Who Is Bobby Scales and What The Hell Took So Long?

Who is Bobby Scales you ask? Well unless you have been in a bat cave down in South America for the past week, you probably aren't asking that question. The question should be "Where the hell has Bobby Scales been and why the hell did it take so long?".

Scales was called up for his first taste of the big leagues last week and got his first start on Tuesday against of all people, the reigning Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum.

It took 11 long years and 3,303 minor league at bats, but getting his first hit was a moment he'll never forget and worth the wait he stated.

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"Nobody can ever take it from me," he said. "No matter what happens the rest of the way, they can't take it from me. I got it. I earned it. And I'm just fortunate to have it."

He became just the fourth player to make his Major League debut with the Cubs after the age of 31. But he has since taken advantage of every opportunity to play.

Today he hit a pair of 2 run doubles, setting a career high in RBI's with 4 and is now hitting .444 with a hit in all 6 games he has played in. That is just one short of Jerome Walton's club record of 7 games in a row to start a Cubs career way way back in 1989. Damn don't i feel old now. I remember that season like it was yesterday.

He was off to a hot start at Iowa, earning him his shot at a call up when Big Z went down. I guess sometimes they say things happen for a reason. Rami has been hurt twice now and Fontenot is not holding up to being an everyday player, continuing to struggle at the plate. Freel was on the DL with the Orioles and had an immediate hamstring problem as soon as he arrived in Milwaukee and had to be held out before making his Cub debut.

With Aaron Miles off to a dreadful start and combining with Fonte-NOT to hit oh about a buck fitty, look for Scales to get a lot of playing time if he continues to hit the ball and play with a ton of confidence. If you watch the "kid" play, he acts like he belongs, not looking a bit intimidated once he collected that first hit off Lincecum.

Can you imagine getting your first hit off the reigning Cy Young award winner? That alone would give you the confidence that "If i can get a hit off this guy, i can get a hit off anybody" and he has played that way every since.

Congratulations to a guy that has worked his ass off for over a decade while riding buses, sleeping in shitty motels and having to be a substitute teacher in the off season while he continued to chase his dream in the summer. Nothing makes me smile more than a guy persevering through set back after set back. Especially a guy that has won his teams Community Player of the Year award several times, including last summer in his first season at Iowa.

Here is an excerpt from a MLB.com interview with Bobby Scales:

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MLB.com: Of what accomplishment, on or off the field, are you proudest?

Bobby Scales: I'm proud of being able to graduate from college while still performing at a high level. I think a lot of athletes take easy classes and don't pursue their education with the same vigor as their athletic endeavors. In my house, if you didn't handle your business in the classroom, there was no baseball.

MLB.com: What do you think you'd be doing now if you weren't playing baseball?

BS: Honestly, I don't know. Ideally, if I wasn't playing baseball, hopefully I'd be in a position to be an athletic director at a college or university, or else in marketing with a company. I did an internship in college at Nike and got to see what was behind the "swoosh."

MLB.com: Do you have other hobbies or creative outlets aside from baseball?

BS: I'm a golfer. I play golf until I can't stand up straight and then play more after that.

MLB.com: What is the worst job you've ever had?

BS: My wife has her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and when she was in grad school I worked at the jewelry store at the mall, the one gap in my substitute teaching career. The people I worked with at the store were awesome, but the job was terrible. I had to wear a suit and tie every day and count the jewelry every morning and every night. And if you're off one earring you have to search the whole store up and down. But we did get a discount on our wedding rings.

MLB.com: Who would play you in the movie of your life?

BS: My wife just asked me that question. She religiously watches "One Tree Hill," so I've gotten into it, too. The main character has written a movie and they're trying to cast everyone. So she looked at me and said, "Who would play you?" If I was older, I'd go with Denzel, but she says Torii Hunter. People say I look like him and also like [White Sox outfielder] DeWayne Wise. And they say my wife looks like a younger Pam Grier.

MLB.com: If you were commissioner for a day, which one rule would you change?

BS: That the All-Star Game counts for home-field advantage in the World Series. I think that's ridiculous. The team with the best record should have it.

Bobby Scales Bio

Name: Bobby Leon Scales
Born: October 4, 1977 in Southfield, Michigan
Bats: L/R Throws: Right
HT: 6'0'' WT: 185

Scales played for the University of Michigan and was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round (442nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft on June 11, 1999.

View Bobby Scales Minor League Stats

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