A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BATBOY

It sounds like one of the really glamorous summer jobs for a boy in high school: batboy for a major league baseball team. But as Chris Drummond, 16, of Anaheim knows, there’s more to the role than hanging out with big league ballplayers and handing them a bat and pine-tar rag every now and then.

Drummond, one of three batboys for the Angels, often gets to Anaheim Stadium four hours before game time and doesn’t leave until as late as 1 a.m. Doing the team’s laundry, picking up trash and towels in the locker room and rubbing down baseballs before games are just a few of the menial tasks that await him each day. The pay? For a shift that can last 10 hours, he makes $20, plus tips from the players.

It may not be all fun and games, but Drummond says that’s fine with him for now. Even with the long hours, the job does have its perks. He will go on one trip with the team, July 28-Aug. 3 to Chicago and Seattle. He gets to know the players and has one of the best seats in the house whenever the Angels are at home. Hey, that’s about as close to the big leagues as you can get without playing.