"I was willing to flip burgers at McD's." great article on O's working side jobs - O'Day the bouncer

[O's are Legends]

Really enjoyed this article. Just shows you, no matter what your goal or dreams are, if you keep on working on your craft, your dream can be achieved. I've always felt there are a lot of guys on this team that are very easy to root for.

"It was during Christmas, so I felt like Santa dropping off gifts," Joseph said. "I liked it. ... But there are times when you really start thinking, 'I'm a professional athlete.' It starts raining and you have to continue working and you're pedaling uphill in the rain and its freezing. You're thinking, 'What am I doing?'

After his first professional season, Orioles reliever Darren O'Day made about $8 an hour as a bouncer in a bar in Gainesville, where he attended the University of Florida.

"That minor league paycheck is just not going to support much of a lifestyle." said O'Day, an undrafted free agent who received a modest $20,000 signing bonus. "I wore like five T-shirts so I'd look bigger."

Gonzalez, however, might be the best success story. He will no longer need to bag groceries.

In his first year of arbitration eligibility, Gonzalez will make $3.275 million in 2015, more than five times his 2014 salary of $529,000.

Hopefully this comes out ok, using my phone as I'm using tablet to watch Santa Clara & BYU.

Sun

[weams]

I'll be OK and my family is going to be fine. Hopefully, my mom doesn't need to work anymore. That's my goal. I want my mom to not work and just be home and be a wife. She worked really hard in her younger ages.

"She worked 10 hours a day and now she's not going to do that anymore because I told her not to. That makes me feel good. You appreciate things better when you're one of those guys who played a lot of the minor leagues, didn't make anything and now I can actually take care of my family."

Gonzalez

[Frobby]

It is a great article. You kind of forget that while making the majors is a thrilling thing for non-economic reasons, for many of these guys it takes them from the poverty line to the top one percent of income earners overnight. And then you have to stay there, like Joseph. It's a true pyramid.

[weams]

It is a great article. You kind of forget that while making the majors is a thrilling thing for non-economic reasons, for many of these guys it takes them from the poverty line to the top one percent of income earners overnight. And then you have to stay there, like Joseph. It's a true pyramid.

1200 at a time. It's something else.

[Frobby]

Getting put on the 40-man or having a call-up has huge consequences. Great explanation of all the nuances here: http://www.jeffblankbaseball.com/salary-information/minor-league-salary/

Short version, once you're on the 40-man you're making about $40 k instead of $16 k or less. And once you've had even one day of major league service you'll make about $80 k even if you're not on the 40-man. You also get that for being on the 40-man two years in a row.

The other thing is that your salary has to be at least 60% of your combined major league and minor league salary from the prior year. So let's say Joseph doesn't make the team, they stil would have to pay him roughly $250 k this year.

[weams]

The other thing is that your salary has to be at least 60% of your combined major league and minor league salary from the prior year. So let's say Joseph doesn't make the team, they stil would have to pay him roughly $250 k this year.

Some good facts here. Thanks.

[Frobby]

Some good facts here. Thanks.

I edited my post a bit after you quoted me (not the part you quoted). You really see how getting on the 40-man or getting a call-up is a life-changing event. You also see that the amount a team could spend at the AAA level could vary pretty drastically from team to team.

[33rdst]

I really enjoyed reading this article. Makes you root even harder for these guys. I've never understood why teams don't pay guys enough to live at a level above subsistence. Especially at the lower levels. It seems to me that the teams would benefit if the players were focusing on their development rather than trying to feed themselves. I understand it's a business but wouldn't that be a good business investment?

[weams]

I really enjoyed reading this article. Makes you root even harder for these guys. I've never understood why teams don't pay guys enough to live at a level above subsistence. Especially at the lower levels. It seems to me that the teams would benefit if the players were focusing on their development rather than trying to feed themselves. I understand it's a business but wouldn't that be a good business investment?

I think colleges should pay football players 100,000 K a year as well.

[Can_of_corn]

Getting put on the 40-man or having a call-up has huge consequences. Great explanation of all the nuances here: http://www.jeffblankbaseball.com/salary-information/minor-league-salary/

Short version, once you're on the 40-man you're making about $40 k instead of $16 k or less. And once you've had even one day of major league service you'll make about $80 k even if you're not on the 40-man. You also get that for being on the 40-man two years in a row.

The other thing is that your salary has to be at least 60% of your combined major league and minor league salary from the prior year. So let's say Joseph doesn't make the team, they stil would have to pay him roughly $250 k this year.

This helps explain to me why fringe guys are willing to hang on for as long as they can in AAA when so many bust out after a couple of years in the minors.

[weams]

I really enjoyed reading this article. Makes you root even harder for these guys. I've never understood why teams don't pay guys enough to live at a level above subsistence. Especially at the lower levels. It seems to me that the teams would benefit if the players were focusing on their development rather than trying to feed themselves. I understand it's a business but wouldn't that be a good business investment?

They don't need to feed themselves. There are spreads at the clubhouse and at the motel that they stay in in the spring. The issue is that they try to live on their meal money. I have seen many well known players coming back from McDonalds with a bag of dollar meal items.

[weams]

This helps explain to me why fringe guys are willing to hang on for as long as they can in AAA when so many bust out after a couple of years in the minors.

It does make some sense now. I appreciate that this was shared.

[Can_of_corn]

I think colleges should pay football players 100,000 K a year as well.

That would be a pretty good gig for say the service academies. Top notch education, guaranteed employment and 100K a year. Be quite a pay drop when they actually start their service (Starting pay for officers is under 35K).

[Can_of_corn]

They don't need to feed themselves. There are spreads at the clubhouse and at the motel that they stay in in the spring. The issue is that they try to live on their meal money. I have seen many well known players coming back from McDonalds with a bag of dollar meal items.

The post game spreads can be rather pathetic in the low minors. Talking PB&J sandwich level stuff.

That is why it is always nice to hear when a MLB player spends big on the spread when they are rehabing.

This also goes back to my point from a few years ago that teams might benefit from taking over the pre and post game spreads and putting out healthy alternatives for the players.

[33rdst]

They don't need to feed themselves. There are spreads at the clubhouse and at the motel that they stay in in the spring. The issue is that they try to live on their meal money. I have seen many well known players coming back from McDonalds with a bag of dollar meal items.

I'm confused by your first sentence. Why would they be buying dollar meals at fast food places if the didn"t have to feed themselves? Twenty five thousand doesn't seem like much to live on. But that's not really my point. The question is how much more would the team benefit if it provided enough financial support to players so they could work on their craft during the off season and not bag groceries? It's true winter ball is available to some. But I'm thinking more of a systematic approach.

BTW I agree with your comment about college athletes but for divison one revenue producing sports only.