Dame is man behind Bums’ curtain
Filed Under Country Curtain | Posted on July 28, 2008
As the clubhouse manager for the Traverse City Beach Bums, Dame has many responsibilities. Laundry detail is just one of them.
As a lifelong fan of baseball, Dame saw the clubhouse job as a way to get involved with the sport and continue working with youth.
When the Beach Bums are home, Dame is busy getting everything ready for the team. He issues equipment, recommends hotels and restaurants for players when their families visit, re-strings gloves and arranges pre- and post-game meals for both teams.
Spending that much time around the clubhouse, Dame has built relationships with the Traverse City players and a number of guys from visiting teams.
Fortunately for Reese, he ended up getting his number as one of the veteran players on the inaugural team.
This summer, Dame isnt alone in his clubhouse duties. Jeremy Stephens, a senior at Alma College, has been helping as an intern. Stephens knows a thing or two about being the locker room. He was a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association first-team selection as a third baseman for the Scots last year, as well as a second-team all-conference wide receiver.
Hes a big help, Dame said. He does most of the cleaning so I can do the laundry.
And doing the laundry has become something Dame has gained a reputation for around the Frontier League. Ive had other teams send uniforms to me because they couldnt get something out and they saw their uniforms come back from here looking good, he said. Dame said hes received a lot of tips about how to get stains out of uniforms. One that was passed along to him was to use dish soap to remove grease stains. There are a lot of tricks to the trade, Dame said. I jokingly said theres nothing I cant get out of clothes. Permanent marker, Im not telling anyone how I did that, but I got it out. You wouldnt even know it was there.
Im sure theres stuff out there that nobody can get out, but I havent come across it yet.
Some trial and error was required at the beginning of this season when the Beach Bums switched from a natural grass playing surface to field turf, which is secured by little rubber pellets. We tried all kinds of stuff, but nothing seemed to get it out, Dame said, adding that he finally figured out that OxyClean got the black stains out of the jersey. Its just like rubbing it against a tire, because thats what it is.
As the only clubbie in the history of the Beach Bums organization, Dame doesnt know how much longer he will continue. He considered leaving his post after last season, but was brought on to the sales team during the winter to give him year-round work with the franchise.
Dame also works at Mistwood Golf Course in Lake Ann when the team is on the road and drives a truck for Cherry Republic in the fall. Its fun being part of something that is unique in the community, Dame said. Ive always looked to do that. Theres so much enjoyment in the team for the community, especially for the kids. Its nice to be a part of this.
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