I still dont understand why money is always the main topic of discussion regarding the minors, yes its rough, yes its tough, but so are a bunch of other jobs. This is an entry level position to a multi-million dollar a year job.
But also remember money isnt everything, i was happier before i had my signing bonus. You cant take this game and base it solely on getting rich, if you do it will humble you real quick. Luckily i've already learned that.If you look at most of the big leaguers, even the guys with big contracts, you will notice that they still just love to play the game. It may seem like with all the money that players get that its all they care about. But if you watch the game, the best players arent all about the money, they play hard and then when the season ends they let their agent take care of the negotiating.

Beenthere,
Teammates and roommates, Do you know Eric?
Ive already been out to Burlington but I may try to make the Dayton OH or Lansing games.

Great post AHS!

NJBB - If you get to Dayton, especially on weekend, please let me know. I'd LOVE to come up and watch Chris with ya!

quote:

Beenthere,
Teammates and roommates, Do you know Eric?
Ive already been out to Burlington but I may try to make the Dayton OH or Lansing games.

Coached him in the summer of 2002 with the Upper Deck Cougars.

Big, talented, good-looking kid.

Thanks, I'm still watching.

lafmom,
you have a pm

Got it!

This is a most interesting thread, as many of the pro ball discussions are. And there are as many opinions and perspectives as there are belly buttons out there.

From our perspective, there have been times when we almost wished our son were ready to hang up the cleats ... watching him struggle at his 'profession', watching the sadness in his eyes as he tried to figure out what he needed to correct to be successful, watching his face as he struggled with the little voice that told him to just keep walking when he left the mound that inning, walking till he got back home to Orange County.

Does he think his job is tougher than that of a family man trying to support a family of 4 on minimun wage? Would he ever compare what he does with that of a service man/woman who is protecting our country and putting themselves in harm's way so that we can enjoy our American way of life? No, not for a minute.

But IT IS HIS JOB AND HE TAKES IT VERY SERIOUSLY ! ! ! He treats it as a job, he shows up when he is supposed to, does what he is expected to do, and in some cases, sacrifices some things that people outside the sport wouldn't understand (sometimes it is even club house dues that come pretty expensive as he moves up, or long bus rides on 2 lane roads that take 3 hours up and 3 hours back, just to turn around and do again the next day), and does his job in rather rough climate conditions that are not always conducive to a successful outing.

He has a love/hate relationship with his dream job, and stays with it because he has the same dream he had when he was 8 and 12 and 16 and 20 ... to make it to a 40 man and then a 25 man roster. He doesn't get paid a whole lot but he and his wife manage to survive inspite of it. They both know that he could be making more money if he were in the non-sports work world, and his wife chose to teach full time. But to them, it isn't about the money at this point, anymore than it was for his parents and her parents when they first started out.


bbscout ...

quote:

The young couple got married because they love each other

Thanks for making the comments about the married couple. I know a lot of wives do NOT travel with their husbands, primarily for financial reasons, tho there are a few wives who don't travel because they really don't support their husbands' dreams. (I feel very sad for those players ... ) But our son and his wife married just before his second season for that very reason ... they loved each other, had gone together for 6+ years, and he wanted the emotional support from her that she dreamed of providing to him while pursuing his dreams. And tho many wouldn't understand this either, most of the married players that we know are more stable and settled and quite often more dependable than the single players.

infielddad ...
Thanks for your original post. I have a good sense of what Jason was feeling as we have witnessed firsthand the sadness that our son has experienced when a close friend is traded, impacted by the rule V draft, or (more painfully) said goodbye to a friend who wasn't ready to hang up his cleats but was handed his ticket home. And as I sit here and watch the tail end of the All Star game, I realize how many of those fine athletes lived the same way and wouldn't be where they are today had they not lived throught the challenges of the minor league life.

God bless them all ! ! !

This has been a really interesting thread. I really enjoyed the various posters expressing their own points of view and obviously acknowledging other viewpoints. One of the best in that respect I've ever read on here.

As I read through this I couldn't help but think about how hard it is for anyone to comprehend the ups and downs without going through them personally. While I don't pretend to know anything about minor league or professional baseball...I have learned a lot from those who have or are experiencing it...infielddad being one such person who has shared a lot of his son's experiences to me outside of this message board.

But I understand the other views as well...Poptime, while you came out with guns blazing, you ultimately got the discussion to cover the points that it needed too. Fungo, bbscout, CD, FBM, AHS17, others...great job!

I know from our college experience so much more that I could have never known before. Yes, lots of great things...but there are other times that break your heart as a parent. In what other profession do you have to sit quietly while you watch your son fail badly in front of thousands...or on national TV? What other job do you as a parent sit next to people who are ripping your child to shreds with their anger? Or read a bristling critique from a fan of their latest performance on their college message board? I'll never forget PGStaff's story about sitting in the MLB stadium while 45,000 fans booed his son. I can relate (on a smaller scale)!

You know your son can deal with it...but you're just crying inside and only other parents can ever truly understand those feelings.

