A lot of people work out all year long to stay in shape while working a full time job all year long.

So I think it is fair to say they are "off" in the winter.

 

They need the money, steroid's are expensive!!

 

My grandfather played for the NY Giants in the 40s. My grandmother told me that they would work their a$$es off and not get anywhere near the recognition, money or endorsement the players get today.

They road the train or bus. not private jets. Lots of times they had to pay for their own room and board.

I think the players today are crybaby biatches. I agree i would much rather go to a minor league game and actually see a good game at a lot less price.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

If it just a game, I would like to see you do it as well as them. You dont have any clue how hard they have worked to get that good. They are not just playing, they are performing to win and entertain fans.

 

Much of it comes from physical abilities they were born with. If all it took was "hard work" practicing and working out a lot of people would be there.

I know a player in the majors with a World Series title that I went to high school with. In the off season I've seen him in the gym. He isn't any stronger than me or in better shape than me, but he has the natural skills to be very good at the sport of baseball. In the offseason his "work" consists of going to the gym (not daily) and practicing with a batting cage he has at his home. He knows that I'm a veteran and he said he has a lot of respect for people in the military and thanked me for serving. He also told me that it is a dream come true to be playing the sport of baseball at get paid so much for it.

Which reminds me of a similar quote by another player: "Playing baseball is not real life. It's a fantasy world... It's a dream come true." -- Dale Murphy (5 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and 2 consecutive MVP awards)

 

Physical ability will have you starting for your high school team. Working hard in the cages, working out, improving flexibility, and working on the hand eye coordination thats needed to hit a baseball can only be learned or improved with practice. Your not just born with the ability to throw 95MPH or hit a baseball 450ft.

 

Sure, you can improve on anything with practice. But there is a point where all the practice in the world won't make you any better once you max out and are limited by physical ability you are born with. And that's why steroids are a problem. Players are trying to go beyond their natural physical abilitites.

 

Don't get me wrong, this is a billion dollar business and guys worked hard to get to the top level and they should get a piece of the pie, in all reality these guys are the ones filling the seats. But when I hear baseball players whining about being underpaid when they are making 5,6,7 million, it just makes me want to tear my tickets up. IMO a lot football players are the ones that are underpaid, those guys actually have to play a physical game and most of those guys live with pain for the rest of thier lives when they retire from football.

 

Blame the Union. BAN THEM!

 

It's about time someone sees the true view of the game of baseball. Yes they get paid millions of dollars but do any of you really know what it takes to play pro ball? I just graduated high school, Seminole High School, the same high school David Eckstein went to. Do i know what it takes to become a pro ball player? Yes i have seen what it takes first hand. I have met, practiced and know Tim Raines Jr., Felipe Lopez, David Eckstein, Danny Graves, Chaz Lytle, Rick Eckstein (David's brother and MLB Hitting coach). In their so called "off time" they are at the field EVERY DAY(that field being Seminole High School's field). They do agility exercises, stretching exercises, hitting, fielding, throwing. Yes it may be a game, but tell me how well can you react to a 95mph ball from 60 ft? Do you know you have less than a second to react to that pitch? Decide whether i will hit or take it? How about making contact with the baseball with the bat? You have what an 1/8th of an inch of contact between the two? Tell me how easy is it to do that and hit the ball solid? Yes you do get to live somewhat of the "life" once you get the big leagues, but getting there is something you have no idea about.

-Curtis-

 

these guys are jokes compared to most... Warren Buffet can take a dump with what these guys make in their lifetime...

 

While Jimmy Buffet sings a song.

 

Wow, talk about overdoing it. That is still nothing compared to the physical demands and work practice a lot of people in the military perform EVERY DAY and they sure don't get paid millions of dollars for it. A lot of people work a lot harder for a lot less.

Can I tell you how well I can react to a 95mph ball from 60 ft? Well, can you tell me how well you can react under fire from that same distance? The main difference being in the GAME of baseball you don't die if you screw up, you just go sit on the bench.

 

I really don't think the armed forces should be brought into this. Unfortunately for them, that's the governments doing. This is entertainment. This is America's past time. In my opinion, everyone in the entertainment industry is way overpaid. But if Brad Pitt is getting paid $2 million dollars plus for a 3 month stint in some beautiful locale, why shouldn't a baseball player receive the same? They work their asses off both during season and off season. We're talking the best of the best here. I say if the money is there in the franchise, pay them.

 

I don't care for the crybabies who whine so much when they "only" earn $3,4,5mil., etc., or whatever dollar figure they have deemed as too low. As far as I'm concerned no one had a gun pointed at their head saying "sign the contract - or else..." at the time the contract was agreed upon.

As far as the topic of working or playing in their chosen profession, these ballplayers have it easy. Sure they have a talent, whether natural, trained or steriod enhanced. They are not working, I mean really going to work 5, maybe 6 days or more a week dealing with traffic, etc. They are going over films, shooting commercials, maybe working out in the gym or ballfield or signing autograph sessions. That's not work. That's play.

Tell these ballplayers to pick up a jackhammer or even just a hammer. Tell these guys to go out and really teach a high school or elementary class day in, day out. Tell these guys to arm themselves with a sidearm and patrol the streets.

Don't even try to convince me that these guys are "working". They are playing. And getting paid an obscene amount of money doing this.

I'm paying $4-5 dollars a gallon. These ballplayers do not have to worry too much about that. Or anything else that inflation (these days) may affect.

Sure the stadiums are filled during games. How much of this is corporate vs. the average fan. How much is a hot dog and beer at your respective stadium? How much is parking?

I wrote off attending games in person long ago. The costs are just too much to absorb for a family of 4. No, I do not buy jerseys or caps of any teams. The closest I'll get to a professional ballgame is a few feet away from my TV. And that's if I'm remotely interested in watching.

BTW, baseball jerseys costs what, $150-$200? Maybe $70-80 if it's not the geniune type. Shoot, I would rather put that money into my gas tank. In fact, I already do. And that gas tank helps get me to work and back...5 days a week.