If you have attended an independent professional baseball game then you know that the level of play is equivalent to different levels of the regular “affiliated” Minor Leagues. What is not known by many fans, however, is how little money many of the independent baseball players make.
Unlike many jobs across North America, independent baseball players do not have a union or company department like Human Resources. They can be released almost at any time, for almost any reason, and there is usually nothing in their contracts which guarantees any sort of payment after players retire. When told all about this, many fans say, “Why would these players do that?!?”
Here are a few of the reasons:
A genuine love of the game: Many players in independent baseball believe that they have been overlooked by the Major League teams’ scouting departments. They genuinely believe that they deserve a chance to be in an “affiliated” farm team with one of the Major League organizations; and they truly love playing baseball. Many fans whom have attended independent baseball games comment on the hustle and passion of the players. A player who believes that he was overlooked may play with a “chip on his shoulder” in order to prove that he belongs with a Major League-affiliated farm team.
A need to be closer to home: Often, there are a few guys in each independent league who genuinely belong in a higher level of baseball. For whatever reason, however, they need to be closer to home with a less-grueling travel schedule. Sometimes players just started a family, others need to help out with a sick family member, and others need the support of friends and family in order to be comfortable with playing at the professional level.
A desire to continue his career in baseball: Many players will play in an independent baseball league in order to gain credibility for his post-playing career. Certain players want to manage or coach in professional baseball, others want to coach at the college level, and others want to transition to the front office of a professional sports team after they retire.
A need for camaraderie: If you have ever watched any documentary about “life in the minors” then you know that the players love playing baseball, enjoy crazy antics with their teammates, playing cards in the clubhouse, and the chance to develop lifelong friends especially on those long bus trips! If a player is good enough to be considered professional then many will take the opportunity to play in the independent leagues because he knows how competitive the demand is. Other players from around the continent are more than willing to take his spot, so he knows that he part of an elite level of baseball even though it is considered to be independent of the affiliated organizations.
A chance to rebuild his career: Sometimes an extremely talented player ends up in an independent league due to an injury, salary cap move, or simply due to “politics” in organized baseball. Such a player will play on an independent baseball team in order to prove to scouts that he is healthy, willing to go back at a more economical price, or simply that the other team which released him made a mistake. In a given year, dozens of players in independent baseball sign contracts with affiliated Minor League teams; and each year a few will get to play in the Major Leagues.
The next time you see an independent baseball game, or if you meet some independent baseball players around town, now you have a better understanding of why they do what they do regardless of the price at which they play. If you ever have said that you think pro athletes need to play with more passion and that they are overpaid, then be sure to attend an independent pro baseball game. You will be pleasantly surprised!
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Only On The Web: Katie Couric introduces Steve Hartman’s interview with Zack Hample, who has snagged nearly 3000 baseballs at major league games, then files her daily notebook.
Help answer the question about baseball
How come baseball players have the same mannerisms as cops?Seriously. I'm not joking. I've been studying this for some time. Not academically or anything like that. If you look at cops and the way they talk and look and then you compare them to many baseball players, it is very similar. Like they got the whole strong silent type thing going on. They look all beefed up (sometimes from illegal substances) too. And they got those military looking haircuts going on. Watch an interview with a baseball player or a baseball manager once and close your eyes. You could swear it is a cop talking about baseball or something.
About Author
If you ever played or worked in independent baseball then you can relate to this article! Be sure to join the free membership for independent baseball veterans at http://www.IndependentBaseballAlumni.com
Tags: CBS, Couric, Hample, Hartman, Katie, News, Steve, Zack
what did the players say in 7:35
what happen at 5:24??????
I would say that 60 is a reasonable guess, but it might be a little lower than that. I used to play as a kid but i don't play much anymore and I was clocked in the low 60's last summer at a fan day thing. Of the 4 people I knew that were clocked i think the highest ws 67 with average being a little under 60.
Yes. There have been a few "switch pitchers"
Greg Harris did Sept 28, 1995. He was the last guy to do this in the MLB.
