“Behind every married baseball player is a woman who didn’t know what she was getting herself into.” The headline of Dallas Latos‘ blog provokes questions about what it means to be bound together for life with a traveling pro athlete and opens the page for a never-ending story to be told. The term “baseball wife” has been met with both curiosity and skepticism by the public but in this digital age, it’s become fairly simple to know that the woman behind the player is holding her own. Through Twitter and blogs, fans now have opportunities to connect with these ladies and get to know more about the baseball life at home and on the road from a different perspective. Thanks to the power of social media and how they use it to showcase their smarts, fun personalities, and passion for the game along with promoting and supporting their communities, baseball wives have become Web celebrities.
Take a look at the big three (Presented in alphabetical order by last name) that should be rocking your timelines if you aren’t following them already.
Dallas Latos (@DallasLatos)
Husband: Mat Latos, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
photo credit: Charlie Couch Photography
I can already hear the collective groan amongst my fellow San Francisco Giants fans for even praising a Latos (Let’s just say Mat and the Giants have quite the history together), but baseball rivalries shoved aside, I continue to enjoy having Dallas bless my feed with her hilarious and honest (And also very frequent) Tweets. Underneath all that ink, striking good looks, and a healthy love for vodka is one of the most easygoing and quick-witted gals everyone should get to know. Just be kind to her, because if you act the opposite towards her, she has no problem giving you a piece of her mind. Basically, she keeps it real, but she also keeps it fun and fresh in her approach to social media and engaging fans in her musings about life, both in the baseball world and away from the sidelines. She documents her travels, shares some of her favorite recipes, offers her insight on baseball fan etiquette (i.e. proper ways to send fan mail, ask for autographs in person), and retweets and comments on fascinating lifestyle articles. She even runs contests for Reds fans on occasion and gives away prizes like autographed baseballs and game tickets, the most innovative one being a Halloween costume contest for the best Dallas Latos costume in male and female categories. Oh, and she’s the mastermind behind the unofficial Reds drinking game.
The first and second oldest posts on her blog So I Married a Baseball Player… sets up the craziness you’d experience from virtually tagging along in Dallas’ journey. In her introduction, she recounts how she and Mat met back in the day through her best friend Lauren who kept trying to set her up with him. Though she thought she wouldn’t (She wanted to stay single in her young life and was initially hesitant about dating an athlete), they finally dated, got engaged, and eloped, and now here she is living the married life. It gets even more insane in that next chapter, when Dallas blogs about finding out about Mat’s offseason trade from the San Diego Padres to the Cincinnati Reds through phone calls and texts from her mom and her and Mat’s friends. Imagine that! Given Dallas’ glowing Tweets and blog posts and Mat’s success as part of the reigning NL Central division champs, the two seem to be adjusting to life in the Midwest quite nicely. The couple also enjoys putting their shared passion for animals to good use (They own a lot of reptiles, a couple of dogs, and an appropriately-named feline known as Cat Latos, who has its own Twitter and Facebook!): They were a part of a pet adoption event and fundraiser for the Spay and Neuter Action Project (SNAP) in San Diego a couple of years ago. Additionally, they took part in the famed NOH8 Campaign for marriage equality.
Favorite Tweets:
The best part about making meatballs for a party is that you get to ask everyone how your balls taste in their mouth.
— Dallas Latos(@DallasLatos) December 24, 2012
Amanda McCarthy (@Mrs_McCarthy32)
Husband: Brandon McCarthy, pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
photo credit: ammccarthy.com
The McCarthys not only make one hell of a good-looking couple (Hello both of you on ESPN The Magazine!), but they both are united by their infectious and twisted senses of humor. Seriously, if my future husband and I can’t make fun of each other like they do, then I will forever question my life choices. (By the way, you absolutely need to follow @BMcCarthy32 if you’re reading this, for the maximum effect and just because he’s one super cool guy.) Many baseball fans will remember the frightening incident last year when Brandon—who was part of the starting rotation for that magical Oakland Athletics team—took a line drive to the head and required brain surgery. It was understandable but rare to see Amanda’s Twitter feed so dark as we all held our breath with her, taking in updates on Brandon’s condition. That trying time allowed everyone to see what a warrior she is, along with her other half. About a week or so later, Brandon was released from the hospital and on his way to recovery, and he and Amanda were back at snarking at each other on Twitter and the world started spinning again. Now the two are embarking on a new adventure with a new team, as Brandon signed as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks this off-season.
