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Humans of Oxford: Matt Bohart: Baseball to bagels

By Emma Kinghorn, Staff Writer

Ham, pepper jack, veggie cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and hot sauce on a bialy.

The MILF bagel -- tried by many, enjoyed by few and favored by one Matt Bohart who spends the better part of his nights and mornings servicing sometimes sober Oxford residents.

But this wasn't the dream.

The dream was college baseball. "My whole life," Matt said.

He had made it. King University, Division II baseball, playing catcher his freshman season. The dream had come true.

Until it hadn't.

A friend on first base turned thief at second. Matt made the same throw he had a thousand times, but this one wouldn't find its glove.

It would arc strangely, softly finding a home somewhere in the center field grass, but Matt would never see it land.

Matt remembers that it was like an explosion. He woke in the dirt, with coaches above him, his helmet being removed.

He would never play baseball for King University again.

Less than a year later -- this time in Hamilton, Ohio -- while wearing red and white, it happened again.

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The same throw, the same labrum tear, the same shoulder. The thief running toward second didn't just gain a base, he stole a future.

Matt Bohart would never play baseball again.

The closest he will ever get is making the Tracy Smith bagel, named for a former Miami baseball coach.

After losing his future in baseball, Matt transferred to Oxford, and found a new team -- his Bagel & Deli co-workers.

The tryout was simple -- learn roughly all the bagels in 30 days, give or take.

Matt found happiness in trading his baseball pants for 10 Bagel & Deli t-shirts.

"It's the best job I've ever had," he said.

This is how Matt found his MILF.