Valley woman a finalist for MLB Fan Cave

So, you think you’re a baseball nut?

Trust me, you’ve got nothing on Christy McGaugh of
Phoenix.

McGaugh is one of 50 finalists for the 2nd edition of the
MLB Fan Cave, a 15,000 square foot space in New York’s
Greenwich Village which will serve as the nerve center
for this experiment for the duration of the 2012 baseball
season. The goal is to have the winners watch all 2,430
big league games while recording their experiences online
through social media, blogs and video.

That’s a lot of baseball, but that kind of viewing
schedule is right in McGaugh’s
wheelhouse.

“I have three tvs, and once 4 o’clock comes, because
that’s usually the time the games start on the East coast,
I just turn on the games on each channel,” she said.
“Even if I’m not actively watching, it’s always in the
background.”

Most baseball fans will watch games at night after a long
day at the office, but McGaugh’s job as a freelance writer
affords her the opportunity to extend those viewing hours.

“My very favorite treat is day games on getaway day,
because I’ll wake up and at 10 o’clock, there will be a
game on while I’m having coffee, it’s the best thing
ever.”

The format for this year’s MLB Fan Cave is a little
different than the inaugural project last year when one
fan and a friend occupied the cave through the 2011
campaign. This season, a group of winners will initially
begin the season in the Fan Cave, but that number will be
reduced with help from fans. Think “Survivor”, but with
flat screen televisions and debates on the handling of
bullpens.

“Fans will get to interact and vote people out of the
cave, and at the end of the season there will be one fan
left standing,” McGaugh said.

Fan interaction was part of McGaugh’s Saturday, as she
drummed up support for her Fan Cave candidacy at D-
backs’ FanFest at Chase Field. McGaugh had a spot in the
Digital Clubhouse and was afforded the chance to meet the
fans and interact with players and coaches.

“I thought it was great of the D-backs to set me up,”
McGaugh said. “They were super-helpful. They were so
accomodating and wonderful.”

There were more than 22,000 applications submitted, but
McGaugh is one of 50 finalists from around the
country. From that
pool, thirty will be picked to participate in a Spring
Training “boot camp” before the final group is picked to
relocate to New York City and actually be part of the Fan
Cave.

McGaugh got creative with her audition,
re-enacting
popular films and adding her own dash of baseball flavor
to them.
One such re-enactment was a scene from the 1999 Academy
Award-winning “American Beauty”, in which Mena Suvari
appeared in a bathtub filled with rose petals. Instead of
flowers, McGaugh used baseball cards.

“It was a nightmare project,” she joked. “I mean it
looked beautiful, and from the get-go, that was the very
first one that came into my head. I knew I wanted to do
it, but it was so tedious.

“There was a time pressure lighting-wise, and trying to
get the cards to stay — every time I took a deep breath
they’d fall.”

McGaugh said she had plans to re-create a scene from
Marilyn Monroe’s 1953 classic “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”,
but there was a prop snafu.

“The wig I got made look like Martha Washington instead of
Marilyn Monroe, so that was a non-starter,” she joked.

Why does McGaugh think she’s the best candidate to
be a part of this year’s MLB Fan Cave?

“If people want someone who represents
the regular fan, not a sports reporter or someone
professional, but just someone who loves the game, goes to
games and collects memorabilia, then they should vote for
me,” McGaugh said.

So, how can you show your support for one of the Valley’s
own? Go to MLBFanCave.com, check out McGaugh’s
audition video, vote often, and spread the word on social
media. Voting is open until February 22.

Follow @Vincemarotta