Elias Sports Bureau

Does anyone know anything about what it takes to work at the Elias Sports Bureau.

I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board who is a big enough nerd to want to work there. I've just never really known how to go about getting a job there or what kind of background/education you needed.

After the meeting we had last week in which the publisher practically begged eligible people to take retirement now, I figured it might be time to start looking into backup plans.

 

Steve Hirdt, the EVP of Elias, is someone I've known for over 20 years. We were fellow coaches in a suburban little league. Very nice guy.

Used to run into him a lot at big events. I think he was always surprised to see me there because I was just a kid when we first met.

Career change & move to a new city has caused me to lose touch with him, but I'll bet you anything that if you email him at steve@esb.com and ask him what it would take to work there, he would email you back.

 

Excellent. Thanks.

 

That just makes me laugh, the thought of the head of the Elias Sports Bureau coaching little league. I can see him poring over charts and strolling out to the mound to make a pitching change because Jimmy has a .983 OPS against Bobby with the bases loaded and runners in scoring position, during games in the 8 p.m. time slot when the team has been promised pizza if they win.
Meanwhile, the right fielder is picking his nose and the second baseman is making dirt angels.

 

OK, I'll tell this story.

First time I meet Steve it's at the Little League draft. I have no idea who he is. (He later became commissioner of the league.)

We're picking rosters of 11 and 12 year olds. Now if you're coaching your own kid, it has to be decided what round he would have gone in and you lose your pick in that round.

Steve's co-coach's son was very good -- an obvious 1st round pick. Steve's kid was not nearly as good and so it was debated what round he would/should be assigned to. Steve breaks out all kind of statistics to argue that not only was his son not very good, but in fact should go in the 12th -- and last -- round.

Now remember, I have no idea that he's the head of Elias. I'm just thinking, "who is this guy with all the stats on his son and who would argue that his son sucked so bad?"

His son got assigned to the 12 round. He was a lot better than that. Not a star, but a lot better than my 12th round pick.

I wasn't sure what to think of him at the time, but like I said, he turned out to be a very good guy.

 

That's a great fucking story.

 

That reminds me about my league. Coaches had to pick their kids by the first 5 picks. One year one coach lost track of rounds and someone else picked his kid. So basically, the league had to go back and redraft or god knows what would have happened.

 

I think I just read you book for the third time.

 

That's fucking hilarious, Yankee.

 

I am still laughing at that story. Little League war rooms are a strange, strange place.

 

I've never heard of "drafting" little league players. That's crazy.

 

We drafted in a youth basketball league I coached. Because I was the only non-father and there were a low amount of kids, they put me with a super dad who said we'd co coach. first pick comes up, I say a name, super dad says we can;t draft a kid because his kid has a problem with it. I tell him his kid will have to suck it up. He says if we take him, he;s out of the league. I tell him to go. We settle on another kid. Next pick, same thing.
There were huge fights with every team and every pick. it was hell.
Oh, and the super dad said he;d call me when the league contacted him. He never did.