Cross & Crescent

Brian Bannister (Southern California 2003) is a second generation professional baseball player. Growing up, he spent time around some of the baseball greats.

“Guys that are now in the Major League Hall of Fame were friends and role models to me,” says Bannister. “I got to see how they practiced and played in the games and how they were behind the scenes.”

Bannister has taken much from the lessons he learned as a kid and has now made his own name. Much like his father, Floyd Bannister, he is a Kansas City Royals pitcher. He hopes that he will also follow in his father’s footsteps and become an All-Star pitcher.

USC

While about 45 percent of men drafted in the Major League Baseball draft never attend a four-year college, Bannister understood the importance of earning his degree. With an initial interest in going to film school, Bannister decided to attend the University of Southern California.

He quickly realized it was not possible to attend both film school and play baseball, so he switched and began working towards an art degree and fell in love photography.

“I realized that photography was a lot like film, the principles and concepts are exactly the same except I am working with still instead of moving images,” says Bannister. “I thought of photography as an alternative route to the film career.”

Bannister began his college baseball career living a life of privilege. During his first two years, USC played in the College World Series. He was part of a pitching rotation that included the San Diego Padres’ Mark Prior and St. Louis Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes.

“That was the first time I pitched in front of a large crowd of over 20,000 people or televised on ESPN,” he says. “I remember that was an important part of my career. I knew if I could pitch in front of the crowd and on TV, I could play professionally.”

Not only did Bannister work hard in athletics but he devoted himself to academics. He was named All Pac-10 Academics, Academic All-American, and graduated cum laude.

“I was very proud of that, graduating with above a 3.5 as an athlete, because a lot of athletes don’t view their academics as important,” he says. “I really put in my time to make sure mine weren’t lacking.”

The Minors

Bannister remembers sitting in his room at USC and logging into the computer and watching as name after name was announced in the 2003 MLB draft. At pick No. 199, the New York Mets selected him.

“I just sat there, not knowing if my name was going to be called…it’s a nerve-racking experience,” recalls Bannister. “I was excited I was going to be a Met.”

He played his first season as a Brooklyn Cyclone, the Mets’ AA farm club. He lived in a dorm room with four other guys at a local community college, and rode in a packed van every day to the field in Coney Island. Bannister says going from being at an elite program at USC to the bottom of the totem pole in the pros was overwhelming.

“There are so many guys trying to make it that you just try to stand out by playing a little better, having a better personality, or being a better teammate,” says Bannister. “Each year I kept getting better and moving up.”

Bannister recalls a lot of long days and long bus rides while in the minors and after only two and a half years in the minor league system, he made the Mets’ roster out of the 2006 spring training.

The League

“On Opening Day they were doing introductions of the new team and we all ran out. Shea Stadium was sold out and I remember they called out the names of the guys before me and then they announced: ‘Brian Bannister No. 40, welcome to the major leagues!’ The cheering was so loud you could feel the noise. I was standing next to Pedro Martinez, it was an unforgettable moment.”

Two days later, Bannister made his professional debut against the Washington Nationals. After five strong starts (2-0, 2.89 ERA), he injured his hamstring while running the bases after an at bat. He spent the next 60 days on the disabled list, and then was sent to the minors for rehab. That winter, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals.

“I spent a couple years of my childhood there so I was familiar with the city, familiar with the organization and the stadium.” says Bannister. “It was a really good opportunity and I really enjoyed playing for the Royals last season.”

Bannister managed a 12-9 season with a 3.87 ERA and finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

“The first thing you want to do when you are in the major leagues is just show everyone that you can handle the pressure and be a consistent performer. Last year I showed I could do that,” says Bannister. “Going into this season they have higher expectations of me and I have higher expectations of me. Above all I want to go out and be consistent and improve on what I did last year.”

Photography

Bannister got to experience the Los Angeles photography scene while at USC and when he went home to Phoenix following college, he noticed a lack of resources for professional photographers. In 2004, Bannister opened a photography studio called Loft 19 Studios.

“At the time, I didn’t know where my baseball career was going so I was really pursuing photography in almost a parallel career,” he says.

Loft 19 Studios has hosted photographers from all around the world to photograph athletes, celebrities, personalities, and business icons.

“They come to the studio and conduct really fun photo shoots,” he says.

Bannister’s photography has been featured in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Studio Photography, American Photo, and in the March 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids.

The Fraternity

Bannister wanted to wait a semester to join a fraternity to see where other guys he knew were joining. He says that all the high-quality guys joined Lambda Chi.

“They seemed to be enjoying their experience and creating quality relationships,” says Bannister. “I honestly joined the Fraternity to have those relationships with those guys because I thought they were quality guys.”

Bannister says it was taboo for members of the baseball team to join fraternities. The team’s coach didn’t look favorably on fraternities because of the stereotypes of some other organizations.

“I felt like it was going to benefit me in the long run to have long-term friends, have a home base to go to every night, have guys I can rely on if I needed anything,” he explains. “After a while, (coach) realized that it was having a positive impact on me.”

Banister served as the scholastics chair for a semester, not being able to serve the full term due to athletics.

“Some of the guys in the house were struggling (with academics) at the time and I thought that was one way I could contribute.”

Bannister says he has always valued the Fraternity’s Christian teachings that matched his own. He also believes that the significance of the Ritual was instrumental in his Fraternity experience.

“I am just proud to be a part of Lambda Chi, and all that it means, and all that we stand for,” he says.