Sports

Baseball Careers Often Start with Winter Grunt Work

Published

10 years ago

March 25, 2015

In this Tuesday, March 3, 2015, file photo, Minnesota Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado talks with a player standing nearby during a workout at baseball spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Long before any of that major league money starts landing in their bank accounts, most players are in a similar predicament as everyone else in the regular workforce.

Between baseball seasons there are no paychecks and bills don’t stop for the winter. So they need to find some other income.

“Especially the guys who got picked in the 10th round and above,” Minnesota Twins reliever Casey Fien said. “I signed for $500 and a plane ticket. So I had to go out and earn my money.”

He went to Costco.

The right arm that would eventually fetch Fien a $1.38 million salary from the Twins for 2015 was once used for stacking crates, pallets and boxes at the bulk retail giant’s location in San Luis Obispo, California. Drafted in the 20th round in 2006 by Detroit, Fien showed up for five-hour night shifts at the store during his offseasons until making his major league debut in 2009 with the Tigers.

First-round draft picks receive multi-million-dollar signing bonuses, but by the 10th round, players get around $140,000 in guarantees. The bonuses drop sharply further down the board.

Minor league living is hardly large. Meal money, for one, is tough to stretch beyond Pizza Hut and pales in comparison to the majors. The minimum salary for a player in Class A is $1,100 per month over a five-month season. In Triple-A, it’s $2,150 per month. Prospects on the 40-man roster make at least $41,400 annually while they’re still in the minors, but that’s a category that covers only up to 15 of the 150-plus minor leaguers in most organizations.

Unglamorous jobs outside the game can be important, humbling reminders for aspiring major leaguers to appreciate their athletic talent and opportunity. After all, this placeholder work can be a career for others.

Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado gained that perspective at a bait shop in his Stockton, California, hometown during the 1994-95 strike, when his major league career was just beginning.

“Spring training drags, absolutely, but guess what? It beats coming to the bait shop and shelling clams,” Guardado said.

Being hired can be another matter, though. Players are typically only available from October through February, if they’re not invited to instructional league or Latin American winter ball. They need time to train, too, so hours can be tricky.

“I interviewed about 15 places and heard back from one,” said Twins prospect Taylor Rogers, recalling his 2013-14 offseason with a Denver-area substance abuse counseling service for offenders on probation.

An internship was offered, but he couldn’t make himself available enough. So he was assigned to supervise urinalysis testing instead.

“To make sure they weren’t doing any drugs. So I would watch them do that. I didn’t have to handle the samples. I just made sure they weren’t tampering with it,” Rogers said. “It just kind of happened where I couldn’t find anything else. It’s tough to get a seasonal part-time job.”

Rogers, an 11th-round pick in 2012 out of Kentucky who pitched last year for Minnesota’s Double-A affiliate, considered joining relatives who are firefighters and carpenters, but the occupations aren’t ideal for a guy trying to stay healthy and fit for baseball.

“That kind of takes down the percentage of jobs you can find where you’re not going to wear yourself out or risk putting a nail into your finger,” Rogers said.

There’s less risk at the grocery store, but makes for amusing encounters. Working one winter at the Rainbow Foods in his hometown of Shoreview, Minnesota, Twins pitching prospect Mark Hamburger noticed the team’s minor league director in the next line.

“I was wearing my apron and everything,” Hamburger said, smiling. “He was like, ‘Mark Hamburger! What are you doing here?’ Then I said, ‘Well, you know I didn’t really get too big of a signing bonus, so I’ve got to do stuff,’ and he was like, ‘Oh, nice to see you.'”

Former pitcher Garrett Broshius, who spent six seasons in the San Francisco Giants system, dabbled in personal training while making minor league money, and spent a couple winters with a cognitive psychologist on memory research. His ballplayer friends varied widely on work. One sold women’s shoes at Macy’s over the holidays. Another worked for a dog-walking service. Then there was the Jimmy John’s sandwich delivery guy.

“On a bike he bought off of Craigslist,” Broshius said. “Apparently the brakes didn’t work too well, so it didn’t seem too safe.”