Like Dallas Latos, Amanda also keeps a blog, with the creative title Stilettos and Cleats. As evidenced on both her blog and Twitter, her love for baseball, food, wine, and traveling is unmatched. When she’s not cheering on her husband’s team at the yard, she’s chilling with her darling dog Hobbes. And when she’s not gracing magazine covers with the mister, she’s one of the faces on Team Fresh for the lifestyle apparel brand 22Fresh. They even created an iPhone case inspired by her, which was recently unveiled for purchase. Amanda is a winning combination of personality, charisma, wit, and attractiveness, but what truly makes her a champion is her charitable efforts. Along with taking part in events with A’s and Diamondbacks wives, Amanda most notably organized a silent auction and charity drive last year to benefit victims of the Colorado wildfires (Amanda and Brandon both went to Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, which was used as a shelter). The auction raised over $30,000 and included items like wine tastings, dinners, A’s game tickets and field access to batting practice, and signed jerseys, bats, and baseballs from the A’s, Giants, and other teams.
Favorite Tweets:
Nicole Vogelsong (@nicolevogelsong)
Husband: Ryan Vogelsong, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
photo credit: Nicole Vogelsong (@nicolevogelsong on Twitter)
Everyone loves a feel-good sports story, although it wouldn’t be an engrossing feel-good story without the drama, struggle, and pain. There was more to where Ryan Vogelsong came from than being the bright spot of the 2011 Giants season (AKA that one weird year in the last three years where they didn’t even make the playoffs). He emerged as a strong starter in the rotation that year and made the National League All-Star Team. It only took about 14 professional seasons seesawing between the minors, majors, and overseas. He struggled with the Pittsburgh Pirates in his stint from 2003-2006 and spent some years pitching in Japan and Venezuela after that. It was a rollercoaster ride that seemed to be going down more than up. At his age and with his drive, all Ryan wanted was to make it back to the big show at home and be a consistently good starter. His wife Nicole was and continues to be there every step of the way and supporting him through rise and fall. The two met in 2001 in Nashville, where Ryan was pitching in the minors and Nicole was working as a bartender. They married in 2005, and they’ve truly been through everything together. After those years of letdowns, Ryan and Nicole not only found baseball bliss in his 2011 breakout season, but also became a huge part of the 2012 World Championship team.
These days, Nicole is not only a baseball wife, but she’s also a mom to a three-year-old boy named Ryder, who she comically refers to as the “Vogelchild” on her Twitter account, and a 13-year-old dog named Yoda. Giants fans embrace her as one of their own, as she’s always up-to-date with the latest news on the team, and fans of other teams adore her for her kindness, gratitude, and support of everyone in the game. Whether it’s showing off her custom-made Giants swag or the view of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge from her rooftop, promoting Giants Wives/Giants Community events and fundraisers, or talking about the Vogelchild’s latest shenanigans, Nicole makes her loves well-known. Perhaps one of the greatest things about following her, however, is how she shares her wisdom and a daily dose of inspiration. Faith is what kept her going during the rough years with Ryan and even as he struggles in this early part of the season, Nicole believes more than anyone that things do turn around for the better. Anytime life gets you down, look to this woman and her husband to remind yourself that with hard work and faith, dreams do come true.
Favorite Tweets:
The Hudsucker 
No love for the American League. :(
Sorry Kathleen :( I went with the wives I was familiar with and they all happened to be part of the National League (Even though Amanda still very much has the A’s spirit in her!).