A wonderfully written article with a great opening paras.
I have a friend, Steve (way much younger) who is an engineer in the oil patch. But he is also a great athlete and he was scouted out of his engineering school in Missouri.
On graduation, ConocoPhillips had offered him a job - as he was a good student too.
But he wanted a go at his pro ball career.
So, he asked ConocoPhillips if they would let him try it out for a season before deciding to start in the oil patch.
To their credit, they agreed.
Steve tells me the real rest of the story of being in the Minors.
Long bus trips, run down motel rooms and incredible competition - not that he is not a competitor.
But he lived his dream for one season - more appreciative than ever why he became an engineer.
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I can't possibly fathom why living above a funeral home is considered strange or undesirable. Is the apartment nice? Looks like it in the photo. The neighbors sure are quiet.
The players' poverty level wages are another story entirely.
8
Well, the baseball players don't have to worry about noisy neighbors.
You kidding? People will pay to live in funeral homes. Gillette should swap the beds for coffins and put the rooms up on Airbnb.
If the players have anything to complain about, it's having to pay $1,200 a month in Old Forage, Pa. Nice enough place but those rents seem steep.
Unless of course the club is paying the rent. In which case, don't complain.
1
Do you just write whatever stories PR people pitch you? This story is only interesting insofar as it vividly illustrates how the fortunes of baseball team owners are predicated on gross exploitation of labor.
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Well, it's quiet.
It would be quiet. Not a bad sacrifice for pursuing one's dream. It's an experience they can share with their grandchildren. IMO, too many Americans are death-phobic.
2
You may wish to research where the African American ballplayers at all levels stayed prior to to the mid sixties when they were finally permitted to bunk where the white players did. It is my understanding that funeral homes and morgues were very common residences, even for those in the majors.
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After losing a game, you can come home to the reminder that - unlike you - Father Time remains undefeated.
The jerk.
2
so....is this the designated dead ball zone ?
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"The breaking point came one Saturday morning when he awoke to the sounds of a funeral service taking place downstairs."
Just as I was thinking how blissfully quiet it would be. No problem though, as long as it's not before 9:00.
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Nothing about how the billionaire franchise owners are working to suppress these employees' wages and lobbied for minimum wage law exemptions? Like anyone else performing a job, they deserve to be paid enough to maintain a decent standard of living.
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Sounds like good potential for a sports/horror script.
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Do these wannabe millionaire ballplayers want my sympathy? Save it for the billionaire club owners.
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@george eliot
Perhaps is should be noted that ~10% of AAA (the highest level of minor league baseball) players will make it to the majors.)
Since 1976, base (lowest) major league salary has increased >2,500%; in the minors, it has gone up <70%.
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@george eliot What leads you to believe that minor league club owners are billionaires?
1
This is the epitome of pursuing your dreams. These guys are putting their heads down and grinding through this less-than-comfortable period to try to be the best. I have a ton of respect for them.
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