For those who desire a career in professional sports, part of the lure is the opportunity to perform on some of the biggest stages.
And for the fortunate few who make it to the big time, there is nothing like gazing upon the beauty of a baseball or football stadium from up close for the first time.
Or, better yet, feeling the perfectly manicured stadium turf underneath their feet upon arrival at their new workspace.
Those who’ve had the chance to experience any of the above in Philadelphia, either at the Eagles home of Lincoln Financial Field or the Phillies digs of Citizens Bank Park, can thank Ryan Daub, among others, for making that experience such a positive one.
A 2021 ELCO grad, Daub is currently serving an internship with the Phillies as a member of their grounds crew on the heels of a similar gig for the neighboring Eagles back in the fall and early winter of 2023.
It is also a dreamlike assignment for the ex-ELCO baseball player, who fell in love with the process of turning a playing field into an aesthetically pleasing environment during his time at ELCO’s Lyle Krall Field back in the day. He is now pursuing a degree in turf grass science at Penn State.
“I kinda started doing baseball stuff, prep, especially pregames, when I played at ELCO,” Daub said last week. “I really got interested in doing the mound and home plate out there. The way that the Phillies (stadium) looks is different from some other MLB teams but I liked that look so I tried to make the ELCO field that way.
“I just always found – when I was playing baseball coming up through, even when I was younger – it was just something I thought was really cool. I didn’t realize when I was younger that there was a science behind it.”
His interest piqued, Daub continued to develop his passion by enrolling in the turf grass science program in Happy Valley, where he has gained additional insight and experience through also working with the field crew that maintains Beaver Stadium.
“I got in with the grounds crew up there, so I work football games and some softball games,” he said. “From there, I did another internship with the Crosscutters (a minor league baseball team in Williamsport) a few years ago. I got to do the Little League Classic, so I got to see what goes into the prep for an MLB game.
“You get everyone’s perspective on things. My boss up there worked for the Pirates for a little while and he would show me a lot of stuff with baseball. I thought I knew stuff and he would show me the real way to do things. Over time it was just something I had an interest in, and as I got older and exposed to it I found it more and more interesting.”
The opportunity with the Crosscutters got him the inside track for the Eagles internship he served last year, which swung the door wide open to join the Phillies this spring. He began his work with the CBP grounds crew on May 8.
“The dream was always get to the Phillies,” he said. “The Eagles was cool, it was a great experience, I was there for a full season. Now that I’m with the Phillies, it’s still just an internship, I’m only there for the summer, until I go back to school for senior year.”
Daub just happened to join the Phillies staff at the perfect time, near the start of an epic hot streak that has produced the best record in baseball and a 5-game lead over the hated Atlanta Braves in National League East.
“It’s a ton of fun right now,” said Daub, who is unsure whether he will pursue a job in football or baseball upon graduation. “I’ve only been there since like May 8. I started on a Monday and by Wednesday we started our first homestand, so it was kind of trial by fire. You don’t have a lot of time to pick up things.
“It’s cool being around the culture, because there’s no miserable side to things right now, everything’s going well. When I was with the Eagles and they were doing well, it was great. Once that collapse happened, it’s kind of grueling work, so once you get to the point that when the team’s not good it’s kind of a brutal thing.”
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