Ross Ohlendorf Participating in Department of Agriculture Internship

by Charlie Wilmoth on Oct 23, 2009 11:26 AM EDT

If you haven't heard what Ross Ohlendorf is up to this offseason, well, wow:

One week after the season ended, Ohlendorf began an eight-week internship with the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. It's a highly unusual endeavor for a professional baseball player, but to those who know Ohlendorf well, his plans to conduct research in conjunction with the National Animal Identification System comes as no surprise...

How Ohlendorf ended up in D.C. is an interesting story in itself. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture [and former fringe presidential candidate] Tom Vilsack grew up in Pittsburgh as a Pirates fan. He was invited to PNC Park this summer to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, which, fittingly, was caught by Ohlendorf, who asked to receive the pitch once he learned that it was Vilsack who was taking the mound.

Ohlendorf talked to Vilsack briefly that day and later contacted him again to ask if he could be put to work this fall...

Ohlendorf will work 20 hours each week, giving him plenty of time to work on his conditioning.

-P- Stephen Strasburg was rocked in his second pro start in Arizona. Among Pirates prospects playing there, Jose Tabata, Donald Veal, Daniel Moskos and Anthony Watson have all played well, while Chase D'Arnaud and Brian Friday have struggled so far. None of them have played more than a handful of games.

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Interesting story…Ohlendorf is a true renaissance man. Of course, all the comments over there are about how cheap Nutting is.

by maguro on Oct 23, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

NUTTING IS CHEAP!!1!!

HES SO CHEAP ONE OF OUR STARTERS HAS TO GET AN OFFSEASON JOB!!!

by IAPiratesFan on Oct 23, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

OHLIE IS SO DESPERATE FOR MONEY, HE’S WORKING FOR NO PAY!!!

by WTM on Oct 23, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

OMG!

NUTTING IS SO CHEAP THAT HE WON’T LET HIS TAX MONEY GO TO PAY OHLENDROF

by IAPiratesFan on Oct 23, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

WHAT ?!?!

Ohlendorf ended up in D.C.

The Pirates trade Ohlendorf to the Nationals ?!?! I’m so done with this team !

"Baseball is better than football. Think about it, eighty degrees, a cold beer and a short-sleeve shirt is better than 30 degrees, a hip flask and six layers of clothes under a lap blanket. Take your pick: suntan or frostbite. " - Thomas Boswell

by Ketcham Bruce on Oct 24, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

I lol’d.

Free your ass and your mind will follow.

by cocktailsfor2 on Oct 24, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Rec’d the whole lot, that’s a great read.

by Phantaskippy on Oct 25, 2009 1:12 AM EDT up reply actions

agreed.

thanks guys, made my monday morning. :D

by BlindSquirrel on Oct 25, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions

sigh

I’m old enough to remember when major league players DID have to get second jobs in the offseason. Perhaps most famously for the Pirates, Richie Hebner dug graves in Massachusetts, IIRC. In the winter.

Bouton writes extensively in “Ball Four” about his haggles with the Yankees over a couple thousand dollars, trying, like, to get a raise from $17,000 to $24,000 after he won 20 games, and how they fought him like hell for it.

Then there’s this, from the Bill James Historical Abstract:

“Don Drysdale was paid a reported $35,000 in 1962, when he went 25-9 and pitched 314 inings. In court proceedings, resulting from an appeal on a tax evaluation of Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers reported a profit for the season of $4,347,177.

“In 1965, Drysdale went 23-12 and doubled as one of the team’s top pinch hitters, hitting .300 with seven home runs. His teammate Sandy Koufax went 26-8, striking out 382 batters, forming one of the greatest pitching one-two punches in baseball history.

“The next spring the two men engaged in a joint holdout … The pitchers were asking for a three-year, $1.05 million contract to be divided between the two of them, making $175,000 per pitcher per season. Koufax eventually settled for $125,000, Drysdale for $110,000.”

Not exactly second-job wages, especially in the 1960s, but still, the Dodgers, who were raking in money in Chavez Ravine stuck it to maybe the greatest lefty in history for $50,000.

And that’s why Marvin MIller belongs in the Hall of Fame.

by bucdaddy on Oct 24, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Just makes me like Ohlie even more…Solid player, very smart guy(obviously), and he has other interests besides just baseball too. Let’s hope he continues to pitch well and maybe improves to the point where he can play a major role in the next great Pirates team.

by Akshay R on Oct 23, 2009 12:48 PM EDT reply actions

Ohlendorf seems like a pretty cool guy. He’s one of the few baseball players who I could imagine attending college courses with. Kurkjian did a good piece on him here if anyone missed it before.

by wickethewok on Oct 23, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

Ohlendorf really does seem like a stand-up guy. Good person, good pitcher. I’m delighted to have him in Pittsburgh. He’ll turn out to be the biggest prize of the Nady trade.

by Suffering Buc on Oct 23, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions

The first MLB lifetime contract?

Reading the Kurkjian article makes me think it would be a good idea for the Bucs to lock-up Ohlie for the next fifty years. Surely he’ll become a GM one day with his supreme knowledge of baseball finances.

BUT NUTTING IS TOO CHEAP TO PAY HIM ONE BILLION DOLLARS!!!

(-: © WTM

by RDV across the sea on Oct 24, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

i'm good friends with Ohlendorf

If y’all want an interview with him, let me know! I posted one at Behind The Steel Curtain a few months ago.

Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)

by Michael Bean on Oct 24, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

I want something autographed

"Polamalu’s lineage can be traced through several roots. Chuck Norris mated with an Amazon Queen, and on the other side, Tony Hawk mated with Mother Nature. The two children of these spawned and fused in a tantric love session to create Troy Polamalu. The mother however died as he tore through the birth canal with a spin move."
Mechem on the roots of Troy Polamalu

by WVPiratesfan on Oct 24, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Tell him to name an insect after me, I was attacked by something in Kentucky that looked like a dragonfly with a wasp tail and Preying Mantis pincers, I still have nightmares about that.

by Phantaskippy on Oct 25, 2009 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

An interview would be cool, thanks.

I’ll drop Charlie a line and let him know.

by Vlad on Oct 26, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Michael,

That would be great. I’ll be in touch. I remember the interview—I linked it here.

by Charlie Wilmoth on Oct 26, 2009 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Can you get him to come to my class?

I need a visual aid/expert for my how to throw a curveball speech. I am in the area and I will get him a date with my sister who is also a Princeton alum.

by Mr. E on Oct 27, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions