She’s no Rascal

Flip-flops, blue jeans and maroon tank tops aren’t usual attire for a baseball team’s general manager. Then again, neither are mascara and French manicures. But Becca Hoffer pulls it off beautifully as she sits behind her desk nestled deep in the Outlaws front office in downtown Chico. The 29-year-old exec juggles phones and schedules, as well as other projects like designing Hawaiian-style jerseys for the Aloha Friday theme nights. She’s been working with the club for about three years now, and had a stint with the now-defunct Chico Heat baseball club before that. As a general manager, she often deals with decisions regarding personnel and the myriad office duties that come with that. However, as a fan of baseball, Hoffer sees her job more as fun than work: “You can’t really complain about going to a baseball game.”

What is it like being a female general manager working in a male-dominated sport?

You know, it’s not something that I’m aware of most days or that other people I’ve worked with make a point of. I’ve been real lucky that a lot of people in our league, from field managers to coaches to players, are all really respectful and haven’t given me a hard time. There are certain things—you know, I think twice when I walk into the locker room, and I’m sure male GMs don’t do that.

Is this the traditional role of a GM where you are expected to make player decisions?

No, not really. They try to include me, which is nice because I want to learn about that side of it. Obviously [the manager and coaches] know a heck of a lot more than I do.

On game day, how many hours are you behind the desk as opposed to at the park?

We usually put in a good 15-hour day. I get here at 10 a.m. and I usually leave at 4 p.m. I try to get my break in—some days that happens and other days it doesn’t. Then we’re usually at the ballpark until 12 a.m. When they have a nine-game home stand [like the team recently concluded], it kinda wipes you out.

So if the team is called the Outlaws, why is the mascot a raccoon named Rascal?

When we were thinking about the mascot back in ‘04, we wanted something that would be marketable and kids wouldn’t be afraid of. We thought, “Instead of doing something cartoony, let’s do something that’s furry and likeable.” The outlaw of the animal [kingdom] is the raccoon, hence “Rascal.” What’s really funny is probably for every person who goes, “Oh, Rascal The Racoon,” there are two other people who go, “Oh, he’s a bear; no, a squirrel.”