Our ‘new normal’ of staying hunkered down at home is presenting its challenges and difficulties as we all seek to ‘team up’ in the on-going battle with the coronavirus scourge. Watching the TV evening news can be mentally depressing, and I often opt to tune out. But on one occasion the release of a Nielson study had me pause before I changed the channel.

The report indicated that during the month of March alcohol beverage sales in the United States were up 55%. It further stated that online sales of alcohol were up 243% with beer sales showing a 42% increase. I am certain those figures didn’t include my own ‘six-pack’ purchase.

Whoa there folks, don’t jump to the conclusion that yours truly has abandoned Diet Pepsi in favor of the foamy yellow stuff. Indeed, I did indeed buy a ‘six-pack’ — for which an explanation may be due.

As diehard Pittsburgh Pirates fans, Jean and I usually make a few trips to the Burgh each summer to see the Buccos play. As a past Pirates ticket buyer I was contacted over the winter asking if I would be interested in a Pirates ‘Six-Pack’ ticket plan. The plan provides the buyer to select any six Pirates games during the course of the season with preferred seating options. As we would be going to Pittsburgh for games anyway, I selected six specific games. One was a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants over the Memorial Day weekend. The other gave me a chance to see my two favorite teams, the Pirates and the Red Sox, over the Fourth of July holiday.

With the season now in jeopardy, especially over the Memorial Day weekend, I contacted the Pirates to inquire about the impending status of my ‘six-pack.’ The contact led to correspondence with a young man named Luke Macios, a Pirates account executive for new business development. As we conducted our business, my mind flashed back to many years ago when I had a job interview with the Pirates public relations department following my discharge from the Air Force.

I’ll spare you the details of my ‘almost’ landing that coveted job, but I asked the friendly Macios how he came to gain his job with the Pirates. His story was an interesting tale of perseverance which I asked him if I could share it with you.

Macios was born in Pittsburgh but as a youngster spent time in both Canada and Belgium before returning to the United States as a middle school student in Doylestown, PA.

“After moving to Doylestown from Belgium I realized baseball was very American, so it was something that in order to make friends it was a sport I wanted to try,” he explained.

“When the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 it was a very cool moment for me. However, my enjoyment in baseball really lies in the fact that we would have a family outing each year with my mom’s side of the family. Those events remain very special to me and it all started simultaneously with returning to the United States. Now when I talk baseball with clients those memories are always with me.”

Macios returned to Pittsburgh to attend Duquesne University and holds three degrees in English Education, English with a writing focus and a master’s in communication. His educational successes coupled with a positive interview with the Pirates at a Duquesne job fair landed him the job with the Pirates.

“Having a job with an MLB team has been a very rewarding experience. I was a rugby player growing up and had played in New Zealand and thought I would have a career in rugby, however due to an injury I had to find an alternative to that career. When the opportunity arose to be a part of the Pirates, I jumped on it and it’s been a thrilling experience. Like every job it has its perks, and it has its drawbacks, but we really try to be as close to a real family as we can in the office. The work environment has been nice, and I feel like it is my second home.

“Pirates baseball will always remind me of my grandfather. When I would visit him, he would always have the Pirates games on the TV and loved to talk baseball. I keep a photo of my grandfather on my desk. My passion for engaging and helping Pirates fans stems from our relationship. I hope through helping our fans I am helping others enjoy time with their family members like I had with him. Even though he is no longer with us, I see him in every one of our fans and that is very special to me.”

No doubt across our region there are folks who at one time or another had visions or hopes of a profession in some type of professional sports. While most of these dreams were never fulfilled those sports, themselves are still an important part of our daily lives – at least they were until recent times. As the weeks move on discussions continue as to when, or if, those sports we love will return anytime soon.

I asked Macios if he had any advice to give young people interested in pursuing a job in baseball. His response was quite simple; “They should think about what your ‘why’ is. Besides identifying that ‘why’, they should make connections with anyone in the industry. We all got help to get where we are, and we would be happy to reciprocate that.”

As we wait, we’re all anxious for the strains of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ to be ringing in our ears. In the meantime, here’s hoping my ‘six-pack’ doesn’t go flat sitting on the Pittsburgh Pirates shelf!