Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
It's a beautiful Friday evening in July and the Williamsport Crosscutters are preparing to open the gates of Historic Bowman Field, a ballpark celebrating its 100th anniversary this season. The home team, members of the Draft League, are hosting the Trenton Thunder and a sizable crowd has already gathered outside.
"Everybody's ready!" bellowed Rhashan West-Bey, the team employee at the center of the pregame hubbub. "Open up! Hit the music! Go Cutters!"
The fans stream in and Rhashan, wearing a throwback Williamsport Grays jersey and with free T-shirt vouchers in hand, is there to greet them. Many return the greeting with familiarity and warmth, because Rhashan is always there. He's the soul of the franchise, an outsized presence who embodies the heart, humor and sense of community with which the Crosscutters organization imbues its gameday experience. His job title sums it all up in three words: director of smiles.
"He's the most popular guy in the ballpark," said Crosscutters vice president of marketing Gabe Sinicropi. "He's one of the most popular people in Williamsport. Anywhere he goes, people flock to him, say hello."
Rhashan, now in his 40s, has what Sinicropi describes as "diverse abilities." He first came to the Crosscutters' attention in 2002, when he was living in a group home located behind the ballpark. The team started giving him jobs to do, like breaking down cardboard boxes, in exchange for a ticket to the game.
"Without us asking him to be around more, he was around more," said Sinicropi. "The players gravitated toward him. The fans gravitated toward him, and little by little it just became bigger and bigger."
Rhashan was a daily ballpark presence throughout the 2003 season, which culminated in the Crosscutters, then a Class A Short-Season Pittsburgh affiliate, winning the New York-Penn League championship.
"When the team left the next day, we go from the big circus under the big top to a regular office," said Sinicropi. "We wondered if that was going to be enough for Rhashan. Would he still show up? … Well, he came in, put his hat on the shelf, sat down, said he was the office manager."
Rhashan's headstrong decision to work at the ballpark year-round led to a burst of inspiration.
"One of the only original ideas I've had, and one of the best ideas I've had, I said, 'You're going to be the director of smiles,'" said Sinicropi. "And he has been ever since, going on 23 years."
Sinicropi spoke while wearing a theme jersey emblazoned with smiley faces and Rhashan's cartoon likeness. The proceeds from the jersey went to Williamsport's Hope Enterprises, which supports people with intellectual disabilities (Rhashan now lives in a Hope House). Rhashan stuffies and T-shirts are for sale in the team store and there have been a series of bobbleheads through the years. He is, quite literally, the face of the team.
"I pick him up in the morning and bring him to work with me. He's got a whole checklist of things that he does every day," said Sarah Budd, Crosscutters director of ticket operations and community relations. "The best part of my day, every day, is hanging out with Rhashan and our friendship goes beyond the ballpark. … We all help him out in his real life outside of work."
At every Crosscutters game Rhashan leads the crowd in cheers, participates in a "What's in the Box?" between-innings contest and sings "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Prior to the gates opening, he visits the home locker room and gives a motivational speech.
"When I showed up at the beginning of June, he welcomed me with open arms," said Crosscutters outfielder Chris Stanfield. "He's the director of smiles, and it correlates and just brings joy to myself and the team."
"He makes everyone part of his family," added Sinicropi. "It's just an amazing thing about him. Everybody he meets now, depending on your age, you're either going to be his brother or his sister, his mother or his father, his aunt or his uncle, even in-laws."
Crosscutters season ticket holders Brion and Sheri Harlan are among those who have become "mom and dad" to Rhashan.
"We've gotten close with him," said Brion. "We take him out to eat for his birthday, he comes out to our house and wants to swim and hang out. … He's been a special part of [attending Crosscutters games]. A part that we didn't know that we really needed."
Indeed, no one with the Crosscutters knew how much they needed Rhashan until he became a part of their lives. A day at the ballpark without him now seems inconceivable, and Sinicropi grew emotional while expressing that sentiment.
"We talk about what it would be like if we came to work and Rhashan wasn't here someday. I don't know what we would do," he said. "He's just that much a part of our family."
On this Friday evening, the Crosscutters defeated the Thunder, with Rhashan capping the victory by running onto the field and waving a team flag in celebration. The exuberance of his postgame routine brought to mind a portion of the locker room speech he had given to the players earlier in the day.
"That's what I'm talking about, boys! I'm not giving up on you, ever!"