Around the League - 2021 Szn

I worked in a AAA clubhouse about a decade ago in Durham. Players used to pay between $15-20 per day in dues to the clubhouse manager, plus usually significant tips at the end of the week for the clubhouse staff. Those dues were used to buy groceries, pay staff members like me, and generally keep the clubhouse going with things like laundry, cleaning, etc. In some cases, a guy would throw you a few extra dollars to pick up their favorite type of sunflower seeds or dip before a homestand. For a typical day, guys would show up around lunch time and we would have a spread of deli meats, cheese, bread, condiments out for them to make sandwiches. A couple hours before the game we would make hot dogs and such on a small griddle as their pregame meal. Then after the game the ballpark catering staff would usually provide a meal for the team- something like lasagna or chicken fried rice. After a win, we would put out a cooler of Coors Light. The only times that routine changed were when big leaguers were in town- when Evan Longoria came own on rehab for a few days he cancelled the post-game catering and had meals catered from Ruth's Chris, Maggiano's, and other places like that. The Bulls also did a nice job providing housing- their parent company owns a set of apartments by the ballpark that they would rotate players in and out of on flexible leases. Brooks Conrad was on the team while I was there and he would almost always send one of us to pick up lunch for him from a restaurant nearby because he had extra cash to work with, but for most guys they were pretty reliant on the team spread. I went out for beers with a few of them after a game one time before an off day and a couple guys left after a drink or two because they couldn't afford to rack up a meaningful tab.

I think the Bulls are broadly thought to be one of the classier minor league organizations, so this may not be the norm, just thought it was an interesting case study.
 
McCann'sCans said:
I worked in a AAA clubhouse about a decade ago in Durham. Players used to pay between $15-20 per day in dues to the clubhouse manager, plus usually significant tips at the end of the week for the clubhouse staff. Those dues were used to buy groceries, pay staff members like me, and generally keep the clubhouse going with things like laundry, cleaning, etc. In some cases, a guy would throw you a few extra dollars to pick up their favorite type of sunflower seeds or dip before a homestand. For a typical day, guys would show up around lunch time and we would have a spread of deli meats, cheese, bread, condiments out for them to make sandwiches. A couple hours before the game we would make hot dogs and such on a small griddle as their pregame meal. Then after the game the ballpark catering staff would usually provide a meal for the team- something like lasagna or chicken fried rice. After a win, we would put out a cooler of Coors Light. The only times that routine changed were when big leaguers were in town- when Evan Longoria came own on rehab for a few days he cancelled the post-game catering and had meals catered from Ruth's Chris, Maggiano's, and other places like that. The Bulls also did a nice job providing housing- their parent company owns a set of apartments by the ballpark that they would rotate players in and out of on flexible leases. Brooks Conrad was on the team while I was there and he would almost always send one of us to pick up lunch for him from a restaurant nearby because he had extra cash to work with, but for most guys they were pretty reliant on the team spread. I went out for beers with a few of them after a game one time before an off day and a couple guys left after a drink or two because they couldn't afford to rack up a meaningful tab.

I think the Bulls are broadly thought to be one of the classier minor league organizations, so this may not be the norm, just thought it was an interesting case study.
Click to expand...

This is really insightful, thanks for providing this! Also, how awesome of Longoria. Obviously, it's no sweat off his back [or bank account] but he didn't have to do it.
 
Carp said:
Don't they also get per diem or something like that to cover food costs? I'm sure it isn't much and many of these guys are probably eating bologna sandwiches a lot, but it certainly would add up to more than $500/week. Crazy to me to think that $500 a week doesn't do what it used to. I didn't make much more than 10 years ago fresh out of college, but it seemed like I got by pretty well all things considered. Of course, the cost of living in East TN is some of the lowest in the country, but still, the point remains.
Click to expand...

There is a per diem on top of that at the upper levels. I'm relatively sure there's one for the guys at the lower levels when the team's on the road, but I'm not sure whether or not they're given lunch money when they're "at home".

That anyone could "get by pretty well" on $350 after taxes 10 years ago is incredibly irrelevant - when was the last time anyone's been to Wal Mart or Lowes and gotten out without spending $150? When was the last time you went through a fast food drive-thru without spending $15?

