Bless You Boys reader Matt Musk recently self published a memoir about how he -- a guy with little baseball ability -- was able to carve out a spot of his own in professional baseball.
A native of Kalamazoo, Musk served as an operations intern with the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League, and an assistant director of operations with the Michigan Battle Cats (today's Great Lakes Loons).
I asked him a few questions about his book and his experiences in baseball.
I recommend you take a look at the inspirational book yourself and give it a read!
BYB: Can you give us a thumb-nail sketch about the book?
MM: "Dream On" is about a journey that baseball took me on. As a young boy, my dream was to be a major league baseball player. These dreams came crashing down though when I realized that I wasn't a very good ball player in little league. I couldn't hit to save my life. Despite these shortcomings, I held onto my dream until my senior year of high school when I decided to not go out for the team. I thought that I was finished with baseball forever. What I didn't know was that I indeed was done playing, but I hadn't even begun my new life in baseball.
What made you first want to get into baseball?
I never thought about working in baseball until I spoke with a career counselor in college. I was changing majors and wasn't quite sure what field I wanted to go into. He had me take some career aptitude tests and I scored very high in both athletics and business. He suggested that I combine the two and that I should speak with some people in that field to get a better idea of what life is like. This idea sparked my curiosity and set all of this in motion.
How did you land a job with the Whitecaps?
I set up an appointment with Scott Lane of the Whitecaps to come in and talk to him about working in minor league baseball. He had me come in before the work day started and I fired questions at him for almost an hour. During that time, he talked to me about internships and mentioned the name of the person with the Whitecaps who handled them. I went home that day and got my resume polished up and mailed out to the Whitecaps. About a month later I had an interview with them, and a few weeks after that I was offered the job.
Why are the Whitecaps' caps black, anyway?!
I've wondered that as well. When I worked for them, the hats were white. I actually have one of the original white Whitecaps hat autographed by Brandon Inge. I like their hats now, but my favorite is still the white one.
What are some of your best memories of your time with the WhiteCaps or Battle Cats?
Hands down, my best memory with the Battle Cats was when we won the Midwest League championship back in 2000. It was a feeling that I will never forget for as long as I live. As a matter of fact, I am smiling right now just thinking about it. Camaraderie is what I'll always remember about the Whitecaps. Even though I worked for them almost 15 years ago now, they still treat me like I am part of their family. They are one of the finest minor league organizations in the country in my opinion. I still go to them for advice from time to time.
Anything else you'd like us to know?
Don't ever give up on your dreams. No matter what type of roadblocks life gives you, there is always a way that you can be a part of what you love. You just have to look at things from a wider perspective. I hope that people who read this book are able to find their own way around life's roadblocks and enjoy what they love. It's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.