近距离内射合集

Chrissy Baines isn鈥檛 a crier. We all know there鈥檚 none of that in baseball, anyway.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean she didn鈥檛 get a little emotional on that chilly April night at Isotopes Park earlier this season when a complete stranger approached her on the concourse during a game.

鈥淭his man walked up and handed me a baseball,鈥� recalled Baines, the first-year general manager of Albuquerque鈥檚 Triple-A professional baseball team.

鈥淗e looked at me and said, 鈥楬ey, would you sign this for me?鈥� And I sort of looked around to see if there was somebody else he was talking to. I said sure, but why? He said, 鈥業 have a 4-year-old daughter and it鈥檚 important she knows she can do things just like this.鈥欌��

Baines has signed a few more baseballs over the past five months and shaken a lot of hands of strangers with some form of the same message: What she鈥檚 doing matters to them.

The first female general manager of the Isotopes is one of just 15 females holding that position among the 202 teams in all of Minor League Baseball.

At the Triple-A level 鈥� one stop away from the big leagues 鈥� she鈥檚 one of only three female GMs among 30 teams.

For Baines, the title isn鈥檛 one she ever dreamed of having, nor does she feel particularly pioneering about it.

But she appreciates its importance.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind talking about it. It is important. It鈥檚 a positive thing,鈥� she said last week, reflecting on her first season as the GM of the club. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 nice to see so many more women in leadership positions, especially in sports. Even growing up, almost all my coaches were men.

鈥淚t does mean something to see a woman in those positions sometimes.鈥�

Other duties as assigned

From Rockmont, Georgia, Baines grew up a sports junkie 鈥� softball, basketball and tennis being her go-tos.

She played point guard in college before transferring to West Georgia 鈥� a school offering a sports management degree, just not women鈥檚 basketball.

鈥淗ow I became a general manger for a baseball team, I have no idea because I鈥檓 a basketball die-hard,鈥� said Baines. 鈥淚 love all sports, but I鈥檝e really always loved basketball more than anything.鈥�

She thought sports management would land her a job working at a Boys & Girls Club or in a city parks and recreation department.

Instead, a three-month internship she needed to complete her degree changed her trajectory.

鈥淭he Savannah Sand Gnats (a now defunct Single-A minor league baseball team in Georgia) were hiring interns,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I thought, let鈥檚 see if I get a job with them.鈥�

The day she handed them her r茅sum茅, they hired her on the spot. Three months later, when the internship was over, they offered her a full-time job.

That first gig with the Sand Gnats was technically in group ticket sales, but as those familiar with minor league baseball know, there is a rather infamous catch-all phrase included on all job descriptions: 鈥渁nd other duties as assigned.鈥�

For Baines, her welcome to pro baseball moment wasn鈥檛 a Hollywood-esque World Series home run or even in a game. But it was on a field.

About a month into her internship in 2002 鈥� even before the Sand Gnats season began 鈥� she got her first taste of the all-hands-on-deck, joyous experience of pulling on/off the field tarp that keeps infields from getting flooded and damaged by rain.

鈥淵es I remember it,鈥� she said, tensing up a bit thinking about her first field tarp experience nearly a quarter century ago. 鈥滻 didn鈥檛 know what I was doing. I wasn鈥檛 provided a lot of direction. And all I remember is running with the tarp (along with other employees).

鈥淎t a certain point when you鈥檙e running with it, it kinda just stops 鈥� it catches. Most people know that.鈥�

For Baines, when that tarp 鈥渃aught鈥� and all her colleagues were still standing, the hard-charging Baines went flying.

鈥淚 slid all the way into left field on the wet grass,鈥� Baines said, not nearly as amused by the picture she was painting as the reporter she was sharing her story with.

鈥淚 practically hit the left field wall. They all just about died laughing at me.鈥�

The actual distance traveled that day likely gets exaggerated over time, but she seems to feel like it was at least a good 30 feet.

She did secure three valuable lessons that day.

First, sprinting interns can cover a lot of ground on wet outfield grass.

Second, bring a change of clothes when working at the ball park 鈥� 鈥淚 had mud all over my clothes and just worked the rest of the day like that.鈥�

Third, even the toughest of tasks at the ball park not only didn鈥檛 discourage her, they seemed to give her a weird sense of pride when she was doing them with a team of people around her.

鈥淚 always say I鈥檓 very thankful for where I started, even though I thought it was the hardest job I鈥檝e ever had,鈥� Baines said.

鈥淚n Single-A, you really do everything. It鈥檚 such a small staff that I really was able to get my hands into everything 鈥� out of necessity more than anything.鈥�

On to the 'Topes

The 2002 college graduate went in two years time in Savannah from ticketing intern to director of retail operations, to director of stadium operations and to overseeing the entire food and beverage operation 鈥� all at the same time.

Her work was being noticed by non-Gnats, too.

In 2004, Isotopes General Manager John Traub offered her a job to become director of retail operations in Albuquerque.

She fell in love with the city, the weather and the team she was a part of with the Isotopes.

鈥淭he community here and what we have built since even before I got here with John (Traub), Adam (Beggs, currently assistant GM) and Nick (LoBue, former vice president of the team) before that 鈥� we鈥檝e built something special here,鈥� she said.

Traub empowered her, and others in the organization, to be a part of so much more of the daily operations of the franchise than just the titles they held dictated.

鈥淪he was ready for a GM job 10, 15 years ago,鈥� Traub said in January when it was announced he was transitioning out of the role and Baines was taking over the job.

鈥淪he鈥檚 had opportunities to be a GM in other markets and she鈥檚 elected to stay here. We鈥檝e got a great staff and she鈥檒l be relying heavily on that staff, just like I always have.鈥�

Baines and that staff have continued to make the experience at Isotopes Park a great one for families and fans.

Through Sunday, the Isotopes had welcomed 450,881 fans through the gates over 68 home games (they have six more Sept. 15-20). That鈥檚 fifth best in the country for all Minor League Baseball and first in the Pacific Coast League.

鈥淚鈥檓 so lucky to have this job and work with the people I get to work with here,鈥� Baines said. 鈥淚 realize that every day.鈥�

After paying her dues for nearly a quarter century in the business, she now has the title of GM and people have finally started to realize just how lucky we鈥檝e all been that she was a part of that team all along.

Geoff Grammer is the Sports Editor of the Journal, a podcaster, columnist and covers UNM Lobos basketball, among other things. Reach him at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) .