I get that these guys are chasing dreams, and by definition making your dreams come true is supposed to be hard. This is a different level though - this rivals sweat shop labor. The reason many of the guys who have no chance of making it are there is exactly as was mentioned above...the good kids need someone to play against to further their development. The thing about the kids at the A-Ball level is that they have fairly advanced skills when compared to the rest of the population. What kind of reasonable development can you expect for "good players" if they played against teams full of posters from here that love/loved the game, but didn't even scare having enough talent to compete with the peons with no chance?

Even the bad players at that level challenge the good ones every once in awhile - that's why they're there. 50 made a really good point earlier about players' housing. There's absolutely no reason the teams shouldn't subsidize the apartments during the season - at least for the lower level kids who make so much money they're living below the poverty line. If the club worked out an agreement with a local landlord to provide 7 apartments during the season. That would provide a place to stay for every A-Ball player - Hi and Lo. Deducting $100/week from their paychecks would cover around 25% of what the team would have to pay for the lease and power bill. The clubs could work out a deal to run advertisements for the apartment complex to get the rent rate reduced, and could probably do the same with the local utility to get the power bills covered. The rest is easily written off by the club as an expense. Treat it like Division 1 schools treat dorms for players on scholarship - that would be far from a large expense for an $11 billion industry, and easily paid for now that the clubs are getting the revenues from those teams rather than local owners.
 
UNCBlue012 said:
This is really insightful, thanks for providing this! Also, how awesome of Longoria. Obviously, it's no sweat off his back [or bank account] but he didn't have to do it.
Click to expand...

He was a pretty nice guy in my experience. When he was leaving for Tampa he had a car pick him up. I wheeled his suitcase to the car- probably no more than 50 ft from his locker- and put it in for him. He handed me $500 cash as a tip for the week. Needless to say that was pretty exciting as a college kid at the time.
 
The clubbie world is fascinating to me, especially in the visiting clubhouse. The guy who ran the visitor's clubhouse in Durham kept a book with details on every player on every team- how they want their bags unpacked, what kind of gum they chew, which beer they prefer, etc. If you can give them exactly what they want, they are likely to tip you a lot more. As a Braves fan, I was of course fascinated at the time to see what kind of beer Jose Constanza liked vs. what Joey Terdoslavich was drinking. The visiting clubbie (and often the home clubblie) isn't paid by the team- they are effectively running their own small business out of the clubhouse charging dues and using those dues to pay for goods and staff. I don't know if it is true or not, but they told a story about the Yankees clubbie getting a $10k tip from Jeter one time because he let them put him in the big tumble dryer we used for uniforms an run it for a minute with him inside. It was always an entertaining place to work. I made a decent amount of money betting on games of FIFA against Alex Colome when he was with the Bulls.
 
McCann'sCans said:
He was a pretty nice guy in my experience. When he was leaving for Tampa he had a car pick him up. I wheeled his suitcase to the car- probably no more than 50 ft from his locker- and put it in for him. He handed me $500 cash as a tip for the week. Needless to say that was pretty exciting as a college kid at the time.
Click to expand...

Not exactly "Bulls-related", but a fantasy football league I've been in for 20+ years has our draft in one of the meeting rooms in one of the office buildings adjacent to the new park - it overlooks right-center. We meet in Raleigh the weekend before Labor Day weekend every year so those with kids can still sneak away for that last long weekend before school starts. Once the draft's finished, we head over to Tobacco Road to have drinks/munchies/lunch and watch some of the game if the Bulls are in town. Most years the Little League World Series semis and finals fall on that weekend so there's something on in case there isn't an early NFL preseason game on or if the Bulls aren't in town.
 
clvclv said:
There is a per diem on top of that at the upper levels. I'm relatively sure there's one for the guys at the lower levels when the team's on the road, but I'm not sure whether or not they're given lunch money when they're "at home".

That anyone could "get by pretty well" on $350 after taxes 10 years ago is incredibly irrelevant - when was the last time anyone's been to Wal Mart or Lowes and gotten out without spending $150? When was the last time you went through a fast food drive-thru without spending $15?

