The Tatler Meets the Reds at Media Day

by Sarah Rudd and Staci Stewart


Catcher Devin Mesoraco

On Wednesday, May 2, Sarah Rudd, Staci Stewart and Mrs. Brady attended Reds Media Day at The Great American Ballpark. We met with the head media director Rob Butcher and found out what he does on a daily basis. Butcher’s job is to keep up with lineups and stats. Even though he does not personally keep tally of the stats, there are designated people who do, marking down every single pitch thrown in a game, but when he gets the stats he goes beyond his requirements and keeps his own books on the pitchers’ and hitters’ records. “My favorite part,” he said, “is knowing that what I do affects what happens on the field and that every day is something different.”

Butcher said he spends about eight months with the players out of the year. There are five media workers at any given time; Butcher has two assistants and hires two interns every year. Even though the interns only get paid minimum wage, he said it’s crazy to see how many actually apply for the job. A good candidate for the job can speak Spanish well and has a background in journalism. Butcher admits that being a media director is a very competitive industry. If he were to quit today, he says, there would be hundreds of applications sent in for his job. “The only downfall with this job is that I’m away from home about 150 days out of the year,” he adds.

One of the advantages of going to Media Day was our opportunity to view the Red’s batting practice. We also met Brandon Phillips. The Reds played the Cubs that night but fell short with a 3-1 loss.



Brandon Phillips seconds before sending the ball into the stands

 



Sarah and Staci, ready for their closeup at the press conference table

 

First baseman Joey Votto