John Rush
To be defined as a professional in any field is to be part of an elite group. Generally, the definition means you are knowledgeable, have special skills, and have a true love for what you do. I have known John Rush for many years, and I have to say he fits my definition of a professional baseball scout. He not only has an eye for baseball, he has it in his DNA. He recently explained that his love for the game started with his grandfather, which was passed down to his father, and now he has inherited it himself, honing his skills and love for American baseball throughout his life. His son has also inherited the sport, playing in college.
John was born in New Martinsville and spent most of his life there. His father, Ed Rush, and mother, Linda, are also from the area. John’s father encouraged him and helped him develop these skills early on. When John was six years old, there were no T-ball leagues in New Martinsville, so his father took him to Paden City for two years to get experience hitting balls. Hitting the ball was important then, as it is now. By the time John was eight, his father had started a T-ball program in town.
John was passionate about baseball from an early age and went on to play Babe Ruth and Legion ball. His father coached several of those teams. When I asked John about those early days, he laughed and said, “Dust, I spent a lot of time running in drag around the baseball field.”
John explained that his father’s love for baseball began at a young age and that his skills were honed while playing baseball in the military, after which his father began working for PPG.
In 1994, tragedy struck John’s family. Ed and Linda were returning from a community game. Ed parked the car in the garage and became distracted and forgot to turn off the engine of the family’s car. John lost his father and nearly lost his mother.
John and his family wanted to honor his father’s love and dedication to baseball and to New Martinsville baseball. The family established a scholarship in Edward Rush’s name. With the exception of COVID-19 years and years when the team had no seniors, the Rush family has awarded a scholarship to a Magnolia athlete every year since 1994. Ed would have been proud that his achievements helped so many.
John played baseball at Concord College and West Liberty. At the time you had to be a teacher to coach in high school, so he went to college to become a teacher. In 1985, John worked as a student teacher at John Marshall and worked with the team as coach when they won the state title.
He then coached at Yeager High School for four years before returning to John Marshall. John seemed headed for a career in baseball, but as he says: “Life changed. My husband got married and started a family. Teaching wasn’t enough to pay the bills. So… I got a job at PPG Industries.”
John may have changed careers, but he still stayed involved in the game. From 1998 to 2004, he helped out with the John Marshall team while working 40-hour weeks. He was then offered the head coaching job at Tyler Consolidated, which he accepted. Ohio Valley University contacted him to be their pitching coach. He also spent a few years at Cameron.
I asked him if he had ever thought about playing in the major leagues. He smiled and said that he had thought about it for a while, after trying out for the Dodgers. Then, by chance, when he took one of his players to a major league scouting station, that player said to one of the coaches, “You should see the coaches pitch. They looked at John and they didn’t say anything about the tryout results, they just said, ‘You’re a good player.’Life has come again.”
John knew his factory career was coming to an end and wanted to try something different in the sport he loved. John explained that he loved scouting talent from that point on and watching games. But no one was knocking on his door and inviting him to play in a game. So he decided to send out a letter to all 30 teams and basically say: “John Rush travels with his radar gun.” Sure enough, he got a few inquiries. While John was in Cleveland for the All-Star Game, he got a call from Danny Cedars of the Los Angeles Padres. The rest is history.
I asked him what he looks for in a player and if there are any regions he focuses on. John explained that his region is the Mid-Atlantic Scouting Region, which consists of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. John, “It’s hard to find diamonds these days. With videos of players on social media available for everyone to see, it’s hard to find a player who isn’t in the spotlight.”
I asked “It’s like what you see in the movies, with about a dozen scouts with radar guns and cell phones attached to their ears lined up in the stands watching the players.” John explained with a laugh. “Yes, that happens sometimes.”
John recently “Mid-Atlantic Regional Associate Scout of the Year” The award is decided by a vote of all 30 teams, and he hopes the recognition will give him a chance to advance to the next level in the world of baseball scouting.
John Rush was born into a family of baseball fanatics. His legacy continues to be passed on to the next generation. He is one of those truly dedicated individuals who dedicated his life to the betterment of the game of baseball. Not only was he a great player, but the benefit he had on so many young players was great. John wouldn’t tell me his batting average, but he did say this: “If you can hit it, I’ll find a spot for you.” He also said that he played for Dave Scissor when he was 9 years old in 1981. John is a true professional who knows the expression “playing through a lens.”
