SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Like a lot of young kids growing up, Gene Chidester dreamed of being a bat boy.
“My dad used to bring me to the games here when it was Derks Field,” Chidester said. “I just love baseball, and I’d look down on those bat boys and I thought, someday. And that day came.”
Chidester is now 75 years old, and for the past three years, he’s been a bat boy for the Salt Lake Bees.
“Oh, I just love it,” he said. “These are great guys. A lot of energy helps keep me young, and they’ve accepted me very well and been very respectful and very friendly.”
“I love Gene to death,” said Bees manager Keith Johnson. “Great personality. He’s on top of things. Obviously, he doesn’t he doesn’t move as good as he’d like to, but he gets things done.”
The Bees players have developed an appreciation for Chidester.
“The way that he maneuvers through the home dugout and then out and around,” said Bees pitcher Kenny Rosenburg. “He’s got his routes all planned out based on how much time he has. I mean, he’s a true pro’s pro.”
Age, they say, is just a number. And Gene doesn’t let his age stop him from doing his job.
“He’s definitely the hardest working guy in the room, I think,” Rosenburg said. “I think his effort level is A-plus.”
“Gene is the best,” added Bees media relations director Kraig Williams. “He’s loved by the team. When he works the home team, the home team loves him. When he’s done the visiting team, he’s loved by the visiting team. He does all the dirty work. He does all the hard work. It’s not just a ceremonial job for him.”
But there’s one job that’s he’s not very fond of.
“Probably cleaning the cleats afterwards,” Chidester said. “I would not recommend that for everybody. Nice and sweaty. We put on some rubber gloves for that.”
It seems odd to call a 75-year-old a bat boy. Some of the players took to calling him Bat Man.
“I don’t want to take credit for that, but I think I was probably the first to give him sound effects when he was running by,” Rosenburg said. “You know, the old da da da da da (Batman theme song from the 60’s TV series). So I don’t I don’t think I coined the term, but I did give him a little theme song.”
“In the press box, we call him the bat Gentleman, because Bat Man, you know, I don’t know if he’s a superhero,” Williams said. “He’s pretty good, but I don’t know if he’s a superhero. But a bat gentleman sounds about right. Bat Boy doesn’t doesn’t quite fit Gene.”
What name does Gene prefer?
“Doug,” Chidester said. “For Dugout Attendant. That’s what my family calls me, and there are cheers that people do here for Doug.”
The Bees will move to their new ballpark in Daybreak next year, and Gene hopes to be there.
“I for sure want to do it next season to see the new ballpark,” he said. “So we’ll just take it a year at a time. But it gives me good exercise, mental and physical.”