This was in today’s paper, written by one of the two local beats who are sometimes able to get space for local sports other than hockey. It’s about, as the Hawkers know him, "Glen the Clubby".

Or, as the Hawkers call him, "that guy".

Anyway, he’s a pretty good cat, and does a hard job for minimal pay. So he deserves his space. Here it is, from the Vancouver Province.

So you think it’s tough being a minor league ballplayer?

Long bus rides. Leaving home for the first time and billeting with strangers. Daily meal-money allowances that add up to a lot of face-stuffing at fast-food establishments.

Well, that’s nothing compared to what 42-year-old Newfoundland native Glenn Hall, the Vancouver Canadians rookie clubhouse attendant, puts up with in order to chase his baseball dream.

Hall’s life in baseball means living at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Literally.

After each Northwest League home game, he sleeps on an old couch in the middle of the C’s clubhouse. That’s so he’ll have time to sort, wash, dry and fold all the laundry (game and batting practice uniforms, socks, T-shirts, towels and, uh, "baseball personals") for the C’s, their opponent and the umpires. He does it with a single washer and dryer that look like they were on the job back when Brooks Robinson was playing third base at the Nat.

"Most normal people wouldn’t be able to handle all the work," says Hall, who gets his sleep in a series of half-hour nod offs between the endless loads. "The workload is staggering. If I didn’t love baseball it wouldn’t be worth it. Being around baseball is a dream come true."

Hall — dubbed "Glenn Magic" by the C’s — also does all the cooking. And the grocery shopping. And the cleaning. He has an apartment at Horseshoe Bay, but he’s never there. In winter, Hall works in northern Alberta and B.C. as a cook in work camps for the oil and gas industry. He’s used to being around gangs of hungry men. But working for a sports team — in particular, a baseball team — is something he always wanted to do.

"I was always curious about doing this job," says Hall, who found out about the Canadians job on the Internet. "The atmosphere is tremendous," he says. "The baseball knowledge that you’re exposed to and the players at this level are totally appreciative. … You don’t get the bitterness you might get with some of the older players further along […] And you get invested in how they do. That’s one thing I wasn’t prepared for. You get emotionally involved in how they’re playing."

Canadians manager Rick Magnante is appreciative. His team has been slumping at the plate lately, but not at the plates Hall’s been passing out.

"He has a budget that’s paper-thin [$60 per game to feed 30-40 people] and he puts together a substantial meal for the kids every day," says Magnante.

Hall says his macaroni and cheese and his baked spaghetti are the team’s favourite dishes du jour.

Hall wants to come back next season. And he’s hopeful that any stadium renovations planned by the new team owners will include a few more washers and dryers and a bigger kitchen.

A new couch would be nice, too. But he’s not complaining. It’s just fine for baseball dreaming.