Sometimes, staying in the sport is best. Fien dabbled in pitching lessons to supplement the warehouse work, for example. Others try to plant the seeds of a sustainable second career.

Miami Marlins pitching prospect Pat Urckfitz started his own hunting calls business three years ago. Yep, just like the bearded Robertson family on the reality show “Duck Dynasty.”

Beaver Creek Game Calls sells handmade (by Urckfitz himself), hand-tuned callers for duck, goose, deer and turkey hunters. The shop is open four months a year between baseball seasons. His partners take the calls to trade shows around the country.

“At first I started making them for my friends. Then the word got out about them, so then I started selling them to people,” Urckfitz said. “If I was doing it year round I would be all right.”

Baseball won’t last forever, after all.

Twins prospect Alex Meyer was a former first-round pick by the Washington Nationals who didn’t need the winter money so much, but two years ago took substitute teaching assignments for $63 a day to connect with his Greensburg, Indiana, hometown.

“It shows you hard it is to earn $100, when there’s people out there who work paycheck to paycheck,” Meyer said. “That’s a real thing, so it definitely makes you understanding of the opportunity we have in this game to take care of your family.”

___

AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister and AP Sports Writers Ronald Blum and Steven Wine contributed to this report.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok

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Tina Thompson: Champion, Legend, and Pioneer of Women’s Basketball

Known for her signature red lipstick, Thompson displayed confidence and style on the court, becoming an icon both for her gameplay and her individuality. Her ability to score from anywhere on the floor, combined with her defensive prowess, made her one of the league’s most formidable players.

Published

2 months ago

January 5, 2025

Oakland Post

Tina Thompson at 2013 WNBA All-Star game at Mohegan Sun. 27 July 2013. Photo: Danny Karwaski/Wikimedia Commons.

By Tamara Shiloh

The establishment of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996 was a turning point for women’s sports, creating a professional platform for female basketball players to showcase their skills at the highest level. Among the trailblazers who helped launch the league, Tina Thompson stands out as the first African American woman drafted into the WNBA.

Tina Thompson was born on February 10, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. Raised in a basketball-loving household, she quickly developed a passion for the game. Thompson improved her skills on the playgrounds of South Central Los Angeles, often playing against boys, which toughened her game and fueled her competitive edge.

She attended the University of Southern California (USC), where she became a standout player for the Trojans. Known for her versatility, scoring ability, and relentless work ethic, she earned All-Pac-10 honors multiple times and cemented her reputation as one of the top collegiate players in the nation.

When the WNBA held its first-ever draft on April 28, 1997, Tina Thompson made history as the league’s first African American player to be drafted. Selected as the first overall pick by the Houston Comets, she joined a team that would go on to dominate the early years of the WNBA.

Tina’s selection was a historic moment, symbolizing the league’s commitment to showcasing diverse talent. As a Black woman in a pioneering role, Thompson carried the hopes of aspiring African American female athletes who dreamed of playing professional basketball.

Tina wasted no time making an impact in the WNBA. As a key member of the Houston Comets alongside legends Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes, she helped lead the team to an unprecedented four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000. The Comets’ dynasty became the gold standard for excellence in the league’s early years.

Over a career spanning 17 seasons, Tina established herself as one of the WNBA’s all-time greats. She retired as the league’s leading scorer, a record she held until it was broken by Diana Taurasi. She was a nine-time WNBA All-Star and was named to multiple All-WNBA teams, cementing her status as one of the sport’s legends.

In 2018, Thompson’s contributions to basketball were recognized with her induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor underscored her influence not just as a player, but as a trailblazer for African American women in sports.

After retiring from professional basketball, she transitioned into coaching, using her experience and knowledge to mentor young athletes. She has served as a head coach at the collegiate level, inspiring the next generation of players to pursue excellence both on and off the court.

As a role model and advocate, Thompson has consistently emphasized the importance of education, empowerment, and self-belief. Her story resonates with countless young women who see in her the embodiment of perseverance and success.

Tina Thompson is presently in her third season as an assistant coach at the University of Texas at Austin.