Hot Bench: Owen O’Connor
Good afternoon, this is Andrew Moore. I appreciate your being willing to sit for this interview. Would you mind introducing yourself and where you are from and what not?
My name is Owen O'Connor. I am from Chicago, Illinois, and I went to school at University of Southern California before coming out here, so I lived the last five years in Los Angeles.
And so how does Charlottesville compare to Los Angeles? You know, which has the better kind of Mexican food and better tacos?
I do not think Charlottesville is going to compare Mexican food wise to Los Angeles. I like a lot of aspects of Charlottesville more than Los Angeles. I like the smaller town feel, the more close-knit community, but you are not going to have Los Angeles Mexican food out here.
Interesting. It is a little bit of a hot take there, but I will allow it. And when you are not exploring Charlottesville restaurants, you know, what do you like to do for fun in this small town of which you speak so highly?
I have been just mostly hanging out with friends, going to the gym, playing softball, a lot of softball, getting played. Football season started today, so I have been watching that in my breaks. Mostly school, sports, and watching sports.
Okay, and so then what is the one sport people should pay attention to get your references? What are you constantly referencing? Softball, football, archery?
Prior to like, this month, I would have said for sure football. It is what I talk about the most. It is the sport that I have the most fun watching, but the relevance of softball in this community is unmatched. So, I think I am going to start referencing softball a lot more.
Do you have particular references in mind? Quips you are going to make? Anecdotes you will relate?
There will be more, I guess I should qualify that. They will be more baseball related because they will be from watching more baseball in order to, you know, prepare for the softball season. But no, I mean, mostly the Chicago Cubs. I have been referencing them a lot with professors, and I have got a few Cubs fans here.
Interesting. And so did you also go to the sandal store this morning to get that flip flop from softball to baseball?
Yes.
Interesting. Very, very interesting. And now going off of that, with the Cubs. Why the Cubs? You picked them over the Dodgers and the Angels?
Baseball is the sport I have watched my whole life. I am from the South Side of Chicago. So, my family was White Sox fans, and I decided that I wanted to, you know, initiate some kind of family rivalry. So, I became a Cubs fan when I was as young as I can remember. And my brother was a Sox fan, I was a Cubs fan, and that was just the way that it was.
Are you contrarian in other ways, or just with the Cubs?
Well, when I got into basketball, it was a similar thing. I did not want to be a Bulls fan, because everybody was a Bulls fan, so I just picked the worst team in the country to be a fan of at that point, and that was the 76ers and now I am a 76ers fan. I think it is a little more fun when you have people that you are rooting against or competing with, even when you are not doing anything.
Are you also bringing this cutthroat attitude around UVA? I know we are supposed to be the “collegial” school, after all.
This only translates to sports, so if you are playing me in softball, yes, I do not want you to do well. But outside of that, I wish everybody the best.
That is very, very diplomatic of you there. We appreciate it. And then, other than seeking to dominate on the diamond, do you have other plans for the year? And also, are you getting tired of people asking you for your plans for the year?
I am kind of figuring out my plans for the year as I go. I am trying out a few clubs, seeing which ones catch my interest. I do not really mind people asking me my plans for the year. It is expected, and it helps me think of my answer better, because I do not really have one yet.
Well, I will try to type that into an answer, so we appreciate you taking the time on this fine Sunday afternoon and best of luck. Have a good day!
Interviewed by Andrew Moore ’28
cwb5ex@virginia.edu