When I was a kid growing up, my favorite summer pastime was playing baseball. My brother and I would knock on doors every morning to round up enough of us to put together a scrub game in an empty field down the block or one of the neighbor’s back yards. We would play until it either got dark or mom would yell down the street that it was time for dinner. I wasn’t very good at it, but it was a lot of fun – it was a game.
Looking back on those early years, I wish I had the ability and resources to pursue he game with the intensity it would have taken to be able to turn it in to a career. Unfortunately, making it to the major leagues is about as likely for a kid as it is to win the big lottery. In fact it is just like winning the lottery. How many of us actually know a big lottery winner? How about a major league ballplayer? See?
But for the fortunate 750 currently playing on a major league team, there is a pot of gold. Sure, the average expected life in the profession is a little over 5 years – sooner if they injure themselves. But there are rewards. The average player’s salary for 2011 is $3.3 million. Not too shabby for a game.
Chasing the ball in the ivy
I am a Chicago White Sox fan, but I occasionally like to put on the Cubs. They tend to be more entertaining at times. I am referring, of course, to Alfanso Sorry-ano. He is a gem to watch out in left field. Seeing him chase the ball around as if he has no clue is better than being at the circus. The guy is a buffoon out there. The Cub’s General Manager, Jim Hendry, thought that signing this guy to a $19
million a year contract must have seemed like a good idea at some point. What’s worse than that is Hendry originally signed him for 8 years at $136 million and has 3 more years on his contract! The guy is pulling in $117,000 for each and every game, whether he plays or not.
I can’t, in all fairness, let the Sox off the hook. They signed Adam Dunn for 4 years and $56 million in the off-season.
Looking Lost
He is making $12 million this year and is batting .178 – the lowest in the American League. He also has 80 strikeouts – the highest in the league. Dunn came from the National League and played first base. With the Sox, he is a designated hitter. His only job is to get up off the bench 4 times a day and swing at a baseball. As a comparison, Brent Morel a rookie, is batting .259 and making a mere $414,000. Adam Dunn says he has had a hard time adjusting to the designated hitter role. He used to play the field AND bat, now he just bats. For $12 million a year, he better darned well learn to adjust. In April – not June.
Both the Cubs and Sox have an annual payroll for players that is around $125 million. A club box seat for a Cub’s game is $112 and an upper deck seat is $56, plus a 12% amusement tax. Sox fans can add your own punch line here.
