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Assistant GM reflects on tenure as one of few women in MLB hierarchy

Assistant GM reflects on tenure as one of few women in MLB hierarchy
IN SARASOTA. SPRING TRAINING OFFERS A LITTLE RESPITE FOR EVE ROSENBAUM, WITH MORE THAN 60 PLAYERS ALL WORKING OUT IN THE SAME AREA, SHE CAN SETTLE IN FOR WHAT SHE LOVES TO DO. SCOUT, BUT HER MIND ALWAYS CHURNS HER DUTIES AS ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF THE ORIOLES ARE AS TIME CONSUMING AS THEY ARE PLENTIFUL. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOB. I THINK YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE REALLY WOULD HAVE NO IDEA SPECIFICALLY. WHAT DO YOU DO? HOW DO YOU DO SO AS THE AGM, MY MAIN FOCUS IS ON THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF THE MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM. SO THAT INCLUDES THE ROSTER TRANSACTIONS, WHO WE OPTIONING DOWN TO TRIPLE-A, WHO ARE WE BRINGING UP? WHAT TRADES ARE WE MAKING WITH TEAMS WORKING WITH THE TRAINERS AND OUR STRENGTH STAFF ABOUT GUYS WHO ARE ON THE IL AND MAPPING OUT THEIR REHAB TIMELINE LINES, AND HOW THAT’S GOING TO HAVE A DOMINO EFFECT AND AFFECT THE REST OF OUR 40 MAN ROSTER. THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST QUARTER OF HER ANSWER. THERE’S THE WORK ON POTENTIAL TRADES, THE INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING. SHE MANAGES ALL THE DIFFERENT SUBDEPARTMENTS AND OPERATIONS. IT’S A LOT. DO YOU SLEEP? NO. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WERE GOING TO ASK THAT. NO. YOU JUST DESCRIBED AS LIKE YOU LIKE 30 PEOPLE’S WORTH OF WORK. I DRINK A LOT OF COLD BREW. I’M A COLD BREW EXPERT AND SHE LOVES IT. EVE GREW UP IN BETHESDA, MARYLAND, AND ORIOLES FAN GRADUATED FROM WHITMAN HIGH SCHOOL, PLAYED SOFTBALL AT HARVARD. SUPER SMART AND ATHLETIC, SHE ALWAYS KNEW SHE WANTED A CAREER IN SPORTS, PREFERABLY BASEBALL AND NOW SHE IS AN ARCHITECT FOR ONE OF BASEBALL’S MOST TALENTED TEAMS, A TURNAROUND THAT TOOK INCREDIBLE BELIEF. IT WAS STICKING TO THE PLAN AND EXECUTING THE PLAN THROUGH THICK AND THIN. SO THERE WERE SOME TIMES WHEN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE CALLING FOR OUR HEADS, THE FANS WERE UPSET AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY EASY TO KIND OF GIVE IN TO THE PRESSURE AND CHANGE OUR PLAN. BUT WE JUST STUCK THROUGH IT. WHAT WAS ALSO CLEAR IN TALKING WITH EVE AND GENERAL MANAGER MIKE ELIAS, THE FACT THAT SHE’S A WOMAN DOING THIS JOB ISN’T THAT BIG OF A DEAL TO THEM. SHE’S JUST REALLY GOOD AT IT. WELL, I THINK THE GREAT THING WITH HER IS THIS IS NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WHERE THAT’S TERRIBLY RELEVANT. UH, SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE PLAYED SOFTBALL INSTEAD OF BASEBALL GROWING UP. THEY’RE VERY SIMILAR SPORTS. IT GIVES YOU A FEEL FOR BASEBALL. AND SHE HAS THAT. SHE’S WORKED IN A FRONT OFFICE. SHE’S WORKED IN A SCOUTING DEPARTMENT IN EVERY WAY. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, SHE’S SO QUALIFIED, UM, THAT REGARDLESS OF HER BACKGROUND, SHE’D BE IN THIS EXACT SAME SPOT. BUT EVE RECOGNIZES THE POWER SHE HOLDS AS A ROLE MODEL FOR GIRLS EVERYWHERE. I HAVE HAD LITTLE GIRLS AND WOMEN MY AGE COME UP TO ME AT GAMES AND WANT TO TAKE A PHOTO OR WANT MY AUTOGRAPH. I’M ALWAYS LIKE, OH, LIKE, OH MY GOD, YOU RECOGNIZE ME? UM, THAT’S A VERY COOL FEELING. JUST KNOWING THAT JUST BY BEING MYSELF AND DOING SOMETHING THAT I LOVE, WHICH IS WORKING IN BASEBALL, THAT IT CAN INSPIRE OTHER PEOPLE AND HELP OTHER PEOPLE ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS OF WORKING IN SPORTS. THAT’S JUST IT’S AN INCREDIBLY HUMBLING FEELING. IS RUNNING HER OWN TEAM THE NEXT MOVE? MAYBE. BUT FOR NOW, SHE JUST WANTS TO SEE THE TEAM FOR WHICH SHE GREW UP CHEERING. WHEN THE WORLD SERIES PETE
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Assistant GM reflects on tenure as one of few women in MLB hierarchy
Baseball season is near, and spring training offers a little respite for Eve Rosenbaum.With more than 60 players all working out in the same place, she can settle in for what she loves: scouting. But her mind always churns.Rosenbaum is a Marylander who is the assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles and is one of just a handful of women to ever reach that level in the hierarchy of Major League Baseball. Her duties are as time-consuming as they are plentiful."As the AGM, my main focus is on the day-to-day operations of the major league team. That includes the roster transactions, who are we optioning down to AAA or are we bringing up, what trades are we making with teams, working with the trainers and our strength staff, about guys who are on the (injury list), mapping out their rehab timelines and how that's going to have a domino effect and affect the rest of our 40-man roster," Rosenbaum told sister station WBAL.That was just the first quarter of her answer. The work on potential trades, the international scouting, she manages all the different sub-departments in operations. It's a lot -- and she loves it.Rosenbaum grew up an Orioles fan in Bethesda, Montgomery County, and graduated from Walt Whitman High School before she went on to play softball at Harvard.Super smart and athletic, she always knew she wanted a career in sports, preferably baseball. Now, she is an architect for one of baseball's most-talented teams, a turnaround that took incredible belief."It was sticking to the plan and executing the plan through thick and thin," Rosenbaum told WBAL. "There were some times when, you know, people were calling for our heads, the fans were upset and it would have been really easy to kind of get into the pressure and change our plan. But we just stuck through it. We said, 'You know, we believe this is going to work.'"What was also clear in talking with Rosenbaum, and Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias, the fact that she's a woman doing this job isn't that big of a deal. She's just really good at it."I think the great thing with her is this is not something where that's terribly relevant. You know, she played softball instead of baseball growing up, and they are very similar sports. It gives you a feel for baseball, and she has that," Elias said. "She has worked in a front office and in a scouting department in every way, so she's so qualified that regardless of her background, she'd be in this exact same spot."Rosenbaum said she recognizes the power she holds as a role model for girls everywhere."I have had little girls and women my age come up to me at games and want to take a photo or want my autograph. I'm always like, 'Oh, my god, you recognize me?' That's a very cool feeling, just knowing that, like, being myself and doing something that I love, which is working in baseball, that it can inspire other people and help other people achieve their dreams of working in sports. It's just it's an incredibly humbling feeling," Rosenbaum said.Is running her own team the next move? Maybe. But for now, she just wants to see the team for which she grew up cheering win the World Series.

