Louisiana’s lone finalist for the MLB Fan Cave competition, Jay Ducote of Baton Rouge, was informed today that he will not be among nine baseball fans who will be living in the MLB Fan Cave in New York City this summer.
“It was a bummer,” says Ducote, who was among 30 finalists vying for a spot in the MLB Fan Cave. “I’m disappointed. Obviously, it was something that would have been a really cool experience, but the whole ride was pretty cool … and I picked up some really good exposure.”
But Ducote says his disappointment was also mixed with a sense of relief, as making the MLB Fan Cave would have required him to relocate to New York City for as long as six months.
“I was growing more and more nervous thinking about leaving everything I have going on here,” says the 225 contributor, “Bite and Booze” blogger, host of two radio shows, and foodie who’s seemingly involved in all things culinary in Baton Rouge.
Ducote speculates his involvement in so many of his own endeavors is partially why Major League Baseball ultimately went in a different direction.
“I would have come in and have tried to promote what I’m doing through the channel of MLB. I think some of their people saw the value in that, but some wanted to select people who would be totally dedicated to promoting Major League Baseball,” he says.
Ducote says he is proud to have been Louisiana’s sole representative in the nationwide competition, and of making the final cut of 30 contestants from thousands across the country who made a pitch to get in the MLB Fan Cave. He got to travel to Phoenix and participate in some Spring Training events as part of the competition, and received a lot of national attention as a result of a prank that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce played on him while he was there.
“It was a fun ride, and I made some contacts with the MLB that may be beneficial down the road,” he says.
