The Sports Info Business

File this post under you never know who you will meet.
Earlier this week I received an email from Tyrone Brooks of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We had not met but as it usally turns out n sports knew a few of the same people. Tyrone is the director of Baseball Operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are still a few old friends who are working for the organization since my Dodger days and it quickly became a small world.

How I came to meet Tyrone is directly related to social networking and in this case via LinkedIn. Tyrone saw that I used to work for the Dodgers and Angels and invited me to join his group.
About six months ago, Tyler started a LinkedIn group for people that worked inside professional baseball. This group includes major league staff, minor league employees, vendors associated with the game — really it is targeted to anyone working or wanting to work in baseball.
He has seen the list balloon during the six months to more than 3,800 members.
For the most part Tyrone believes people want to learn and network with others with the same interests. Obviously, by the sheer number of people interested on his list, his intuition was correct.
Tyrone says he just wants to give back and help others. He is a person who says he is thankful to be in a great position and since we has provided with opportunity, wants to do the same for others.  Here is a  bit of background from our conversation.

Tyrone began his career with the camera. As a student at the University of Maryland he took pictures of the college’s sports teams for five years.

“I wanted to stay close to sports,” he admits during our conversation.

Right before graduation he learned of am internship program with the Atlanta Braves. He applied and was accepted.
Within a year, Tyrone was made a full-time employee, an admin assistant as he calls it.

That opportunity turned into jobs that included area scout, assistant player personnel to Director of Player Personnel all with the Braves.
Tyrone also enjoyed am opportunity with the Cleveland Indians before landing in his current position with the Pirates.
Now, he assists Pirates GM with the day to day baseball operations and has the ultimate goal one day of being a General Manager in baseball.

As for his growing LinkedIn list, he says, “I have always enjoyed meeting other people in our game and this is a way for me to give back.”

I enjoyed meeting him too, Tyrone, and I am joining your list today.