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Benjamin Hill reflects on his unexpected 20-year journey chronicling minor league baseball's unique culture, business, and fan experiences. His career path from temp jobs to becoming baseball's preeminent voice on minor league culture demonstrates the surprising ways passion can turn into profession.
• Started in 2005 through a recommendation from ball hawk Zach Hample, whom he met on Craigslist
• Created his own beat covering "the business and culture of minor league baseball" when no such position existed
• Witnessed the evolution of team names from traditional to outlandish (El Paso Chihuahuas, Hartford Yard Goats, Rocket City Trash Pandas)
• Conducts regular road trips to document minor league ballparks, developing his "designated eater" concept after being diagnosed with celiac disease
• Shares nostalgic memories of defunct teams like the Bakersfield Blaze and Jamestown Jammers
• Uses baseball as a "contextualizer" to explore cities across America that might otherwise be overlooked
• Observed the evolution of ballpark food from basic concessions to creative regional specialties
• Collects minor league t-shirts for his four-year-old son with plans to eventually make them into a quilt
You can find Ben Hill on Twitter/X @Ben's Biz, Instagram @TheBen'sBiz, through his newsletter "The Baseball Traveler," and on the "Before the Show" podcast.
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