Julie Alexandria Impressed With Magnitude Of Winter Meetings

SAN DIEGO – I could feel it before placing my hand on the handle to open the huge double doors that guarded the entrance of the towering Manchester Grand Hyatt. I could sense it before stepping into the lobby that would house so many big names, some whom I had worked alongside — others I was familiar with only by their chyron in the lower third of my TV screen.

I could hear it as I approached, voices distinctly male — and only male — in tone and volume. I was here, for the very first time in my career, at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings.

I had heard about the Winter Meetings, sure. Although it was a foreign idea to me as a proverbial war room where the big brass took stock, squabbled, signed and traded players on their rosters.

Visions of chaotic tension – like Hollywood’s version of mission control swirled in my mind. Powerful owners and general managers slamming down phone receivers in film noir – like fashion and speaking in quick, hushed tones, ever racing the clock.

The reality? A little less theatrical, and a little more jovial. Walking into the lobby of the Hyatt on that first day of the Winter Meetings immediately felt like orientation on the first day of school. Returning members catching up with their colleagues, new members looking a bit lost but trying their best to fit in. Lights, cameras, huddles, cliques.

It was like we had all just come back from break, had much to catch up on, but we all knew the bell was about to ring, and class would soon be in session.

Access is Key

Not unlike spring training, the Winter Meetings are all about access. For the casual fan, to get a first hand look at the exact business of baseball. To run into your favorite team’s GM exiting the elevator, or achieving the bragging rights of having bought a drink at the lobby bar for that World Series-winning manager. It was the same for me. I was there to talk to the pros. To interview those I respected and worked with and to share their Winter Meetings stories.

It was an honor to catch up with and interview my fellow “on field” reporters Alanna Rizzo of the Dodgers and Meredith Marakovitz of the Yankees. We spoke about not only the news of the day and the whispers of possible big-name trades to come, but also about diversity, inclusion and moving the needle when it came to women in baseball and sports, in general.

The conclusions were unanimous in that while some progress had been made, we as women still have to be doubly prepared as our male counterparts, as women in sports continue to be overly scrutinized.
Throughout the course of four days, I interviewed so many luminaries in the Major League Baseball community.

Most notable would have to be Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, someone whose personality and vocal level precedes him. He did not disappoint. It’s rare that you find an emerging voice in such an established sport as baseball, but there they were in the corner, tucked away behind the flashy booths of major TV networks:

New voices rise

Jimmy O’Brien and Jake Storiale, the two men behind the videos produced by Jomboy Media. If you don’t know them, you should. Chatting with them may have been the highlight of the event for me, if it was any indication of where baseball content is headed.

All in all, I was beyond impressed by the magnitude of the event. Something about it made it seem bigger than it was. Perhaps it’s the blockbuster deals that are made in those very rooms that dictate the fates of players you have become so familiar with.

Or perhaps it’s because the future success of your favorite team hangs in the balance of a bidding war. In any event, it was wonderful to be a part of it, even in some small way.