Cool Jobs: Official Score Keeper

Besides his duties as a veteran Red Sox reporter/contributor for MLB.com (and backstop for the Sox media baseball squad), good friend Mike Petraglia mans the post of "official score keepers" for the Olde Town Team. (Mike is part of a rotation that scores games for the Sox- this is standard MLB procedure as designated by the clubs. Chaz Scoggins and Mike Shalin also perform the duty.)

Mike was kind enough to shed some light on an under-appreciated gig that affects how the games we watch will be regarded long after we are gone.

Q: Are there any fun perks to being the official score keeper? What's the best part about the job that people might not be aware of?

Mike Petraglia: Without question, the best perk is the view from the front row of the press box. When I'm not scoring, I'm sitting in the third row so it's a HUGE upgrade. Parking is provided for games I'm scoring. That's also a pretty big deal around Fenway!

Q: How often do you find yourself "50-50" on deciding whether a play is an error or hit? What do you do if this happens?

MP: This is the most challenging aspect of the job. And there have been several occasions this season (which I'll get to later) that have been around the 50-50 barometer. Here's my rule of thumb which I think is the most fair and equitable to all - If it's a play that CLEARLY should be made and isn't, then it's an error. Anything less than that, I lean toward a hit. There are several other factors to be considered as well, including field conditions, weather conditions (wind, rain, etc.). You anticipate as many game situations as possible.

Q: Is it true that scorekeepers sometimes receive flack from players if a ruling doesn't go their way?

MP: In the old days, sometimes. But now there is a very formal and official procedure to be followed. If a player wants to question a call, he contacts a club public relations official and that official notifies the official scorer and then the O.S. reviews tape of the play and makes a final decision.

Q: You mentioned your press box perch - do media members up there grumble and groan over your decisions? Are there any specific culprits?

MP: No and no. Writers are very respectful and get the idea that all official scorers take the job very seriously. They all appreciate a quick, concise and ACCURATE judgment being announced over the P.A. Writers appreciate a quick, clean and firm ruling. If you rule concisely and firmly, you are generally very respected.

Q: Give us your best (favorite) and worst (most agonizing) moments on the job thus far.

MP: My favorite moment came in my first game. Very appropriately, it was Red Sox-Yankees on a Saturday afternoon on national TV and everything went smoothly. The moment came when David Ortiz fouled a ball back at me, knocking my coffee over and the ball popped into my hands. Next pitch was an Ortiz HR to right. My most agonizing had to be July 3, Red Sox-Devil Rays and Akinori Iwamura lines a ball off the Monster. Crisp throws a one-hop to Pedroia. Pedroia fields cleanly and turns around and tags Iwamura and the ball pops out. I rule hit and an error before reviewing the totality of the play and changing to a double. What makes that so difficult is trying to make a ruling without all the information at your fingertips. But it's also what makes it rewarding when you get the play right.