#papbc

Martinez Clippers at Vallejo Admirals

Sunday, August 26, 2018

San Rafael Pacifics at Martinez Clippers

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Pittsburg Diamonds at San Rafael Pacifics

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Pittsburg Diamonds at Napa Silverados

Saturday, August 4, 2018

SOAPBOX SATURDAY CONTINUES:

Last week, the Sonoma Stompers announced that Jen Ramos, a baseball writer and data journalist from Northern California, would be the team’s new assistant general manager. Normally, a hire from an independent baseball club in the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Club league wouldn’t be national news. But this hire is notable because Ramos is non-binary, which means Ramos doesn’t identify as a man or a woman. Ramos may be the first genderqueer executive in professional sports. Baseball isn’t usually viewed as a particularly progressive sport, but the Stompers — who were the subject of the 2016 New York Times bestseller The Only Rule is It Has to Work — have a history of bucking the norm. Two years ago, the club signed pitcher Sean Conroy, who became the first openly gay active professional baseball player. And last year, the team became the first coed professional baseball team in the United States since the 1950s when they signed three female players to the team. As an experienced data analyst and prospect evaluator with a Master’s of Science in Journalism from the University of Southern California and digital media experience with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, Ramos is a perfect fit for a job with duties spanning from talent evaluation to business operations to public relations. Ramos — who prefers they/their pronouns, though they were okay with the Stompers using she/her pronouns in the press release—is embracing being a trailblazer, and hopes to be an inspiration for others who are struggling with their gender identity. But ultimately, they’re just excited to have the opportunity to work in a baseball front office. They spoke with ThinkProgress about their journey in sports, why its important for them to be open about their gender identity, and their goals moving forward…