Former Northeast-10 Blogger Now Interning with ESPNBoston

Posted: Sep 04, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 4, 2012

Merrimack graduate Billy Humphrey has made
transition following student-athlete experience

South Easton, Mass. – Twelve months ago, Billy Humphrey was entering his senior year as a student-athlete at Merrimack College. A four-year member of the baseball team, Humphrey had his sights set on a Business degree from the institution, while also devoting hours and hours of work to his team on the field.

Today, he is currently in the midst of an internship with ESPNBoston, attending Boston Red Sox games as a member of the media. He has traded in his cleats for a press pass, developing relationships and making work connections with members of the press and the Red Sox organization.

In between he served as a blogger for the Northeast-10 Conference, which also announced its 2012-13 participants on Tuesday, wrote for the Merrimack student newspaper, The Beacon, and finished out his undergrad years with a concentration in Sports Management and a minor in Communications.

“It actually hasn't been too big a transition after playing baseball in college,” said the 23-year-old Humphrey. “I am still at the ballpark eight hours every day just like a normal job or a double header in college. I’m also writing a lot, and I am watching baseball games just like I did in college. The only difference is not being on the field.”

It all started this past February, at a fundraising event hosted by the Merrimack baseball team, just prior to the beginning of the regular season. ESPNBoston reporter Gordon Edes attended the event and spoke about his career as a journalist, and also met Humphrey in the process.

“Just prior to graduation I reached out to Gordon to say I was very interested in what he does for a living,” said Humphrey. “He got back to me and helped me every step of the way in getting me the internship opportunity.”

Humphrey then had an interview, which was followed by an official job offer in the form of the internship.

“It taught me how important connections really are, and that it can never hurt to take a chance and reach out to someone,” he said.

Humphrey, a South Easton, Mass. native, is required to attend all Red Sox home games as part of the internship. He attends press conferences, gathers information in both the Red Sox and visitors’ clubhouses, and transcribes interviews for Edes and Joe McDonald, who is also a beat reporter for ESPNBoston.

Humphrey, who views the internship as a building block to further opportunities, said that he believes blogging for the Northeast-10 helped him in getting the opportunity at ESPN.

“When I applied, I was asked to send in a couple of my blogs along with articles I wrote in Merrimack's newspaper,” he said. “They liked what I did with the blogs and I think it had a big effect on receiving the internship.”

Humphrey, a right-handed reliever who appeared in 32 games throughout his collegiate career, has gotten the chance to meet and interview some of Major League Baseball’s top players, including Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg.

He also got the chance to participate and pitch in the Boston vs. New York Media Game (pictured), a two-game series for media members that takes place at both Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.

Humphrey also described how helpful Edes and McDonald have been in helping him develop as a writer.

“At the beginning of the internship I was a little raw, but they have helped me learn how to develop a story from quotes gathered in interviews,” he said. “They have also helped me develop relationships with some great people and I’ve made a lot of connections throughout the season because of them.”

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.