In a conversation recorded in late June 2021, L.A. Dodger team historian Mark Langill (the first ever team historian hired by a Major League Baseball club) stops by to chat about how he got his start in the sports industry, offering tips for young people interested in a job in sports. He also discusses some forgotten Dodger pitchers from the Brooklyn days to the modern era.
KEY QUOTES:
- "I think the most important thing is to be able to smile and to be able to have a sense of humor. Don't take yourself so seriously."
- "You never know down the road who you may meet. Never discount whatever connections you may have down the road."
- "There's nothing greater than to be able to say I GET to go to work—instead of I HAVE to go to work."
- "Try to be as nice as you can to people, in all walks of life. That's the best thing that you can do. Because, if you're working for a baseball team, you should approach your job exactly the same way if you're in fifth place riding a 10-game losing streak or you're on the 1927 Yankees because your job shouldn't change based on the team, the attendance, the weather, [or] anything like that."
- "Don't say that you can't do anything, because if you say you can—and you say you can't—chances are you're right. So, right off the bat, get that negative stuff out of your head. Don't let people say that you can't do something. Follow that inner voice. Find somebody that's of interest to you, and just ask them questions. You don't have to make it like a job interview. Just say, 'Hey, if you've got a couple minutes, I just want to ask you about how you go about your day.'"
