Being this close to an official minor-league franchise, I have met some people who are just passionate about what they do.  Marc Means is probably one of the best examples of someone who really gets into his work.  He wears many hats for the Scrappers.  As the official radio broadcast person, he  works by himself, which is not easy when broadcasting sports.  He is also a sales representative, chips in with publicity, preps the press room every game, and even helps pull the tarp on and off of the field when it rains.  Check him out while you are riding in the car on AM-1390.   I had a chance to interview Means before the Scrappers headed out to Jamestown.

Paneech:  How did you get your start with The Scrappers?

Means:  I was in the booth with WBBW back in the 1999 season, I did some fill-in work for them that year.  Three seasons ago, I came by and auditioned for the public announcer job and did that for the ’06 and ’07 seasons.  When the play-by-play position became available, I took that last year.  I enjoy spending the three hours in the booth and describing the game.

Paneech:  Lay out a normal day in the life of Marc Means.

Means:  The day will start at about 8:30.  The whole front office staff gets here at 8:30.  Usually, I will print out all the stats for both coaches from MLB and take that down to the clubhouse.  Then I check with the trainers for players injury-wise, see if there are any roster moves to see if there are players to come or go.  Then I come back up, update the roster, send that to the media, and send it to minor-league baseball so they can make the official changes.  Then I have to type up the starting lineups, press releases, game notes, and anything else for the press room.  Then I have to find time to handle my sales responsibilities.  I’ll spend two to thre hours talking to groups, trying to get more people to come out to the game.

Paneech:  How does being married and going out on the road work for you?

Means:  It’s the hard part of it because I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my wife.  When I am at home I try to spend as much time with her as I can.  It’s the worst part about being on the road, being away from my wife.  As much as I enjoy seeing different ballparks and teams, it’s the roughest part, being away from her.

Paneech:  How strong of a farm system do the Indians have right now?

Means:  According to Baseball America we’re in the Top 5.  I think this organization is stronger at some positions than others.  If you look at the catcher position, they [Indians] are extremely strong right now.  Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach are up and doing well, Carlos Santana , a guy down at Double-A is going to play in the futures game,  you’ve got Chris Gimenez.  Catching is definitely a position that they are loaded up on.  Outfield is another strength, there seems to be good outfielders at all levels of the system.  Pitching, has obviously been a team weakness.  If you look at this years draft, you could tell what the Indians were focusing on.  50 picks, overwhelmimgly, they took pitchers, overwhelmingly, they took college kids, so you could tell what they were focusing on when they were stockpiling new players.

Paneech:  How active are you Before June 1, and after September 15?

Means:  After September we all kind of take some time to wind down.   You just got done with four months that were crazy and hectic throughout the entire season.  After a couple of weeks, you get back to it, you start talking to people about season tickets, you start talking to people about groups.  Opportunities are always there, and that’s really something there is no offseason for.

One Word Answers:

Paneech:  Favorite Meal of The Day   Means:  Lunch

Paneech:  Favorite Music   Means:  Collective Soul

Paneech:  Favorite TV Show   Means:  Baseball Tonight

Paneech:  Favorite Restaurant    Means:  I don’t really have one (answered like a true salesman)

Paneech:  Favorit Sport To Watch    Means:  College Football

Paneech:  Favorite Current MLB Player   Means:  Victor Martinez

Paneech:  Longest Bus Ride   Means: 11.5 hours to Vermont

Paneech:  Favorite Athlete In Any Sport     Means:  Mark Price

Paneech:  Scrapper On This Years Team Most Likely To Succeed   Means: Bo Greenwell or Jason Smit

Paneech:  Myron Cope or Tom Hamilton     Means:  Neither – Joe Tait

Means has been helpful in accomodating the press.  He is a very busy man and is at the park from sunrise to midnight for about four months a year.  His passion for the game, and this organization are commendable and sincere.  I am glad he is someone I am getting to know and look forward to seeing him at the park for years to come.