Cubs’ batboy lives a dream
by Yasmin KhanA young sports fan’s ultimate dream job would be to hang around professional athletes. Loyola University Chicago senior Chris Maudlin has been doing just that for the last four years as the Chicago Cubs’ batboy. Maudlin’s passion for baseball has been strong ever since his childhood days growing up in Denver, Colo.
"I played baseball since I was seven years old and I always had the desire to work for a professional sports team," Maudlin said.
Maudlin, 21, a native of Colorado, is entering his fourth season with the Cubs and is a current student at Loyola University Chicago who enjoys his demanding and time consuming job.
"People think that I have the ultimate dream job," Maudlin said. "But like any other job, there are downsides, and being a batboy for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team is more demanding than people think."
Maudlin doesn’t just collect bats during the games. His list of exhausting duties includes cleaning shoes, before and after the games, cleaning the dugout and making sure there’s always food around.
"I’m the club attendant as well as the batboy, which means I take care of the players’ personal needs," Maudlin said.
That includes driving the players’ fancy cars to the car wash or even for a maintenance check.
"The nicest car I drove was Eric Young’s Mercedes," Maudlin said.
It was during his freshman year at Loyola that Maudlin got his chance to work with the Cubs.
"The Chicago Cubs called me in the spring of 1999 and asked if there were any responsible student managers in my mind that would be interested in working for their staff," Loyola’s head trainer Thomas Hitcho said. "Chris was the first person that came to mind because he was a diligent and responsible worker."
Driving fancy cars and getting to hang around Sammy Sosa and the guys can be kind of intimidating, right?
"At first I was awestruck, but now I just see them as regular guys that aren’t any different from the rest of us," explained Maudlin. "Well, except all that money."
He fits in quite well. He has his own locker in the clubhouse and all the players know and obviously trust him.
"You have a chance to build relationships with these guys, hanging around all the time, that’s one of the best parts of the job," Maudlin said.
So far, all signs tell us that this job is definitely all it’s cracked up to be. Maudlin usually agrees.
"The long hours kill me. If the game starts at 1:20 p.m., I have to be in the clubhouse around 7:30 a.m., and I stay until two hours after the game is over," explained Maudlin. Those hours are longer than a regular nine to five job.
"It’s worth it though. The pay isn’t the best, but it’s opening doors for me and helping me meet people that I know can help me out later on down the road," Maudlin said.
These days, it’s who you know that pays off in the end. And the end is near because Maudlin has said that this is his last season with the Cubs.
"I’ll miss being viewed as an insider and you can’t have that without access to the clubhouse," Maudlin said.
Being around the Wrigley Field atmosphere at times can just take your breath away. "I will never forget the ’98 Wild Card game against the Giants. I was sitting in the Giants dugout, but you could feel the emotion of the fans and the players in the air. It was awesome," said Maudlin.
A dream job it is. Sammy Sosa, former Cub Mark Grace, Kerry Wood and other great players that have earned the opportunity to wear the history-ridden Cubs uniform, and Maudlin has seen them, game in and game out, for the last four years get ready for battle.
"Yeah, I'm definitely going to miss it," Maudlin said.
PHOTO:
Chris Maudlin is all smiles.
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