Vicksburg’s Dotson keeps new Jackson team running

Published 12:00 am Friday, May 24, 2002

[05/24/02]By the time professional baseball returns to Mississippi tonight, Vicksburg’s Andre Dotson will have already put in a lot of time to make sure things run smoothly.

Yet when the Jackson Senators take the field for the first time at Smith-Wills Stadium, Dotson’s job is just beginning.

Dotson works as the clubhouse manager, commonly referred to as the “clubbie,” for the first-year independent Central Baseball League team, handling all of the behind-the-scenes details from washing uniforms to ordering equipment.

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“I’ve been at this for about 15 years in the minor leagues, and he’s one of the best I’ve ever been associated with. He’s organized and on top of things,” Senators manager Dan Schwam said. “It’s been a pleasure to come here and worry about evaluating on-field talent instead of worrying about what’s going on in here.”

Smith-Wills is just the latest stop on the 45-year-old Dotson’s tour of duty through the sports world. He also serves as equipment manager for Jackson State, overseeing 14 teams in various sports, and was an athletic trainer for 23 years.

During his career as a trainer he worked for the St. Louis Cardinals and was a baseball trainer at the 1996 Olympics.

“I really love what I’m doing now, because I’m taking care of athletes better than when I was in the medical side of it,” Dotson said.

Dotson’s brand of care includes housework as well as paperwork.

On a typical day in spring training, he arrives at Smith-Wills just as the Senators are finishing practice. Before they leave he’ll issue meal money, fit players for uniforms and collect the laundry.

After they’re gone, he’ll check on equipment and order anything that’s needed, do the laundry and clean the clubhouse before calling it a day and driving 45 minutes home to Vicksburg.

“I still do all the ironing of the uniforms, make sure they’re fitted, the bats are ready … mainly, making sure these pro guys look good. You have to order certain this and certain that,” Dotson said. “It’s been pretty hard, because trying to order certain this and certain that is not easy.”

Now that the season has started his duties include twice the work he has to order or cook the pregame and postgame meals for both teams and take care of both clubhouses.

He’ll make most of his money through tips the players give. Most minor league teams have a minimum per-day charge that the clubbie gets, but tips increase as the services increase

“It’ll be much harder during the season, because if a game starts at 7 (p.m.) it might be somewhere close to midnight before I get out of here,” Dotson said. “When you get some of our nice local restaurants bringing food, it makes it a lot easier on you.”

Schwam said having an older, experienced clubhouse manager will be an asset to the Senators as the season goes on, and should make Friday’s homecoming easier after a poor start.

Jackson lost its first four games, all on the road, and opens an eight-game homestand tonight at 7 p.m. against Alexandria. The Senators rebounded from the 0-4 start to take two out of three from Springfield heading into tonight’s contest.

“Through your first homestand is where you’re going to see the difference,” Schwam said. “If things inside here are running smoothly, things on the field will run smoothly.”