My hella cool brother Bob was named the Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year. As such, our hometown paper wrote up an article about him...he rocks! We're so proud of him:) Below is the article, and you can also
link to it here.
York's Tarpey honored as Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year
By Jay Pinsonnault
jpinsonnault@seacoastonline.com
August 06, 2008 6:00 AM
Bob Tarpey is still chasing his dream of becoming an athletic trainer for a Major League Baseball team, and the 1999 York High School graduate just received a major award that may help his dream become reality.
Tarpey, in his second season with the Toronto Blue Jays' Low Single A affiliate, the Lansing Lugnuts, was recently notified he was named the 2008 Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year.
"I was shocked," Tarpey said. "I really didn't think I'd win. It's a very nice honor."
The award was voted on by the 14 athletic trainers in the Midwest League. In fact, athletic trainers for the Blue Jays' affiliates in the Florida State League and Eastern League also won similar awards for their respective leagues.
"The Blue Jays had the most winners, it looks like we're all doing a good job," Tarpey said. "It looks good having that (award) on your resume."
Tarpey eventually aspires to be the athletic trainer for the Blue Jays and usually hears at the end of the regular season where he will be assigned the following year.
"There hasn't been any talk of me moving up quite yet," Tarpey said. "For me to move up, someone ahead of me has to be moved up to the majors, then a spot could open up for me. It's always a possibility to go to the majors at anytime. I am hoping for my chance, but right now I am happy to be here in Lansing and be with the Blue Jays. The organization has great people from top to bottom, and I am really happy to be where I am."
Tarpey, who was a big Red Sox fan growing up and played Little League and high school baseball in York, said there would be no hesitation if he were to choose to be the head athletic trainer of the Blue Jays or Red Sox.
"I'd definitely stay with the Blue Jays," Tarpey said. "They've been very loyal to me, very fair to me. Right now, my dream job would be to get to Double A and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats."
The Lugnuts won the first half of the Midwest League Eastern Division, earning the coaching and training staff a trip to the Midwest League All-Star game in June in Midland, Mich., home of the Great Lakes Loons, Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda threw out the first pitch.
"(Lasorda) stayed in the dugout and spoke with coaches and staff," Tarpey said. "It was one of the greatest experiences I've had in baseball, meeting Tommy Lasorda and talking baseball with him. He was telling lots of stories and we all listened to what he had to say."
Tarpey has had his share of working with many greats of the game, including Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, Carlos Delgado, and most recently Frank Thomas, who arrived at spring training about a week early to get some extra work in.
"(Thomas) was working on his hitting and they needed a trainer to go watch and make sure he didn't get hurt," Tarpey said. "So for a week, I worked with Frank Thomas. He was the best, just awesome. He's a class act and a great guy. Just being able to see his work ethic was incredible. He's a Hall of Fame hitter, one of the best players."
Thomas was later released by the Blue Jays and resigned with the Oakland A's.
Tarpey, upon his college graduation from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2003, landed an internship with the Toronto Blue Jays as an athletic trainer. Since "getting his foot in the door" with the Blue Jays, Tarpey earned his master's degree in athletic training from California University of Pennsylvania, and spent half a season in 2005 as the athletic trainer for the Mesa Miners, an Independent League team in Arizona. He then worked with the United States Navy in Newport, R.I., working with Navy SEALs.
The Blue Jays then hired Tarpey for the 2006 season to be an athletic trainer with the Pulaski Blue Jays, who were then their rookie league affiliate in the Appalachian League. The Blue Jays ended their relationship with Pulaski after that season, and Tarpey has been in Lansing since.
Toronto third-base coach Brian Butterfield, a fellow Maine resident, made things easier for Tarpey when he was serving his internship in 2003.
"Once he found out I was from Maine, he kind of took me under his wing," Tarpey said. "He's one of the best, first class all the way."
Tarpey, 27, puts in at least 12 hours a day during the 140-game regular season with about one or two days off a month. He mostly works on players' various medical ailments such as hamstrings, quads, shoulders, etc.
When the team is on a homestand, Tarpey usually arrives at the ballpark around noon for a 7 p.m. game. He does treatment on players from about 2 to 3:15 p.m., and then after batting practice, does treatment for about another 45 minutes to an hour. During the game he is in the dugout and attends to any player who may need his services during the game. After the game, Tarpey does about 45 minutes of treatment and then when everybody leaves, he does his daily medical report and faxes it off to the Blue Jays.
"The best part of my job is helping players and the challenge of keeping players healthy so they can develop and eventually move up the system," Tarpey said.
The worst part of his job is not the seven-hour bus ride from Lansing to Appleton, Wisc.
"The worst part is being away from home, being away from my friends and family in York," Tarpey said. "There's really nothing about the job I don't like. I don't even mind the long bus rides. I want to thank my mother and father, because without them I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. They are my motivation."
The Lugnuts were off on Monday before beginning a four-game series at the South Bend (Ind.) Silver Hawks. Tarpey took advantage of the day off and drove two hours with members of the Lugnuts broadcasting team to Chicago, taking in the Cubs and Astros game at Wrigley Field. It was Tarpey's first time at the historic ballpark and he sat in the bleachers.
"Wrigley was unbelievable," Tarpey said. "I loved it, but it's not Fenway Park. Just being there was amazing. If you like baseball, you have to go to Wrigley."