One of my favorite "little stories" other than PGStaff's occured just 6 or 7 weeks ago. Our son followed another pitcher's bad outing with is own horrible outing...on national TV. The mother of the other pitcher looked at my wife after they were both finished for the day and asked, "Wanna go get drunk?"

But would we want it any other way? Really? Things are not appreciated so much when they come easy. I do hope my son pitches a CG win in the final game of the CWS, gets drafted and stays with one team forever, wins the Cy Young and is inducted into the HOF. We all want that, yes. But this stuff is hard and we know our sons are there because they want to be and we know that they are growing up so incredibly fast and yes, that alone makes us smile!

Justbaseball, Great Post.
Let my wife and I know wear the nearest Pub's Are
Around the Country.
How do you Prepare your Son for such abuse.
It's just Baseball.
Do they sell Ear Plug's to Parent's.
Are do you invest in your own Box and Share with other's. EH

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:

In what other profession do you have to sit quietly while you watch your son fail badly in front of thousands...or on national TV? What other job do you as a parent sit next to people who are ripping your child to shreds with their anger? Or read a bristling critique from a fan of their latest performance on their college message board?

Just,

Please let me know the answer to that question when you find it.

In high school I sat in the crowds at football games and listened to them rip my son if he dropped a pass or missed a tackle.

I have read the remarks on the college message board where people who "say" they are my son's friend ripped him apart about baseball and he hasn't ever even set foot on that campus yet.

Added:

"I'll never forget PGStaff's story about sitting in the MLB stadium while 45,000 fans booed his son"

Now that would be a rough experience and one I am not sure I could handle.

"The mother of the other pitcher looked at my wife after they were both finished for the day and asked, "Wanna go get drunk?"

I am not much of a drinker, but under those circumstances I just may have to take it up. Maybe that is why some people drink BEFORE the game.

FBM - That was a great post! The parents of players who are in the minors obviously share the "true" picture of that life. It is not an easy one and is a job that these guys choose to stay with because of their dreams. It is very easy to understand why some would want to hang it up. It is a challenging life for many reasons.

I think it would be pretty awesome to play in the minor leagues. Even though it is not much you get paid to play a game.

"The life of a minor league player is not easy, and they are not blessed......they are grinding like crazy trying to be the best they can be which is not something that can be said about most people in most jobs."

bbscout, as usual, provides a great and accurate perspective.
For everyone who has posted about how great it is to play professional baseball at any level of the minor leagues, I agree with every single one of you. There are very few playing professional baseball players who would ever trade that experience of being on the baseball field, playing the game and competing as they never have before.
What you don't see is the off the field grind and the "business" of baseball. The business side isn't money. The business side is watching your friends get released, traded, injured. The business side is, for the most part, never ever having a "boss" who tells you how you are doing, where you stand, giving you a performance review, or letting you have a clue of your situation. The business side is having a "breakout" season, getting your hopes up that you have made a mark and having the organization select a player who barely hit over .100 but was paid a very large bonus for the rewards and development of Fall Instrux. For the most part, professional baseball is all about the organization. The player, your son, is a "commodity, a contract" within that organization. The more money invested in the player, the better he stands but he is still by and large a "commodity/contract." Once you get over that, everything is fine.
I have come to view it this way: to play successfully at any level of professional ball you need excellent skills and unbelieveable determination and confidence. Because we all are able to see what happens on the field, we we can share the joys of playing.
Because we rarely see and hear what happens the other 12-13 hours per day in their lives, we really can't relate at all. That is real life and completely understandable.
The reason I started this thread wasn't to discuss what we see on the field, it was to provide some information about the off field. The posts from Fungo, FBM, njbb, bbscout, FrankF, justbb and others combine to provide terrific insights.
The reason I started this thread is to explain that it can be difficult to accept and acknowledge that your son is a baseball player to you and the fans but in his profession, he is all of those and he is also a commodity, a contract that can be bought, sold, traded, promoted, demoted and released. He can go 3-4 and drive in runs in a game, walk into the clubhouse and be told, at 11pm, to be at the park tomorrow morning at 7am as he is being shipped elsewhere. It happens to everyone of these players and it brings home the "business" side of baseball.
The reason I started this thread is to provide some idea of how mentally strong, determined and focused minor league players need to be to succeed in their profession, and even then, the organization will conclude most of them "failed."

This has been a great thread and should be moved to a new home in Golden threads!

Thanks all!

It sure has taken a few twists and turns hasn't it?

Very good thread.

Oh my gosh TPM, I totally agree with you

This thread definitely deserves Golden Thread considerations. I will not lie! peace, Shep

I agree, an excellent thread - what great posts from many members with first-hand experience. Thank you!

Moving to Golden Threads...

Very well said infield dad,
Many players who hang up the cleats, tell stories of the great times they had in the minors and I'm sure they were many but we all tend to remenber the good times and forget the bad.
Professional baseball is a emotional roller coaster for the players and their famlies.