RAPID CITY - Tom Johnson did what every baseball player does when he is looking for a job. He went to Major League Baseball's winter meetings.

Only Johnson wasn't a player looking for a Major League Baseball team to sign him - he was looking for an opportunity.

"I went to Dallas, Texas during the baseball winter meetings and turned in a bunch of resumes and got a few interviews," he said of how the process began three years ago.

In a business where who you know often trumps what you know, Johnson got the chance to meet a great source of baseball information in Peter Gammons as well as Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

The 25-year-old from Minnesota was thinking he may catch on with the Twins or possibly the Rockies, but in the end it was the Oakland A's that gave him a chance as an intern.

"I ended up doing an internship in Stockton, Calif., which is Single-A for the Oakland A's where I worked in baseball operations and got a chance to work with the team in the clubhouse," he said. "I helped players during (batting practice) and even got an opportunity to catch bullpen when I was out there,"

Last year, Johnson moved up to the A's Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento where he was the coordinator of grounds.

"It was a great experience to go from college ball to getting to see how things are run at two different levels of pro ball," Johnson said. "Getting to know the players was really great. I enjoyed getting to see all angles of baseball."

The work was not easy with typical days during the season starting at 7 a.m., and he would not complete his duties until

11 p.m. or later.

He now enjoys watching some of those same players he got to know in his two years in the A's organization get a chance with the big club.

"They were a great group of guys and I remember I would ask one of the guys how he was doing every day and he always said, 'I'm living the dream.'"

Johnson had his own dreams of playing pro ball after completing his eligibility at Mankato State University, Mankato in Mankato, Minn., but a torn labrum forced a premature end to the third baseman's career and had him looking for new ways to stay involved in the sport he loves.

That gave him the push that landed him with the A's organization and he thought about staying with the Triple A team in Sacramento, but another opportunity arose last year through the Colorado Rockies organization that sent him to Arizona to take part in two weeks of scout school.

"You learn a lot in a very short amount of time," he said. "It is put on by the Major League Scouting Bureau, and it is two weeks of non-stop school from 8 a.m. until you get done with your scouting reports.

"The first couple of days it is a majority of classroom stuff and after that you go to the ballpark and watch a couple of Arizona Fall League games."

The experience left its mark on Johnson who now hopes to catch on as a scout with a major league team. However, just like making a MLB roster, the number of scouting spots is very limited.

"At the school they said we could get a job in a couple of months or a couple of years," Johnson said. "But I have always had the dream of playing professional baseball like any kid would … so I have looked at other ways to make it to professional ball or even Major League Baseball."

Johnson sent out letters to all 30 MLB teams expressing his interest in scouting getting letters back from about half, but he is still waiting for the call that will give him a chance to be a scout.

After completing scout school, Johnson moved to Rapid City with his wife to be closer to family. During the day he works as a ranch hand, but he has found a way to remain close to the game he loves by coaching the Post 320 Shooting Stars.

"I just try to help out wherever I am needed," he said. "It has been a great experience working with kids, the coaching staff and they have a great facility. I just wanted to remain around baseball so I don't lose a lot of the things I have learned."

Johnson has learned trying to be a scout is a lot like a player with patience being key.

"There are days that I wish it would happen right now, but then I realize that when it is time, it is time and something will happen."