Past Uberchic Betty invited me to a Staten Island Yankee game (they were playing the Brooklyn Cyclones). She suggested that Joey, the MC at the game, to be interviewed. Joey climbed over the seats and sat next to us for the interview. What a good sport!
See Joey in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbkNgNhENNg
Ask a New Yorker: Love your ability to get the crowd all riled up! What kind of training did you need for this job?
Joey: I went to grad school in the city at the New School for drama. I have a Masters degree in acting. That involved a lot of voice classes and things like that.
Ask a New Yorker: How did you get this gig?
Joey: I auditioned for it. Yes, April of 2007 and I just answered an ad on Craigslist and came out to the stadium and auditioned. It was legit; it was legit, nothing shady. I showed up at the stadium, not somebody’s creepy apartment or anything.
Ask a New Yorker: Were you a big baseball fan before working for the Staten Island Yankees?
Joey: Yes. I was a baseball fan. Definitely my knowledge of baseball has grown leaps and bounds since getting this job. But I was a baseball fan to start with, absolutely.
Ask a New Yorker: Who is your favorite Yankee?
Joey: My favorite Staten Island Yankee or New York Yankee?
Ask a New Yorker: Let’s splurge, gimme both.
Joey: Well, I am a big Derek Jeter fan. I really am. I think he’s honest. He’s a great player. He’s the whole package. It’s hard to pick a favorite Staten Island Yankee. They all play with such heart, they’re coming up. This is all new to them. They’re all willing to help me with my job. I would say all of them are great.
Ask a New Yorker: Give us a little history about this league.
Joey: It’s technically a short season single A team. It’s short season because most of our guys are right out of college. So in May and June they’re playing college baseball and as soon as their season ends they fly out here and start our season.
Ask a New Yorker: So do any of the Single A Staten Island Yankees ever get called up?
Joey: Yes, this is my third season and I’ve now started to see guys that were here in my first season make their way up. We’ve got guys in Trenton right now, Justin Snyder and Austin Crum are two that come to mind.
Ask a New Yorker: What do you do in the off season?
Joey: I have a day job in the city. I work for a college and a voice over studio.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your choice footwear on the field?
Joey: Oh my Chuck Taylors, ab-sol-lutely. They are my absolute favorites. They go nicely with the uniform.
Ask a New Yorker: Always blue low tops?
Joey: Yea, yea, I’m not much of a high top girl. It definitely has to resist the clay, by the end of the season they get all red.
Ask a New Yorker: Your favorite position?
Joey: I am a fan of the catcher. Even though I say my favorite player is Derek Jeter, a shortstop, I feel like the catcher is under-rated. He really has to see the whole field and watch several things at once. So I think it’s the most difficult position to play.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s up with those rather large diamond studs?
Joey: (laugh) These are total fakes from Old Navy. I happily admit I buy fakes.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your favorite food in the concessions stand?
Joey: I’m a big fan of the soft pretzels. I like them a lot. I’ll ask for honey mustard, although, tonight I did have a chicken sandwich, which was good.
Ask a New Yorker: Will we see you in any movies, plays, commercials any time soon?
Joey: No, with baseball my schedule is packed. We have games four or five nights a week. So until mid September I will not be able to audition for anything or be in anything… Out season is mid June to mid September.
Ask a New Yorker: Thank you Joey.
(the SI Yankees lost to the Cyclones on that night)
A play Joey was in:
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/cp02_01_08.html
Joey’s interview with Darryl Strawberry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbyK80RVyWg
