Life’s a beach… unless you work in Minor League Baseball
I recall being in an interview in which another BlueClaws manager and I were talking with a prospective new employee. The interviewee (I think that’s a word) did not yet have experience in Minor League Baseball. One of the questions asked by the other BlueClaws employee was, “Do you like the beach?” Naturally, the interviewee responded, “Sure, I love the beach!” To which the BlueClaws manager responded, “Great, you’ll never get to see it!”
Of course this was done in a relatively light-hearted manner (we even like to have fun during interviews here), but it still pointed out a significant issue that every Minor League Baseball employee and those looking to get into the industry must wrestle with. This career is not just a job, it is a lifestyle change. From April to September you lose touch with an entire side of your regular world that you used to be familiar with. Weekends – gone. Weeknights – gone. Vacations – gone. It is a schedule of 14 hour workdays and 98 hour workweeks for nearly 6 months of the year.
I’ve noticed that I have now developed two distinctive groups of friends: Winter Friends and Summer Friends. During the off season, I get a chance to catch up and see many of these “Winter Friends,” but when April comes I find myself declining their offers to hang out due to my work obligations. By May the phone calls from the “Winter Friends” begin to disappear. This is where I find myself more prone to seeing my “Summer Friends.” Who are these people? They’re my fellow coworkers.
You see, this is where the payoff for the long hours comes in. It’s the people that you get to meet and share a work environment with. Through several years and several different teams in several states I have made friends that will last a lifetime. Not to mention my office is a baseball stadium! Can you say the same? So is it worth it? You bet.
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