It has been some time since I’ve “blogged” about the internal workings of Cats’ baseball and LaGrave Field.Now, with our departure in the near future, I feel I have two or three blogs left in me while I’m still fully involved. I say “fully involved” because I feel I will always be a part of the Cats. I was the emcee at the groundbreaking for the new LaGrave Field on December 3, 2001 and I’ve been pretty much immersed in “everything Cat” since then. In fact, my relationship as a friend and consultant to Carl Bell began when Bobby Bragan introduced us on opening night at Goldstien Field in June of that year. Although we had not met before, we did share the common bond of working for the Rangers at old Arlington Stadium in the early years. Carl was a gate supervisor and I was a member of the grounds crew back in the early ‘70’s when the team first arrived from Washington. (I would later work in the Rangers’ front office for four years in the ‘80’s.)
But that is another “blog”, for another day……
This is a bittersweet time of year for most minor league baseball people. The season has come to an end and for all but a few, the hopes and dreams of a championship have been officially dashed. Only two teams in the American Association remain in the running for that ultimate thrill while the other eight of us have said our goodbyes and players and coaches are scattering to return to their “other lives”. One of the most frequent questions we get in the business of minor league baseball is “what do the players do during the off-season?” or….(since it is well known that minor league salaries are not lavish) “how do they make a living?”Well, the answer to those questions is not a simple answer. The “other lives” that minor league players return to consist of a wide range of activities.
Some, having been drafted by major league teams out of high school, junior college or even before they completed their academic career at a four-year school, will return to college classes for fall semester. Others will go to another league which has yet to complete its’ season and make a few more dollars playing baseball, while others may play in one of the winter leagues in the tropical climates. Many will return to their home area to teach, coach or provide instruction at one of the many baseball schools or training centers that have become popular with young ballplayers on the “select” or “travel” teams these days.But most players are involved in non-baseball related jobs during the off-season, such as sales of all sorts (everything from security systems to multi-level marketing), construction, banking, mortgage brokers, retail sales, and we’ve even had a minister or two in the mix over the years!
A few players are fortunate enough to have support from family, spouse, etc. which allows them to relax and unwind from what is always a grueling season for body and mind. Still others have enjoyed the luxury provided by a hefty signing bonus when they were drafted and just take a few weeks, or months, to “lay low” and work out in the hopes of yet another opportunity to prove that they belong with a big league club.
Whatever the case may be, as we said, it is a bittersweet time. These guys have spent every single day together for the last five months…. And I mean TOGETHER! Virtually every waking minute of every day is spent with teammates. Many of them share apartments in Fort Worth, and of course ALL of them live in the hotel together on the road. They eat and sleep together, dress in the locker room together and practice every afternoon together…. Of course, we can’t forget the bus…. Hours and hours of road time sleeping, talking, reading, listening to music, watching movies on the bus’ video system and sharing that tiny little bathroom in the back!
Do they get SICK of each other? Sure, sometimes. But for the most part…. they “bond”. And trust me… this kind of “male bonding” lasts a lifetime. All you have to see to realize this is look at guys like Carroll Beringer, Mike Napoli, Joe Macko, Maury Wills and Jack Lindsey. Those men know exactly what I am talking about. They have been friends for over half a century and their friendship started in a minor league clubhouse like ours.
And now, today, with e-mail, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter they can keep in touch literally minute-by-minute. And they will… Some more than others. But they will all know what the others are up to and what is going on in their lives.
So… Today… the day after the season ended…. They said their good-byes, packed their bags, got in their cars or on a plane and headed into another off-season. Some will be back next year, others will surface on other teams in our league or around the country and yet others will move on with their “life after baseball”. They will keep in touch in various degrees, some closer than others. But none will forget that they were a part of the Cats in 2009. None will forget the guys who dressed in the locker room with them. They will remember many moments, good and bad, from the just completed season. They will remember umpires, coaches, announcers, bus drivers, clubbies, front office personnel, and…. They will remember the fans.
Because for one more summer, maybe the last, maybe not…they were still “living the dream” They were professional baseball players.So, we say, good luck to the Cats of 2009. Have a good winter… we will look forward to seeing many of them again next season at LaGrave Field and we wish them well in all that life may have in store for them!
JPD
