Andover's Joe Hogarty still has a soft spot in his heart for the Boston Red Sox, but not when he arrives at Fenway Park on the final day of August.
As the strength and conditioning coach for the Baltimore Orioles, who open a three-game series in Fenway Park that day, it is the one time the 32-year-old Andover High grad is definitely rooting against the Sox.
"You always have an affinity for the team you grew up rooting for, but that goes out the window when they're playing the Orioles," Hogarty said. "They (the Orioles) are taking care of me and giving me my livelihood."
But make no mistake about it. Hogarty still has an appreciation for the Red Sox organization, partly because it gave him a jump-start to his current position, which is about as high as they come in professional sports training.
It was back in 2002, after having spent a year as an assistant athletic trainer for Salve Regina College, that he decided to apply for an internship with the Sox and, ultimately, Triple-A Pawtucket.
"I always had a strong leaning toward baseball, being an umpire (for two years) and my father being an umpire, so when I heard about the internship, I felt I had to apply," said Hogarty, who graduated from Bridgewater State with a bachelor's degree in athletic training. "That turned out to be a huge break.
"That was my introduction to the game. I thought I knew the game, but it's so much more dynamic at the professional level. I learned a lot from the Red Sox ... I made some contacts, and I really liked it."
Hogarty's contacts helped land him a job the next year with the Orioles. He was assigned to Triple-A Ottawa, spending two years there as an assistant trainer and strength and conditioning coach.
Following a year hiatus working at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, he returned to the Orioles' triple-A team, which had relocated to Norfolk, Va.
Two years ago, he became the Orioles' coordinator of strength and conditioning for their minor league teams and last year he was promoted to his current position with the parent club.
"I'm definitely fortunate to be where I'm at now," Hogarty said. "I'm at an elite position in the industry and I'm doing something I love to do."
Hogarty oversees the health and strength potential of every player on the team throughout the season, with an emphasis on the pitchers.
"The pitchers are definitely guys you have to keep on track daily," Hogarty said. "You have to work them out individually two out of every five days, usually the day after they pitch and the day when they're scheduled to throw on the side.
"Each starter is different and I have to adapt to them. I need to handle a veteran like Kevin Millwood very different from some of our younger pitchers. And I need to keep a close watch on the relievers, to help them find the balance between working out and staying ready to pitch."
For the position players, Hogarty's duties are more basic.
"It's all about establishing good work habits, a good work ethic, proper nutrition, things like that," Hogarty said. "Each player has a different plan, but there's not too much you can do during the regular season.
"The most important time of the year is December and January. What I do then is most important, when players make the most gains in strength, or weight (gain or loss) or improve their aerobic capacity.
"It's the nuts and bolts of what I do. ... I'll be visiting players, making connections wherever they live, whether it's Arizona, California or the Dominican."
On the other hand, the offseason work, while much more cumbersome, is more relaxed. Being involved with a professional team, where winning is what it's all about, can be tough on the nerves — especially with the 24-53 Orioles, who have the worst record in baseball.
"I'm not responsible for wins and losses and you try to separate yourself a little, but we're all in this together," Hogarty said. "If you're not winning, it's bad for everyone.
"Players can lose positions or be demoted and you don't know if the team will make changes all the way around. You might not sleep well at night thinking about it.
"But the players will tell you, and it's true, you have to try to have amnesia and stay committed to the task at hand. The baseball season is like a long marathon ... we've been playing better recently and it's been kind of refreshing."
Marriage now affordable
Toiling in the minor leagues for five years was enjoyable if not profitable for Joe Hogarty.
"It wasn't bad for me and I could survive because I was single, could share an apartment and didn't have a lot of expenses," Hogarty said. "But it'd be real tough if you had a wife and family.
"Getting to the big leagues, you're taken care of a lot better. You probably won't get wealthy, but you can be comfortable."
Thus, Hogarty now feels he can marry his fiancee, Gulie Pirri. A winter wedding is planned.
Meet Joe Hogarty
Age: 32
Position: Baltimore Orioles strength and conditioning coach
Education: Andover High, Bridgewater State
Baseball background: Lifelong Red Sox fan, spent two years as an umpire for Merrimack Valley Umpires Association; father, Steve Hogarty, is a longtime umpire who now resides in Derry, N.H.
Road to majors: Pawtucket (internship for Red Sox) in 2003, Ottawa (Orioles' Triple A team) 2004-06, Norfolk, Va. (Orioles' Triple A team) 2007, Orioles minor league strength and conditioning coordinator (2007-09), Orioles strength and conditioning coach 2009-present
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