I get that these guys are chasing dreams, and by definition making your dreams come true is supposed to be hard. This is a different level though - this rivals sweat shop labor. The reason many of the guys who have no chance of making it are there is exactly as was mentioned above...the good kids need someone to play against to further their development. The thing about the kids at the A-Ball level is that they have fairly advanced skills when compared to the rest of the population. What kind of reasonable development can you expect for "good players" if they played against teams full of posters from here that love/loved the game, but didn't even scare having enough talent to compete with the peons with no chance?

Even the bad players at that level challenge the good ones every once in awhile - that's why they're there. 50 made a really good point earlier about players' housing. There's absolutely no reason the teams shouldn't subsidize the apartments during the season - at least for the lower level kids who make so much money they're living below the poverty line. If the club worked out an agreement with a local landlord to provide 7 apartments during the season. That would provide a place to stay for every A-Ball player - Hi and Lo. Deducting $100/week from their paychecks would cover around 25% of what the team would have to pay for the lease and power bill. The clubs could work out a deal to run advertisements for the apartment complex to get the rent rate reduced, and could probably do the same with the local utility to get the power bills covered. The rest is easily written off by the club as an expense. Treat it like Division 1 schools treat dorms for players on scholarship - that would be far from a large expense for an $11 billion industry, and easily paid for now that the clubs are getting the revenues from those teams rather than local owners.
Click to expand...

Me, every time I go. Who the hell is consistently spending $15 or more at Wendy's for themselves? And if you are, you are making very bad life choices. Lumber is through the roof at the moment, but it'll settle back down eventually.

And on the other points, if you read my other points, I'm generally in agreement with you.
 
McCann'sCans said:
The clubbie world is fascinating to me, especially in the visiting clubhouse. The guy who ran the visitor's clubhouse in Durham kept a book with details on every player on every team- how they want their bags unpacked, what kind of gum they chew, which beer they prefer, etc. If you can give them exactly what they want, they are likely to tip you a lot more. As a Braves fan, I was of course fascinated at the time to see what kind of beer Jose Constanza liked vs. what Joey Terdoslavich was drinking. The visiting clubbie (and often the home clubblie) isn't paid by the team- they are effectively running their own small business out of the clubhouse charging dues and using those dues to pay for goods and staff. I don't know if it is true or not, but they told a story about the Yankees clubbie getting a $10k tip from Jeter one time because he let them put him in the big tumble dryer we used for uniforms an run it for a minute with him inside. It was always an entertaining place to work. I made a decent amount of money betting on games of FIFA against Alex Colome when he was with the Bulls.
Click to expand...

Are the Bulls still independently-owned? The fact that there are still some teams in the National Association that are independently-owned may figure into some of the disparities that might exist.
 
Carp said:
Me, every time I go. Who the hell is consistently spending $15 or more at Wendy's for themselves? And if you are, you are making very bad life choices. Lumber is through the roof at the moment, but it'll settle back down eventually.

And on the other points, if you read my other points, I'm generally in agreement with you.
Click to expand...

Didn't mean to infer that you were picking an argument - just to further point out that that $350 goes nowhere near as far as we could make it go 10 years ago.

I think most people who are reasonable realize what the players get "paid" at the lower levels is a joke, and beyond ridiculous when you add the context of how inexpensive it would be for clubs to subsidize their housing during the season - especially when you think about the benefit gained from having those players around to compete against means for their real prospects.
 
Last edited:
50PoundHead said:
Are the Bulls still independently-owned? The fact that there are still some teams in the National Association that are independently-owned may figure into some of the disparities that might exist.
Click to expand...

Capitol Broadcasting Company still owns the Bulls - bought them in 1990 and built the new park in 1995.
 
50PoundHead said:
Are the Bulls still independently-owned? The fact that there are still some teams in the National Association that are independently-owned may figure into some of the disparities that might exist.
Click to expand...

