ARLINGTON — For anyone who loves baseball, reaching the major leagues is a dream and, for the past 10 years, Emily Jones has lived it.
As the field reporter for the Texas Rangers, Emily loves her job.
But, in 2015, in the prime of her career, she decided to give it up and just walk away from baseball. Until her mother-in-law stepped in and messed up everything.
“It changed the course of my career, for sure,” Jones said.
“She worked so hard and so long to get where she was working with the Rangers, I didn’t want her to throw it away,” said Lynette Leininger, Emily’s mother-in-law.
Emily didn't want to quit, but felt she needed to spend more time on her other career as a mother. Which, is clearly a full-time job.
“Being a mother is 10 times harder than any job I could have,” she said.
On top of it all, Emily owns a baby gear manufacturing company and recently wrote a children’s book. She figured there was no way to work for the Rangers and still keep up at home.
“More than anything, I thought my family was taking on too much of the burden,” Jones said.
“What we were here for was to support Emily and to be there for her and give us the opportunity to help her,” Leininger said.
Emily’s family vowed to do whatever it took to help. They did not want her to give up on her dream.
And neither did the players.
“We love having her around,” first baseman Joey Gallo said. “Without her, it’s weird.”
“If she wasn’t here I don’t know if I’d be able to speak on camera,” second baseman Rougned Odor said. “She was the one that teach (sic) me to speak on camera.”
That was what finally convinced her.
Emily had been working with second baseman Rougned Odor to improve his English and when he gave a flawless interview after a game-winning hit, tears filled her eyes.
“I love this job,” she said. “I love what I do. I’m just not quite ready yet to walk away.”
But when she does decide to call it quits, she will, like any true great, go out on top.
“If they win the world series?” I asked.
“Whoa! Yes! That would be, that would be amazing,” she said.