Story by Reagan Allen
Photos by Margaux Hunter
Now it’s time for the Durham Bulls to play ball………Chris Ivy, a quirky, cheerful man sits behind the “blue monster” scoreboard listening to the crowd cheering as the game commences. For the Past sixteen seasons Ivy has manually changed the score-a service in short supply ACROSS the country. He’s been around the game most of his life..but not in the usual way.
Chris Ivy: “I wasn’t really athletic. I played sandlot ball with the neighborhood kids and stuff but when little league came around, I never made the cut. And then I found this book about keeping score for baseball. And I taught myself how to do it.
Ivy’s dream of becoming part of the action came true in 2008 when he was hired to be the scoreboard operator for the Durham Bulls.
Chris Ivy: “ I want to be there. I don’t want to read about it in the paper the next morning.”
From there the 74 year-old man became a part of the Durham Bulls baseball community in a big way. Interacting with fans, staff, and bringing children back behind the wall is his favorite part of the job.
Chris Ivy: “Watching the kids change the numbers with me, and then watching the parents watching the kids. Everybody is pumped. I usually will look around and sort of see if there’s somebody who is standing near where I go in and I’ll invite them back.”
Samantha Wynn works the concession stand near the entrance to the “blue monster” scorecard. Every game for the past two years Ivy has visited Samantha before going to score the game. They chat, laugh, and he brings her gifts sometimes.
Samantha Wynn: “On the last day last year he bought me these nice, beautiful plants. In my home I wanted some plants and didn’t have any plants. He didn’t even know I was a plant lover.”
Along with plants, Ivy has given Wynn a tour behind the “blue monster” and shown her how to score the game.
Ivy’s wife, Virginia, has attended countless Durham Bulls games through the years-even though she isn’t a fan of baseball. But through her husband she’s learned to keep score and enjoy the community and happiness the game brings.
Virginia Ivy: “It’s always very, very exciting. He’s sort of the mayor of the ballpark. He knows everybody.”
Only two Major League Baseball teams use manual scorekeepers, the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field. And a dwindling number of minor league teams continue the great tradition. Virginia says she’s worried about her husband’s job security as more and more teams use technology to score the game.
Virginia Ivy: “He loves it so much. I’d hate for him to have to give it up, be forced to give it up. It would be much better if he could decide to retire on his own.”
Tony Riggsbee has been with the Durham Bulls for 18 seasons as the public address announcer. He’s known Ivy ever since he came to work for the Bulls. With a long history in sports commentating-Riggsbee has an opinion regarding the scoreboard debate.
Tony Riggsbee: “The manual scoreboard gives you something to talk about. It’s unique. It’s not as fast as an electronic scoreboard. From the nostalgia standpoint I prefer having the manual scoreboard.”
Although the manual scoreboard is beloved by many the decision whether to change to automatic scoring is still up in the air. However, Riggsbee doesn’t think that switch is imminent.
Tony Riggsbee: “I don’t think it’s in the cards to change to digital anytime soon. There might be a digital scoreboard coming in soon. But I think we’ll have a manual one for a long time.”
Ivy says he hopes the scoreboard will continue for a long time to come. Among his other interests which include Dawn of the Dead, collecting pez dispensers, photography, and more……score boarding is a passion he hopes he’ll never have to give up.
I’m Reagan Allen