I believe they are still owned by Capital Broadcasting Company, but not completely sure. I would guess you're right about this being the source of some disparities (which ends up making it a really desirable place for minor leaguers to play). The Charlotte Knights were also privately owned (might still be), and there were a couple of AAAA type players that I spoke with back then who said they would keep playing minor league ball as long as they could play in a place like Durham or Charlotte, but not if they wound up in a less desirable place to play.
 
McCann'sCans said:
I believe they are still owned by Capital Broadcasting Company, but not completely sure. I would guess you're right about this being the source of some disparities (which ends up making it a really desirable place for minor leaguers to play). The Charlotte Knights were also privately owned (might still be), and there were a couple of AAAA type players that I spoke with back then who said they would keep playing minor league ball as long as they could play in a place like Durham or Charlotte, but not if they wound up in a less desirable place to play.
Click to expand...

One of the larger effects of the paring down of the minors has been the demise of a lot of the smaller independently-owned franchises, especially in the Appalachian, New York-Penn, and Pioneer Leagues. Mike Veeck owns the Saints up here in St. Paul, which is now the Twins' AAA team. He had a helluva run in the American Association with independent league ball. Curious to know how much the new agreement has benefited him.
 
McCann'sCans said:
I worked in a AAA clubhouse about a decade ago in Durham. Players used to pay between $15-20 per day in dues to the clubhouse manager, plus usually significant tips at the end of the week for the clubhouse staff. Those dues were used to buy groceries, pay staff members like me, and generally keep the clubhouse going with things like laundry, cleaning, etc. In some cases, a guy would throw you a few extra dollars to pick up their favorite type of sunflower seeds or dip before a homestand. For a typical day, guys would show up around lunch time and we would have a spread of deli meats, cheese, bread, condiments out for them to make sandwiches. A couple hours before the game we would make hot dogs and such on a small griddle as their pregame meal. Then after the game the ballpark catering staff would usually provide a meal for the team- something like lasagna or chicken fried rice. After a win, we would put out a cooler of Coors Light. The only times that routine changed were when big leaguers were in town- when Evan Longoria came own on rehab for a few days he cancelled the post-game catering and had meals catered from Ruth's Chris, Maggiano's, and other places like that. The Bulls also did a nice job providing housing- their parent company owns a set of apartments by the ballpark that they would rotate players in and out of on flexible leases. Brooks Conrad was on the team while I was there and he would almost always send one of us to pick up lunch for him from a restaurant nearby because he had extra cash to work with, but for most guys they were pretty reliant on the team spread. I went out for beers with a few of them after a game one time before an off day and a couple guys left after a drink or two because they couldn't afford to rack up a meaningful tab.

I think the Bulls are broadly thought to be one of the classier minor league organizations, so this may not be the norm, just thought it was an interesting case study.
Click to expand...

I was the visiting clubhouse manager for Gwinnett for 3 seasons from 2010-2012. I'd have cereal, lunch meats, fresh fruit/veggies, snack foods etc to snack on when players arrived. I usually did separate meals for players for post-BP spread, then a large meal after the game. Being on the visiting side, I was able to use the same 4 meals because the players would be different. The team paid for laundry, $70/day, paid by the team trainer. Each player paid $15/day in dues. If there was a major leaguer who came through on rehab and bought a spread, i'd knock a few dollars off the dues. I also had a soda machine, and tons of bottled waters paid for by the Braves, as well as the gatorade for the field.

Bat boys would show up about an hour before game time and get the dugouts set up with towels, water, gatorade, gum, and seeds. They would also bring down the helmets.

I had several teams including Charlotte and Buffalo who wanted me to come be their home clubhouse manager and was also offered a spot for Mobile. I did get to see the home clubhouse in Charlotte which was an absolute dump. Luckily for them, this was their old stadium and their new one appears to be much better.
 
Carp said:
Me, every time I go. Who the hell is consistently spending $15 or more at Wendy's for themselves? And if you are, you are making very bad life choices. Lumber is through the roof at the moment, but it'll settle back down eventually.

And on the other points, if you read my other points, I'm generally in agreement with you.
Click to expand...

Seriously, I'm not sure I've ever spent 15$ on a fast food meal.

Also that's a pretty big bill for Lowe's which I can't say I ever went to much before I owned property.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top