Hard work is nothing new to graduating senior defenseman and men's lacrosse captain Kellen Benjamin (Dedham, MA), so the prospect of working 80-hour weeks for the Boston Red Sox beginning in mid June is not going to throw him.
"I've been working hard for a long time to get into the sports management field," said Benjamin. "I know I want to be in sports management and preferably in the pros." Most entry level or intern opportunities in professional sports front offices come with long, long hours and little pay, but that does not faze Benjamin in the least.
"I spent two summers in St. Louis working with the Rams while I was in high school and since I've been at Williams I've worked with Sports Matters, Inc., [helping professional athletes run their charity events and organizations] and the last two summers with the John Hancock Life Insurance Company in their Community Relations Department working on local sports events sponsored by the company in and around Boston and even at the All-Star Game in Detroit last July."
Benjamin, through an employee of his mother's Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, was able to get the cell phone number for Theo Epstein, the Executive Vice President/General Manager of the Red Sox who runs the Red Sox Baseball Operations Department. One can only imagine how many members of Red Sox nation would pay to get a hold of Theo Epstein's phone number? Benjamin never did and never will give up that phone number, so don't even bother to ask.
"There wasn't really any particular job open, but I heard that there might be something in the summer so I called Theo to try and let him know I was interested in setting up a meeting," said Benjamin. At the time Epstein was in Florida with the Red Sox in the midst of spring training.
Benjamin tentatively set up a meeting with Epstein the weekend his Eph lacrosse team was to visit Tufts (Medford, MA) April 29th. There were several sessions of phone tag between Epstein and Benjamin over that weekend, but finally on Monday they connected. "It was about 9:00 a.m. on Monday when I decided to make one last call, but I did not get Theo on the phone so I told him I really needed to make plans to get back to campus," said Benjamin. "About 11:00 Theo called and asked me to come by his office at 1:00 p.m."
Benjamin had an ace up his sleeve when he headed to his interview with Epstein and the Baseball Operations folks at the Red Sox. Classmate Will Kuntz had spent the last three summers as an intern to the New York Yankees' GM Brian Cashman and has been hired full-time to work for Cashman after graduation. Kuntz gave Benjamin some tips. "Will gave me some great questions to ask and he told me the kind of attitude and approach the Red Sox would most likely be looking for which was very helpful."
The interview took place in Baseball Operations at Fenway Park where Theo Epstein has a corner office and everyone else is in cubicles in a large room. "Theo is awesome, very down to Earth, with no sense of inflated ego," said Benjamin. "I liked everyone I met and all of them were laid back and funny. It was like we all already knew each other."
"My job does not really have a title yet, but I will be involved with Player Development, Community Relations and maybe even some Marketing, and of course anything else they come up with," said Benjamin. "Theo told me at the beginning I would sit in the stands with the pro scouts and learn how to scout players the way the Red Sox do it. He said it is more important that they train the right people in the Red Sox approach than having someone come in who thinks he already knows everything about assessing players."
Benjamin will start on June 26th and will serve the mandatory three-month probationary period and then see what happens from there. "I liked everyone I met and they liked that I did not have a problem with 80-hour weeks, so I'll be excited to start."
If the baseball gods cooperate Benjamin and his friend Will Kuntz could be meeting up in the American League playoffs in the fall. Both of them would like nothing better.
A little further down the road Benjamin sees himself either going to law school or graduate school for sports management. "I probably will take the same approach Theo did and get a law degree, because that is invaluable when dealing with agents and working out contracts, but that's in the future. Right now I'm just looking forward to graduation and getting started with the Red Sox."
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Taconic High Names Top Students of the Class of 2026
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Taconic High School Principal Matthew Bishop has announced the valedictorian and salutatorian of the class of 2026.
They will speak during the graduation ceremony on Friday, June 12, at 4 p.m at Tanglewood in Lenox.
Gavin O'Donnell, son of Kevin and Colleen O'Donnell of Pittsfield, has been named valedictorian with a grade average of 103. Hunter Bentz, son of Heidi Bentz of Pittsfield, has been named salutatorian with a grade average of 102.4.
Throughout his high school career, O'Donnell has exemplified the values of leadership, commitment, and excellence that define the Taconic community. He achieved high honors all four years and made significant contributions to both the school and the wider community. He was an active member of the Link Crew, Green and Gold, and Class Council, just to name a few of his activities.
A dedicated athlete, O'Donnell played soccer and baseball all four years and was named captain of the varsity soccer and baseball teams both junior and senior years. His commitment to service extended beyond athletics, as he volunteered with Unified Games and was a math tutor at Taconic. He has also been an active part of Pittsfield Soccer Club, where he has helped
referee youth soccer games and assisted in getting the fields ready for game days.
He has earned several awards, including being a member of the National Honor Society, the John and Abigail Adams Award, and being an AP Scholar and an AP Capstone Graduate.
O'Donnell plans to pursue a degree in finance at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he will continue to play baseball and hopes to excel as a student.
The ceremony took place under a large tent behind the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the School's Holmes Road campus and was broadcast worldwide via Zoom. click for more
On Monday, the Ordinances and Rules Subcommittee supported adding the community health program manager position as part of the department's new initiative.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric last week held a public hearing at Herberg Middle School for the Reach 5A Final Design and Restoration Plan, which details remediation efforts for the Pittsfield stretch of the Housatonic River.
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Town meeting on Tuesday approved an almost $14 million fiscal 2027 budget, and approved bylaws for short-term rentals and signage, and for public safety vehicles.
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