Baseball season is near, and spring training offers a little respite for Eve Rosenbaum.

With more than 60 players all working out in the same place, she can settle in for what she loves: scouting. But her mind always churns.

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Rosenbaum is a Marylander who is the assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles and is one of just a handful of women to ever reach that level in the hierarchy of Major League Baseball. Her duties are as time-consuming as they are plentiful.

"As the AGM, my main focus is on the day-to-day operations of the major league team. That includes the roster transactions, who are we optioning down to AAA or are we bringing up, what trades are we making with teams, working with the trainers and our strength staff, about guys who are on the (injury list), mapping out their rehab timelines and how that's going to have a domino effect and affect the rest of our 40-man roster," Rosenbaum told sister station WBAL.

That was just the first quarter of her answer. The work on potential trades, the international scouting, she manages all the different sub-departments in operations. It's a lot -- and she loves it.

Rosenbaum grew up an Orioles fan in Bethesda, Montgomery County, and graduated from Walt Whitman High School before she went on to play softball at Harvard.

Super smart and athletic, she always knew she wanted a career in sports, preferably baseball. Now, she is an architect for one of baseball's most-talented teams, a turnaround that took incredible belief.

"It was sticking to the plan and executing the plan through thick and thin," Rosenbaum told WBAL. "There were some times when, you know, people were calling for our heads, the fans were upset and it would have been really easy to kind of get into the pressure and change our plan. But we just stuck through it. We said, 'You know, we believe this is going to work.'"

What was also clear in talking with Rosenbaum, and Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias, the fact that she's a woman doing this job isn't that big of a deal. She's just really good at it.

"I think the great thing with her is this is not something where that's terribly relevant. You know, she played softball instead of baseball growing up, and they are very similar sports. It gives you a feel for baseball, and she has that," Elias said. "She has worked in a front office and in a scouting department in every way, so she's so qualified that regardless of her background, she'd be in this exact same spot."

Rosenbaum said she recognizes the power she holds as a role model for girls everywhere.

"I have had little girls and women my age come up to me at games and want to take a photo or want my autograph. I'm always like, 'Oh, my god, you recognize me?' That's a very cool feeling, just knowing that, like, being myself and doing something that I love, which is working in baseball, that it can inspire other people and help other people achieve their dreams of working in sports. It's just it's an incredibly humbling feeling," Rosenbaum said.

Is running her own team the next move? Maybe. But for now, she just wants to see the team for which she grew up cheering win the World Series.