OPP ...

Our son is working as an assistant to a physical therapist in the off-season and his bride is a substitute elementary education teacher who just got hired for a long term sub job that should take her to the end of Jan, right before they leave for spring training. The experience he is gaining in this job will give him something to ponder as a profession/career when he has to hang up his cleats ... presuming he doesn't stay affiliated with baseball somehow. And he said, for him, it sure beats retail and/or shop work.

Really great posts. I love the stories about Dads who encourage their kids to follow their dreams.

I was surprised at my husband, who has worked for the same employer since before our kids were born and plans to be there until retirement (he does have an interesting job that he enjoys) and has always been the dependable hard-working provider. When our boys started thinking about their futures in HS and both still talked about the dreams that they had been passionate about for years (one in music and one in baseball), he didn't tell them to grow up and get serious. He told them to work hard and chase those dreams as long as it took, and never end up sitting in an office staring at a wall, wondering "what if?". I love that guy.

Some of the saddest words and phrases in the English language are:

What if?
If only I had ...
I could of ...

We (his Mother and I) told our son to go for it all those Ivy covered buildings will still be there. He has the rest of his life to get a "job".

bbscout....I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 year experience playing professional baseball.

What I didn't like then (and I don't like now)was the minimal amount of money that the players in the short-season leagues get (yes, for 3 months) and fully 1/2 of them are left "hoping" to get invited to spring training the next year and when they do, they get "launched" when the new draft is over.

Kids all believe that they are the next Tom Seaver or Mickey Mantle or Barry Bonds, when, in reality, they are likely organizational players filling a roster spot.

I knew some guys that went to the big leagues and had nice careers, including Earl Williams who was the NL ROY in 1971. Roomed with him on road trips.

My son Paul played at Mississippi State ('91-93) and on the USA Junior Team (1990) and his teammates included Jay Powell; Scott Spiezio; Shawn Green; Brooks Keischnick...amongst others.

I love the game.

I just don't think that it is well-run as a business and you would see DRAMATIC CHANGES if they ever lost that anti-trust exemption.

I just believe that it is WRONG for a kid to have to depend on his parents for subsistence, at many minor league levels, while guys make $15 million a year at the top. A million of that would help an entire minor league organization make ends meet.

There is really very little money given to players in the lower stages of the draft, i.e., after the 10th round or so...except for an occasional kid that falls down a few slots because he couldn't get the deal done on draft day but then signs with another organization for decent money. Still...the bonus, if substantial, is usually spread over a few years.

BeenthereIL,
I agree 100%. Most if not all teams are penny wise and pound foolish in the way they approach developing players in the minors. They should pay decent salaries to players and allow them to spend full time on their game. They should get the best talent available for coaching staff and pay them legitimate salaries.

The best way to have a winning team at the major league levelis to have a strong minor league system sending developed talent up the ladder. Then decisions to pay for free agents could be done to fill specific needs and not at exorbitant prices that hamsting an organization for years to come.

For anyone that was in the minors but never made it:
Did you plan for it? Did you have a backup plan? Were you in college for the offseason?
Most importantly, what do you do now?

Hmmmm...Some "gremlin" must be following me around and erasing my postings.

bbscout...I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 years of playing minor league ball in the Braves organization; and, I number Earl Williams (NL Rookie of the Year in 1971) as a good friend, teammate and road roommate in the minors. My son, Paul, who played at Mississippi State and then in the Mets organization enjoyed his experiences, too. He was teammates with Jay Powell; Scott Spiezio; Shawn Green; Brooks Keischnick and others on the Junior Team and those 4 (among others) play/played in the big leagues, too.

I just happen to think that the minor league players are WOEFULLY underpaid. Nothing more and nothing less. $1,100.00 gross is nothing...even for a high school graduate. And, that is all the short-season guys get for June, July and August; and, then, you have to find a real job.

If you are "honest" with your employer, they might not hire you for the fall and winter so that you can live your dream and go back to spring training in March. Happened to me with the First National Bank of Chicago where I was a college graduate and a Trust Officer trainee.

