Dublin's Mike Thalblum Living his Dream Working With the Oakland Athletics

Posted June 7

Mike Thalblum of Dublin often sleeps at his office, works from the moment he wakes up until the time he goes back to bed, deals with everything from dirty underwear to making sure the Mexican food arrives on time and the 47-year-old has had the same employer since he was 14.

And Thalblum absolutely loves his job and never want to leave.

Thalblum works for the Oakland Athletics as the visiting clubhouse manager. He started with the club by riding his bike to Spring Training games in Scottsdale, Ariz. and convinced the team to let him be their bat boy. By the mid 1980s, the Arizona native had moved to the Bay Area and was working full time with the club doing clubhouse duties.

He's been in charge of the visiting of visiting clubhouse since 1994 and when a visting team is playing the A's its practically a 24/7 job.

"When a team flies into the Bay Area you got to get all their equipement, do their laundry, set the players up in their lockers, unpack all the bags and hang up their uniforms," Thalblum said. "The players start coming in about noon the next day if its a night game and you have to feed two or three times, with our biggest spread after the game when we bring in Mexican food from Mecca in Pittsburg, and do their laundry and clean up the room again and just do whatever else they need. It's kind of like being a connoisseur, but its a bunch of jobs in one."

His favorite visiting players ever are Cal Ripken Jr. ("He's just as good a person as he was a baseball player."), Kirby Puckett ("He treated you like he would treat anyone else and made the three days he was here really fun.") and Derek Jeter ("He's just an unbelievable person.").

Though Thalblum takes care of the visiting players when they are off the field he's not rooting for them on the field.

"What I hate most is when they ruin my clubhouse with champagne after they win something," Thalblum said.

Thalblum connection to the Athletics runs deep, he met his wife the at the ballpark, he's named his sons after Dave Stewart and Bob Welch, whose performances on the field in 1989 is why Thalblum has a World Series ring.

Last year's run by the Athletics was one his favorite seasons, as the A's made an improbable run to win the division. 

"Usually on Opening Day you have a feeling if the team is going to have good chance or not," Thalblum said. "But last year's team was incredible. Four of the five starters weren't on the rosters to start the year, we went through a couple second basemans, shortstops and third basemans, we traded Suzuki, we had multiple closers and we still won the division. And to do it when we were 13 games back at one point, it was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed."

Its been another impressive season for the A's as they currently on a 17-3 run and just a half game back of the Texas Rangers. Thalblum is enjoying the run this year too and is hoping to enjoy many more seasons to come.

"Not too many people get to have the same job their whole life and love it," Thalblum said. "I hope to keep living the dream until I retire."