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Alumnus turns minor league baseball career into major league benefits for fans, community
By Brooke Bosak As the president and general manager of a minor league baseball team, Shawn Smith has a nice front office. But his favorite place to be is in the stands, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the ballpark on game day. Smith, B.A., 1992, is now serving his third year as the president and general manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He oversees that every operation in the ballpark goes smoothly, from concessions to fans to special events. "We need to focus on what we can deliver on each season and that consists of taking great care of our fan base and entertaining them, while keeping our ballpark clean, safe and affordable." And he loves to see happy fans. “When you have people come together in the same interests andhelp people feel young again through baseball, and bring youth back to parents and youth to kids, it’s an amazing feeling.” An unpaid internship working in an athletic department for 25 hours a week led Smith to contacts within major league baseball and the start of his career. He served as general manager of minor league teams in the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox organizations before joining the Fisher Cats in 2003. His highlights include the Fisher Cats' Eastern League Championship in 2004 and overseeing the opening of the Riverfront Fisher Cats Ballpark in 2005. During his minor league career, he has helped oversee the construction of five minor league stadiums. Smith said the minor leagues are actually ahead of the game in some aspects. "Some of our promotions you do not see in the big leagues," he said. "We do a variety of 'in-game' promotions ranging from contests to dancing. The major leagues do not promote or entertain fans like we do in the minors, but they have woken up to the concept of creating an experience through food and fun that the minors have been doing for decades."
But a bittersweet part of his job, he said, is watching his players go on to the next level. "Being able to see a player leave a clubhouse and go to the big leagues, and you know if you see him again it's going to be on TV or spring training, you know the relationship with the person is changed forever because they are no longer yours." While he has accomplished a great deal of goals for the baseball league, he has become just as well-known for his commitment to community service. The Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation of New Hampshire recently named Smith a Granite State Fellow. This is the foundation's highest form of recognition for humanitarian service. The Fisher Cats hosted the Lions Club's 2005 Haunted House at Fisher Cats Ballpark and helped raise more than $12,000 for the foundation's mission. Through its partnerships, the ball club has helped raise more than $150,000 in two years for local charities. "I believe that the minor league level is about celebrating your fans and your community," he said. "We tend to put people on stage at our games. The big league level puts the ball players on stage." So who is his role model? Smith said he looks to his father for managerial advice. "He has taught me a great deal of things that just stick in my mind. When I am faced with a difficult situation I think – how would my dad handle this?" |
