By Josh
Recently I’ve had a few people asking me about how 9 Inning started, why my brother in law Kelly and I spend so much time doing 9 Inning work and whether or not this is our job. I’ve talked about why I started it in the past (here is a brief breakdown of why it all started) but I wanted to talk a little bit about the time we spend.
9 Inning Know It All is not my job, I actually work a full time job as a Department Administrator. Although from time to time I do try to sell some of the photos that I take at games and during a season, I also post them online for free. You would think someone with a Master’s in Business would see the lack of profit in that. I actually find it cool to see my photos being used by players for their social media profile photos.
I actually ‘lose’ money each year doing 9 Inning Know It All having to pay for gas, buying food and the overall amount of time it takes. Now since I don’t pay for going to games 99% of the time it does balance out some, but I most definitely don’t make a profit and I’m okay with that for the most part.
However, with that being said if a baseball team / athletic department ever offered me a full time job that paid enough to cover my expenses for my family, I would take it and move most anywhere in the United States and maybe even Canada to do it. Heck one of the initial reasons for starting this site was to show my skills of developing sports related social media.
Just getting a job in baseball was never the main focus though. I wanted to make an impact for the game of baseball by doing my part to promote it and to help get players, leagues and programs noticed across the country.
Recently I have really felt an increased purpose in using baseball to impact lives. I know a lot of players and coaches who will tell you just how much of an impact baseball / softball has had in their lives. Whether it is keeping them out of trouble, giving them a chance at a college education, or just bringing some happy memories with family and friends.
Last September I wrote about how Summer League Teams Need To Impact Their Communities All Year. I am seeing teams striving to do this including my hometown team the Cowlitz Black Bears.
When I was growing up in Longview, WA we used to have awesome baseball related events all year round. Bud Black (current Colorado Rockies manager) and Rick Sweet (former MLB player and minor league coach) used to have clinics and fanfest events where they would bring in other Major League players for a day. It was amazing.
This is one reason why I keep taking photographs of players at games even though I don’t get really anything from it. Having players and their parents tell me how much they love the photos and how much they mean to them, lets me know I’m at least doing something to help the game.
The love of baseball needs to be shared. It is a sport that has so much to offer if only we shared it with those around us.