Field General

Steve Tahlser

As Steve Tahlser (B.A. '97) tells it, his life as deputy commissioner for the 12-team Frontier League is much different from those of his executive counterparts in baseball's big leagues. For starters, there are no major television network contracts to negotiate or billionaire owners to share luxury boxes with.

For Tahsler, it's making sure the Normal (Ill.) CornBelters doubleheader with the Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums has umpires.

"I'm the guy behind the scenes," he said. "I oversee and implement the rules, take care of contracts,  insurance, impart advice, etcetera."

Tahsler has been with the Frontier League, an independent professional league in the Midwest, for almost 15 years and previously served as general manager for four of the league's clubs. As a GM, he led the Evansville Otters and the Windy City Thunderbolts to league championships and has twice been named Frontier's executive of the year.

The league is not associated with Major League Baseball or part of its minor league system, Tahsler explained, but that doesn't mean Frontier League players don't get called up to the bigs. In fact, one of his duties is working with major league teams interested in the league's players.

Tahsler hasn't forgotten about his alma mater, either: Four former Panthers signed to play in the league this season.

It was at GSU where Tahsler first started behind the scenes in baseball. He was a senior working in the sports information office when he got a call from former GSU head baseball coach Mike Hurst asking him to assist on the results staff for baseball during the 1996 Olympics. That experience, he says, put him on his career path to front office management in the sport.

"Without [Hurst's] help and support, and that of the GSU Athletic Department, I wouldn't be working in baseball," he said.