The Savannah Morning News profiled the strength and conditioning coach for the Savannah Sand Gnats, who describes himself as old school. Griffin is a smart guy who has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master’s Degree from LSU in International Trade, but his certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association was the most important to him. He previously worked with the Oakland Raiders before joining the Mets organization.

(Griffin) understands the professional part of it,” Gnats center fielder Brandon Nimmo said. “He’s a great motivator. He not only tells us what to do, he’ll go in there and do it with us, too. He understands when you need days off and when you need to push through it. … Baseball is all about controlling your body, and I will say I’m controlling my body a lot better.

Griffin himself talks about the simple logic of “getting back what you put in” — a motto echoed by many strength trainers and coaches. He leads workouts beginning at 10:00 in the morning on any given day and leads team stretching exercises during the day as well.

Conditioning, strength, nutrition — that’s my responsibility,” Griffin said. “It’s a long season. Guys have to maintain their strength, stay hydrated and it gets kind of challenging with the weather here. Some guys don’t adjust to it well. Some of them are coming from playing in Brooklyn (a short season where the weather is cooler) last season. I have to help them take care of their bodies.

Griffin was born and raised in the south side of Chicago — as the article references, the part where Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown” resided — and was raised by a single mother. So he works to give back to the community and started a foundation to help single parent and underprivileged children.

The job that Griffin does may go underappreciated — he’s like the backstage crew of a stage show — but remember that without guys like him, the show never goes on in Savannah.

(Photo Credit: Richard Burkhart of the Savannah Morning News)