Kids have to understand, that unless you are drafted in the top 10 rounds, you don't have enough MONEY for anything the first 2 years of minor league ball.

The players that get SCREWED the most by major league baseball are the Latin minor leaguers from the Dominican; Puerto Rico or Venezuela. They truly have no option, i.e., no education to fall back on and are resigned (as many of the kids from Venezuela were when I played...to going back to the tin shack on the side of mountain or some "slum"/barrio...or whatever they call it when they are 20-21 years old! Very few Latin minor leaguers even come from middle class families that can afford to support them in the minors.

Love the game and all the good that it stands for in preparing participants for "life". I just happen to think that so much more can be done for minor leaguers given the money that the owners make.

Been, times have changed for many of the Latin players. They are not in the draft and thus are signed as free agents. Many come to the US after having signed for pretty sizeable bonuses. Couple of my son's teammates signed for upwards of $200,000-$250,000 which goes much farther in their native country than in the US. Bonuses given this year include $600,000 and $710,000.
Little doubt though that most players involved in the draft who are drafted after the 10th round have to find a source of income outside of baseball to make ends meet.

infielddad ...

I agree that most who were drafted after the 10th have to find another source of income, but am sure a lot of those even in the top 5 rounds are working during the off season so they don't have to dip into the signing bonus $$.

Ours didn't sign for a whole lot compared to others, but he and his wife are trying to not tap into that money. Actually, they have become pretty creative. But then again, that might be why they are living so close to home these days ... at least 2 free meals a week (one with us, one with other parents), and free laundry facilities.

FBM, Good point. You also highlight a very different aspect of life in the minor leagues, the issues that can be confronted when a player is married.
Since every player is hoping to get the call for a promotion, decisions on living are much more complicated. One player this past season started without his wife and really struggled. Decided to move his wife to be with him. About three days after she arrives and moves into the apartment, he gets a call that he is being sent down, the very next morning. So now they are in two towns and paying for rent/living in two towns and wondering how long they should continue. Now that is very difficult! Not too unusual from what we learned talking with the players who are married. .

Beenthere, I agree that the pay scale of the kids in the minor leagues is low. I wish there was something that I could do about it, but there is not. When I signed in 1965 the salary was $500 a month and we got along just fine, but 39 years later and it had only moved to $850 per month which is poverty level. In 1965 the Rookies in the Big Leagues were only making $6500 for the year, or a little over a $1000 per month for the season. Today a Rookie makes $317,000 for the season plus the license money is about another $40,000.

quote:

One player this past season started without his wife and really struggled. Decided to move his wife to be with him. About three days after she arrives and moves into the apartment, he gets a call that he is being sent down, the very next morning. So now they are in two towns and paying for rent/living in two towns and wondering how long they should continue.

There is only so much one can do. At some point close to this I would probably rationalize God has another plan for me, like grad school.

infielddad amd Dad04 ...

quote:

About three days after she arrives and moves into the apartment, he gets a call that he is being sent down, the very next morning. So now they are in two towns and paying for rent/living in two towns and wondering how long they should continue. Now that is very difficult!

Son looked to be in a similar situation this past summer but actually went into his manager before his wife came back to midwest ... she was here finishing student teaching ... and flat out asked him if it was a good idea to have wife and dog drive there from Cali. Mgr suggested he might just want to have his wife fly back ... and it saved them a lot of hassles. But I guess the key, if a player is married ... pack lightly and drive a big pick-up

M A
Well, Jr. has the big pick-up. I guess all he needs now is an All-American season or two, a draft pick and a wife. He'll probably need to find his check book he lost a month ago first though.

God Bless your kids.

quote:

Actually, they have become pretty creative. But then again, that might be why they are living so close to home these days ... at least 2 free meals a week (one with us, one with other parents), and free laundry facilities.

Mom...Isn't it fun?

Thank God for moms and dads and their checkbooks.