I also remember hearing a story of a minor league pitcher who did this in a game.. against a switch hitter, and the two switched back and forth many times until the umpire had to intervene.
read the bottom of this page for a brief mention of the story:
http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_story.jsp?article_id=mlb_20000303_holtzman_cols&team_id=mlb
It says that we (yes I am Black) did what we did what had always when done when Whites would not allow us to do something. We started our own version which was just as good (and in many cases better as N-e-g-r-o League All Star teams routinely beat MLB All Star teams in exhibitions) as what they had. Most people don't know this but the East-West Colored All Star Game played at the original Comiskey Park in 1933 actually outdrew the first ever MLB All Star Game which was played in the same stadium one week earlier. This shows that White America was beginning to realize the quality of baseball that was played in the N-e-g-r-o Leagues was just as high as (and arguably higher than) that played in MLB. This also made racist owners try even harder to keep us out of MLB.
Often, N-e-g-r-o League teams would get their names by placing the word "Black" in front of the name of the local MLB or MiLB team, i.e. New York Black Yankees, Chattanooga Black Lookouts, Atlanta Black Crackers ("Crackers" was the name of the first professional team in Atlanta, a reference to cracking home runs), Birmingham Black Barons (who at one time counted Satchel Paige and Willie Mays among their players and were owned by Abe Saperstein, the same man who founded and owned the Harlem Globetrotters), Washington Black Senators, Jacksonville Black Caps (Jacksonville's MiBL team was the Red Caps) Shreveport Black Captains, New Orleans Black Pelicans, Little Rock Black Travelers,etc. The Kansas City Royals name is a tribute to the most famous N-e-g-r-o League team of them all, the Kansas City Monarchs.
When the MLB and MiLB teams were on road trips, the N-e-g-r-o League teams would often play in their stadiums and give the MLB team owner a portion of the receipts. This was also true for some MiLB teams. For example, when the Birmingham Barons were on a road trip, the Birmingham Black Barons would play at Rickwood Field. The N-e-g-r-o League teams were, however, required to use the MLB or MiLB teams announcers who were often just as racist as the owners. When the Barons played at Rickwood Field there was one section of the right field bleachers that was designated as "The Colored Section" and whenever a player be it a member of the Barons or the opposing team would hit a home run into that section the announcer would say the player hit it into "The Coal Bin." The bleacher designations were the exact reverse for the Black Barons' games, with one difference: the one section of the bleachers had no denigrating designation.
In short, the N-e-g-r-o Leagues showed that we could do anything that Whites could do and could do it just as well, if not better in some cases. The N-e-g-r-o Leagues endured until 1962 when they finally closed down shop for good because they had served their purpose, which was to give us a place to play professional baseball. When Pumpsie Green debuted with the Red Sox in 1959, it meant that every team in MLB had integrated.
Before anyone says anything about the date in the question it is correct. Jackie Robinson signed to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league team, the Montreal Royals in early 1946. He played one year for them before being called up to the Dodgers with whom he debuted on April 15, 1947.
care to type this in english?
I want to add to Kyle's response. The answer is B. If uniforms are sold to fans, then they are final goods and will be included in GDP. However, since professional baseball players use uniforms as an input in supplying a match to spectators, then the cost of these uniforms is already included in ticket prices and will not be included in GDP.
5:46 lol awesome
the same as we do
First find how long the ball is in the air. Velocity X Distance (converted units of course)
Then multiply by the revolutions per minute and you will get revolutions.
Mainly just a unit conversion problem
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All broadcasters have endless information in front of them and constantly given to them during the game. So they know what pitches a pitcher throws, as well their tendencies they have to throw certain pitches in certain situations. They know between what speeds their fastball is thrown as well as the rest of a pitcher's pitches. So then by looking at the speed of the pitch, and its movement, they can deduce what pitch was just thrown. Its not quite as easy as looking at what sign the catcher is putting down, since that camera angle isn't usually the one being shown when the signs are flashed.
i like it in 7:29 because it’s so hilarious i spit my soup out bacause of the reaction of the players
1942
don't let the easy one get away……. Barry Bonds
Well, these days with all of exercise and weight training they do, many baseball players are strong and big ( taking away the notion that most baseball players aren't athletes ) since most baseball players are athletes anyway. They actually cut their hair to military style because having a full head of hair slows down a player some what. For a "cop attitude" baseball players are the only pro athletes who are allowed to police themselves whenever a fight happens and leave the dugout.
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lol very funny