Brad Ausmus '91

The Gold Glove winner on umps, dumb jocks and in-room movies

"I GOT MY DEGREE IN THE MAIL FROMDARTMOUTH AND THREE WEEKS LATERI WAS CALLED UP TO THE MAJORS. Very few stories have been written about me that fail to mention I'm a Dartmouth grad."

"SEEING MYSELF ON A MINOR-LEAGUE BASEBALL CARD WAS COOL. Having my own major league card was cooler. Now that I've had about 20 that's worn off."

"BASEBALL IS STILL AMERICA'S PASTIME BECAUSE IT'S SO ENTRENCHED IN HISTORY. Fifty years from now that could change; football is really pushing it."

"WE SHOULD HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL WORLD SERIES BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES. It could push the popularity of baseball in other countries and they could be added to the competition.

"YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH TIME PLAYERS SPEND TALKING ABOUT THE GAME THEY JUST PLAYED OR THE GAME TOMORROW then they tune into Sports Center to see how other teams did.

"EVENTUALLY THERE WILL BE AN OPENLY CAY PLAYER IN BASEBALL. For it to happen that person has to be surrounded by very accepting teammates and a very accepting organization. There have to be gay players in the game now, given the general population; it's just that no one has come out."

"IT'S NOT EASY TO BE AN UMPIRE. I understand they have a difficult job to do —and not just on the field. I get to spend half my time at home; they don't get to spend any time at home. If they re doi ng thei r job well, no one notices them; if they're doing it poorly, the entire stadium notices them. The only gratification they get is if a player says,'You called a fine game tonight.'"

"YOU DON'T NEED SCHOOLED INTELLIGENCE TO CLIMB THE ATHLETIC LADDER; you do need it to climb the corporate ladder. That's where the dumb jock label comes from."

"BASEBALL PLAYERS DON'T EXIST IN A VACUUM. They see the news; they read the papers. They're as interested in the world as anyone else. As much as Joe Stock Trader wants to talk about the Yankees, I'm sure there are people in the Yankees clubhouse who want to talk about their stocks."

"AN INDIVIDUAL FAN CAN'T DO MUCH IN A STADIUM, BUT AS A GROUP, FANS CAN CREATE OR PERPETUATE MOMENTUM FOR THEIR TEAM. IF Detroit Tigers fans were given a winning team they'd be out there the way they are for the Red Wings.'

"SIGNS BETWEEN CATCHER AND PITCHER ARE NOT VERY COMPLICATED. There are probably five or six standard signs, and pitchers very rarely stray from those."

"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR A CATCHER TO HAVE IS THE TRUST OF THE PITCHERS—in his physical skills and his game-call- ing skills. I've called 99.9 percent of the pitches over my career— or the pitcher has. Point one percent of the time it's come from the bench."

"THE MORE YOU CATCH, SITUATIONS BECOME REFLEXIVE. It becomes easier because you do things without consciously trying."

"FEAR OF INJURY DURING THE SEASON ISN'T A CONCERN. Doing everything possible to win means putting your body at risk. I m careful during the off-season. I don't play basketball anymore, but I surf three or four days a week so I took out an insurance policy to cover any possible surfing injuries.

"ON THE ROAD YOU DO THINGS JUST TO KILL TIME. At the beginning of the season the travel doesn't really bother me. As the months -go by, I'm tired of being away from my family, I'm tired of hotel beds, I'm tired of everything else. The inroom movie is one of the world's great inventions."

"CHANGING THE NAME OF OUR BALLPARK AFTER THE ENRON COLLAPSE TOOK SOME GETTING USED TO. I offered our owner 100 bucks to call it Ausmus Field, but he wouldn't do it."

JOB TITLE: Starting catcher, Houston Astros CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: National League Gold Glove winner, 2001 and 2002; All Star, 1999; career batting average: .259; career fielding average: .993 EDUCATION: B.A., government; graduated in 1993 PERSONAL: Resides in Del Mar, California, with wife Liz and daughters Sophie, 4, and Abigail, 3