work anywhere between 2 and 3 o'clock. When I get there I fill up the Gatorade and water barrels with Gatorade and take the Gatorade/water/towels to the dugout and bullpen. Next I come back to the clubhouse and prepare the gum and sunflower seeds so that there is enough for the dugout and bullpen. After that I stay in the clubhouse until batting practice and do whatever a player needs me to do for them, whether its clean their cleats, go pickup food for them, drop off their dry cleaning, or throw something in the laundry for them; they say it and I do it. At about 4 o'clock I get changed into my batting practice uniform then put all the catchers gear and any needed extra equipment into a cart and take it to the dugout for batting practice. Everything gets set out a certain way in the dugout, from helmets to bats, pine tar to towels, everything. Certain players like their helmets and bats in a certain spot. After everything is laid out and if there is time, coaches are already out there, so I sometimes get to take batting practice thrown by them. If there isn't time then I do as regular and go into center field and shag balls during batting practice and play catch with the players. When batting practice is over I clean up the dugout and all the used towels then bring the balls back up to the clubhouse. (It's usually about 5:40 at this time). Then I eat with the players until about 6 o'clock, then get changed into my game uniform and take the game balls and pitcher's bats down to the field. I chill in the dugout until 6:30 then the catcher and pitcher come out and when they come out its time for me to make sure everything is set up correctly. Then the position players come out at about 6:45 and if any of them need warmed up I throw with them (usually I warm up Jack Wilson or Jose Bautista) and trust me catching a ball thrown 90+ mph hurts. Next the game starts and during the game I sit on the field beside the dugout. I get the balls that are fouled back into the screen or thrown in the dirt and put them in a bag. When the umpire needs more balls I run them out to him. Also I have to make sure that the players have everything they need while they warm-up in the on-deck circle (this is everything from bat-weights and pine-tar, to rosin and an extra bat just in case they break one). After a player hits I run onto the field and get their bat. (This goes on the whole game and is pretty much the lightest portion of work I do) after the game is when the fun begins. Everything that the players used during the game has to be cleaned up and put away (helmets, bats, protective equipment, balls, towels, and pretty much everything in the dugout). Also we have to get this done as soon as we can so we can get back to the clubhouse to help clean the Players cleats. After that I get a wet rag and some Febreeze and clean the catcher's gear. When that is done I go into the lounge and have my dinner. When I'm done I have to clean the players' bathroom/sauna/showers. I start by checking if there is enough toilet paper and paper towels and stock-up on them. Then I check all the toiletries like: toothpaste, razors, hair gel, shave gel, lotion, soap, mouthwash, combs, floss, hairspray, aftershave etc. Then I sweep the floors. When I'm done sweeping, I put on the rubber gloves and clean and sterilize the sinks. After the sinks is the urinals, after the urinals is the toilets and stalls. When all those are cleaned I go into the sauna and clean out that. After the sauna I squeegee the entire floor and run it all into the shower to the drains. Then I take a hose and blast the showers. After the showers are clean I take out the garbage into the service tunnel then I come back into the clubhouse and hang laundry in players' lockers. When we're done with laundry my night is done. We usually get done around 11:15 pm. I can then take a shower and go home! It's a lot more work than any one would think, but it's all worth it.

Q: What's your favorite part about being bat boy?

A: My favorite part is being friends with the players and driving their awesome cars!

Q: Who is/are your favorite Pirates and why?

A: I can't pick a favorite, it's like asking which grandparent is your favorite, you love them all. But, I am closer to some guys more than others. I'm pretty close with Jose Bautista and Ian Snell.

Q: Was there any game that really stuck out in your head as a favorite and why?

A: August 16, 2007 sticks out because it was a sellout and we were playing the Mets. We were losing like 9 or 10 to nothing and ended up coming back to win and the atmosphere and everything was just amazing!

Q: What is the coolest thing about working for the Pirates?

A: Besides being friends with the players, on road trips many of the guys give me their cars so that I can wash them. I can't lie its nice to be driving a $200,000 Mercedes sometimes!

Q: How many other bat boys are there? And what are the age ranges?

A: There are two bat boys in the Pirates locker room and two in the visitors locker room. The youngest is 19 and oldest is 22.

Q: What do you get to wear?

A: I get to wear everything that the players wear. We are sponsored by Nike so I have a lot of Nike stuff. Also, if there is something I want, I just ask a player and they usually can get it for me.

Q: Do you have any involvement with the PirateFest? If so, what do you do?
 
A: Not really, I just show up if I want and see the players because I haven't seen most of them since the end of the season.

Q: Have you ever been to PirateFest? If so, then what is the most interesting thing about PirateFest?

A: Yes. The most interesting thing is the Q&A session where fans get to ask questions to players.

Q: Any other comments you would want people to know about?

A: Well for the 2006 All-Star Game, FOX made a promo and I acted in it. It took like 15 takes for my part to get it right, but hey, I was part of the first ever world-wide broadcast!