December 9, 1975 started like any morning in our house. I dressed for school and padded into the kitchen for breakfast. My Dad poured me some hot chocolate and said, “I have some very bad news for you Michelle.” I opened my sleepy eyes a bit wider. He continued, “the Cardinals traded Ken Reitz to the Giants last night for pitcher Pete Falcone.” A lump formed in my throat; and I ran to my room crying, slamming the door behind me. At the time, I had no idea what ‘a right place at the right time’ moment this would turn out to be in life.
That morning I begged my parents to let me stay home sick from school. They both said no. I still remember sitting out at recess on a cold cloudy day crying, asking myself over and over again: ‘How could the Cardinals’ trade the Zamboni Machine?’
Memorizing the Media Guide
As a child I carried the Cardinals’ media guide around me like a bible. I memorized all the player’s numbers, bios, birthdays, averages and ERAs. As an extra bonus, the media guide included hometowns, wives and kid’s names. I would pretend to be one of the ‘Cardinal Wives’ frequently. Ken Reitz was always my husband. We also played Cardinal school (taught their children) and Cardinal hotel (the families stayed at this hotel on road trips).
Driven By My Passion
Moving forward, much of my career has been driven by my passion and love of athletics. As a senior at Illinois State, I drew Tom Lamonica as a professor. Tom also served as the Sports Information Director (SID) for the Redbirds. Once I learned more about his field, I knew that is what I wanted to do. I asked him if I could intern in his office. He told me he didn’t hire last semester interns.
A couple of weeks before the end of the semester, he told me they needed an intern in the spring. It was my ‘right time, right place’ moment. Of course it helped I got a 100 percent on the final and aced the class. I worked there until I finished my master’s. And then I worked for the Cardinals minor league team in Springfield and met Reitz (and his wife) at an old-timers game in our home dugout. He didn’t look the same as I had imagined, but it was still a thrill.
I moved to Chicago to intern at the Big Ten Conference after graduation. It’s where I met then-Erika Amstadt, my Spin Chicks podcast co-host. Erika was interning downtown at the Great Midwest Conference.
Networking is the Key
Working out in the Big Ten gym, I got to know the Big Ten Commissioner, Jim Delany. Between lifting weights and occasionally joining the group for a run (we called ourselves the Big Ten Striders), he would ask us about our next steps. Jim mentioned he knew Dr. Mike McGee, the new AD at the University of South Carolina. It took 24 hours, but the next day I got up the nerve to ask for Jim’s help. I asked if he would call Mike McGee to recommend me for a job at USC. Within seven minutes of that call, my second ‘right place, right time’ moment happened. Then-USC SID Kerry Tharp called and asked me to come down for an interview. And as Paul Harvey used to say, ‘Now, the rest of the story.’
Moving Down South and then West
I worked at USC for 15 years before applying for the head SID position at Santa Clara University. Serving as the SID for Dave Odom’s team in my final six and a half years at USC, I asked Coach Odom if he could make a call. He happily reached out to Kerry Keating, Santa Clara’s new men’s basketball coach. The two knew each other well: Coach Odom gave Kerry his first job out of college. And so I flew out west to continue my career with the Broncos. Networking is key.
On Oct. 1st, 2011, I had another ‘right place at the right moment’ — I met my husband, Nick. You could say we fell in love watching the Cardinals’ entire 2011 post-season, winning their 11th World Series title. David Freese knows a thing or two about a right place at the right moment – watch the two videos below.
After a couple years of dating, I ended up marrying Nick Young on Dec. 21, 2013 in Las Vegas. Of course on a Bronco basketball road trip.
Launching Bee Young Comms
After 25+ years in collegiate athletes with a three and half year spin in higher ed at University of South Florida, I took a huge leap in May of 2020. I opened Bee Young Communications and Marketing – a boutique marketing agency in Tampa. After considering it as an option for years, I knew I was in the right place at the right time in my career.
Owning my own boutique marketing agency has proven to be a win-win for me as well. In this global world, I’m not limited by a zip code. I buzz around the world, working with clients from Tampa to Silicon Valley to South Carolina to Atlanta and more. It took some adjusting, in terms of being my own boss, but I love it. I have the bandwith to add a couple of more clients in 2024 so if you or someone you know needs help – reach out today.
And Now, the Rest of the Story …
In terms of Reitz, the Giants traded him back to the Cardinals in 1976. Down the road, the Cardinals got their own break when another trade involving Reitz brought over future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter. That trade I didn’t cry much about. As a closer, Sutter ended up in the right place at the right time: on the mound when the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series.
