University of Tennessee Athletics
The Most Interesting Man in Baseball
January 06, 2012 | Baseball
Jan. 6, 2012
BY CAMERON HARRIS
UTSports.com
Scot Drucker is a world-traveling, sneaker-collecting, snake-blood drinking, social media enthusiast who makes his living throwing fastballs.
While the former Vol may not be the most interesting man in the world (although he does have the beard for it), he certainly has to rank among the top candidates in the baseball world.
Since closing out his career at Tennessee in 2004, the Miami native has become a globetrotter, pitching for teams in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan and, most recently, Venezuela.
"I've been all over the world," Drucker said. "It's been great. I've gotten to travel, not to the most glorious places, but still it is fun to travel to play baseball all over the world and see the different types of baseball, the cultures, the food and the fans' reactions to the games.
"I feel blessed in that aspect because it has kept me with a job all around the world. It just shows that baseball is played everywhere, and if you are willing to play and travel, there is a job for you somewhere."
Easily his most unique opportunity came last summer when Drucker spent three months playing for the Lamigo Monkeys in Taiwan.
"I felt similar to Tom Selleck in `Mr. Baseball,' the early 90s movie, where it was hard for him to adjust with the food and everything else, but I am very open to it and very independent," Drucker said. "I like to venture out on my own and see different cultures and historical facts of the different countries. I got used to it, but it's not for everybody. That's for sure."
Venture out indeed. Some of Drucker's favorite spots while in Taiwan were the Night Markets in Taipei, where he was able to experience local Taiwanese food firsthand, including a variety of unique offerings.
"Coming from a steak- and- potatoes- type guy, it was quite an adjustment to go to Taiwan and see stinky tofu, which smells like the worst garbage truck you've ever smelled, but it is a delicacy over there," Drucker said. "It's not the typical Americanized Chinese food. It's more noodles and soup-based noodles, but everything was very clean. No hormones, no preservatives. All of the food is very clean and fresh.
"There were a few things I was a little scared to try, but if they told me what it was, I would try it. The weirdest thing I ate was snake blood. It was kind of like a variation of Kool-Aid and alcohol. I don't really know how much snake blood was in it, but that was a delicacy over there. They eat turtles, I tried some octopus that looked like it was right out of the ocean and wasn't scaled down. I had the 100-year old egg, the fermented egg. It smelled just as bad as the stinky tofu. The taste was fine, but it was the smell that got you more than anything."
Despite all of the differences off the field, the game on the field was a familiar one which helped to ease his transition.
"The competitive nature is a little different, but the fanfare is the same," Drucker said. "The fans have that drive for the game; they are banging drums and blowing horns. The vuvuzelas you hear at soccer games are going non-stop in all of these different countries. In Taiwan, the game is a little slower. They don't have the big power-type hitters. They are more about Texas-leaguers and they filet balls over second base, but that is their style. I noticed when I dominated more with my fastball I did better, whereas when I threw off-speed pitches they kept their leg up and just chopped the ball somewhere. There were some different aspects, but it has always been a very similar game everywhere I have been so far."
Having recently completed a Winter League stint with Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela, Drucker wouldn't mind adding another couple stamps in his passport.
"I've been talking to a couple of teams in Japan, and that would be, of course, the main goal," Drucker said. "Those are just small talks right now. I would like to stay overseas, but if a U.S. job comes about, I am all for it. There is another league in Italy as well, actually. To be in Italy and travel to Florence and Rome, I would do that. They only play three games a week, which leaves a lot of room to travel in Italy. If that is the end of my career, I think I would do it."
"The blog started when I was in the fall league one year," Drucker said. "They asked someone to do a blog, and everyone knew I was a tech-savvy guy, so I was more than happy to do it. I've always wanted to give back to the fans. Without them, I wouldn't have the drive to compete. I enjoy signing autographs, and it is nice to be one-on-one with people, but that doesn't let you connect with the people that can't get out to the games or are from a different part of the country.
"My goal is just to give fans some insight into the game without crossing the boundaries with your own teammates. I've embraced it and love it. It's sort of sad to say, but it might have kept me in the game a little, which is fine with me. Anything it takes. But it is great for family too.
"They love it because they are able to see where I've been. I can post pictures and blogs about the games because they may not want to stay up 12 hours to see what happens during a game in Taiwan. Like I said, it is a pleasure for me to give back to them and vice-versa. I try to keep it fresh and entertaining for everybody, because nobody wants to hear that I am eating a Hungry Man microwaveable dinner tonight."
"I've always been into sneakers as a kid and slowly but surely I started getting jobs and my interest kept growing," Drucker said. "Instead of clothes or going out to the movies, I was always into the shoes. I have probably up to 180 pairs of shoes now, but I've slowed down as I've gotten older and am paying bills.
"I'm trying to sell off the collection slowly, but will always keep some of my holy grails. I have a couple pairs of Jordans that are probably worth a couple grand, and I have a really eclectic shoe that is called the `What the Dunk.' It's kind of a quilt. I bought them from a guy in Australia for a hefty price, but I sold a bunch of my shoes to get that pair."
