Trey Moore played baseball for almost three decades.
He started with T-ball and eventually became an All-American pitcher at Texas A&M. And then he spent
11 years playing in the major leagues.
Owning a baseball franchise was an obvious next step, he said, even if didn't mean running a professional team. Instead, Moore started a baseball and softball equipment franchise that specializes in training.
"I think it's a sport that we can get all cliché and say it's a national pastime, but at some point everybody's played some form of the game. And you can't say that about every sport," he said. "It's just a fabric of society."
The learning curve
Players try not to think about retirement, focusing only on the game that day, said Moore, 36.
So he didn't think much about retirement until 2004, when three or four major league contracts fell through for him at the last minute. Moore took it as an omen that he should retire.
After a year of not playing, Moore felt restless. So he began looking at franchising opportunities.
"As opposed to stumbling through a couple of years to try and figure something out, it was much easier," he said.
After coming across the opportunity to own an Extra Innings site, Moore said, he knew it would be the perfect fit.
It is the only facility in the Brazos Valley with batting cages and trainers that sells professional equipment.
"There was absolutely nothing like this when I was growing up," Moore said.
The facility draws baseball and softball players from 40 to 45 miles away. One player drives more than an hour from Rockdale for a 30-minute training session, Moore said.
"We've got a very loyal customer base in the outskirts of Bryan-College Station," he said.
On Monday morning, Moore said, he renewed a membership that began
Dec. 7, 2006 -- four days after the facility opened.
Former minor-league players Joe Luis and Rob Nash opened the first Extra Innings in 1996 in Danvers, Mass. The franchise now has more than 35 locations in
17 states. Projections are that almost 100 locations will be in operation by the end of 2010.
Hitting softballs with his daughter on a recent afternoon, Chris Creagr, 33, said he had just purchased a new bat for her at the College Station facility.
Creagr said he appreciated the professionalism and the knowledge of the staff.
"Every time we come here, they seem to be very knowledgeable about what they are selling and what's the best," he said.
He likes to bring his daughters, Brittany, 9, and Haley, 7, to the facility to practice because it's indoors.
"Sometimes they lose their attention when you go out to the field," Creagr said. "When you're one-on-one and it's hot, it's harder for them to focus."
Brittany Creagr, who's been playing softball for four years, said she wanted to play in college one day. She likes getting a hit and catching the ball.
Haley Creagr said her favorite part was getting a snow cone after the game.
The economy
The effects of the nation's soft economy have hit some aspects of Extra Innings, Moore said.
Fewer people are buying high-end equipment as families watch their budgets and parents try to get one more year out of their child's bat or glove.
"The last thing I want to do is increase cost. ... We're trying really hard to keep things where they are while the cost of business is going up," Moore said.
Despite the decrease in sales, memberships and the number of instructors' lessons have increased, Moore said. The company will focus on the service side more until the economy rebounds, he said.
"We're in a business that revolves around people's expendable incomes," Moore said.
Moore said he had discovered that parents would still provide for their children if possible, even if it meant not buying something for themselves.
Rewarding experiences
Moore said he'd learned a lot about being a boss and operating a business.
"You think you're prepared, but it will overwhelm you if you don't keep up with it," Moore said.
Moore said he was still figuring out the transition from professional baseball player to boss. He doesn't want to be the boss employers look back on and remember hating. But he also has to define the line between friend and supervisor.
The 14-person staff was made up of hourly desk workers and instructors until Moore promoted one person to general manager. The move helped keep him from becoming spread so thin, Moore said.
General Manager Brian Nelson, 22, said he first came to Extra Innings as a customer. After surgery for a football-related injury, Nelson said, he came as part of his rehabilitation. Moore helped train him.
Nelson said they quickly formed a unique relationship and Moore hired him first as desk help, then as a trainer before promoting him to general manager.
Nelson said he liked the variety of players who came to the facility. From those looking to go pro to students wanting to hit a few balls to relieve stress during finals, Nelson said, he enjoyed working with all of them.
Though the injury cut short his time as a player, Nelson said, it was rewarding to have a ballplayer come back and tell him how something he taught helped in a game.
"Every ballplayer has to figure out when to hang up the cleats," he said.
Focusing on family
Moore grew up watching his father play fast-pitch softball.
Following tradition, Moore said, his son, Ford, 15, has practically lived in a locker room.
Moore said he never pressured his daughter, Abby, 12, or Ford to play softball or baseball. But Ford Moore drags his dad onto the field to practice with him, Trey Moore said.
Moore said his life had changed dramatically since he played professional baseball. As his children become more involved in sports and other activities -- whatever they may be -- Moore wants to be able to travel too see them compete.
Nelson's promotion to general manager was a natural fit, Moore said, not only to help the business but to allow time to attend his children's sporting events as they choose sports to love.
"I want to be available and see them play like my folks did for me," he said. "I eventually need to be in a position where I can follow them around."
Moore tries to support his children as his father supported him. He said his father contributed significantly to his career, whether he realized it or not.
"Through him, I became the player I was," Moore said.
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