Ken Vining- Baseball AND Rum Cakes!!

Ken Vining was lucky enough to have played for 8 years in professional baseball, making it to the majors with the White Sox in 2001, pitching in 8 games.

After his baseball career, Ken got in to making rum cakes!  How cool is that?  For a very reasonable price, you can order a rum cake actually made by former MLB player, Ken Vining!

Check out his site and make sure you read the reviews!

http://www.abumsrumcake.com/

Ken was very kind and recently answered some questions for me by email!  His answers are in bold- enjoy!

1.  You played in some great minor league towns- Birmingham, New Orleans and Charlotte come to mind.  What did you think of those towns and their ballparks?

 

Birmingham Barons actually play in Hoover, AL.  I was on that roster for three years.  I loved the area and the people associated with the team down there.  I made some great friends while I was there.  I've heard they are about to get a new stadium.  New Orleans was a tough year for me.  It was my last full season of playing…things didn't go so well.  I enjoyed being there because my wife had a lot of family down there and those folks can cook!!  It would have been a great year if I had pitched a little better.  Charlotte was probably my favorite out of the three.  It was close to my hometown, decided to live here permanently, and I had a couple of very good years on the mound.  

2.  Do you still follow the White Sox or Giants?  Do you still keep up with their minor league systems?

 

I don't follow either of those teams.  To be honest, I don't really follow baseball at all.  I'll watch the college games when they are on TV late in the season.  I can't remember the last time I watched a MLB game

 

3.  Do you have any baseball stories relating to playing in (or near) Kentucky that you could share?

I think my best story relating to baseball in Kentucky is when we went to play Louisville.  I'm pretty sure it was July 4th weekend….they had an air show and a massive firework display on the river.  During the game, one of the jets did a low flyover past the stadium….scarred the hell out of everyone!  ha!

 

4. Have you ever contributed to a book on baseball?  Have you ever thought about writing one?

I have never contributed to any baseball books.  I thought about writing something a very long time ago, but the idea faded.  I have known a couple of guys who have written books/instructional guides for baseball.

 

5.  I MUST ask about the rum cake business!  First off, you have the coolest website name ever!  How does one go from playing professional baseball to making rum cakes?

Thanks for the props….actually the name is a jab from my wife ha!….her attempt at calling me a Bum.  If you go to the website and click on "film promo", there's a short video that kind of explains how things got started.  I had been working as a pitching instructor for several years with a local travel team.  I had a lot of fun working with the 17-18 year olds, but it was time for a change.  I had been making the cakes for years and everyone kept telling me I should turn it into a business…so we eventually did….kind of crazy

 

6.  Are your cakes available at any restaurants down there in South Carolina?

I'm actually not legally allowed to wholesale the cakes at this point.  Under the South Carolina cottage laws I need a certified commercial kitchen in order to wholesale.  That is something we would like to see happen one day in the future.  

 

7.  Have you thought about getting back in to baseball, maybe as a coach, at some point?

The only way I would get back in to baseball is if a major D-1 college in the ACC or SEC called needing a pitching coach.  However, that's not going to happen….I'm off those guy's radar now.  I'm completely fine with it….I loved the game for a long time, but I really don't miss it all that much.  Now I get to work with my son and help him get better…maybe the love for the game will come back.