MiLB LIFE: Being a Senior Sign

Getting drafted is a day you never forget. It's the moment when your childhood dream seems most tangible - it marks the beginning of your professional career and welcomes you into the company of baseball's elite. I remember thinking back on all the memorable games I had played over almost twenty years on the diamond - all the uniforms I'd worn, the friends I'd made. Baseball had been the mainstay of my Springs and Summers for as long as I could remember, and luckily the upcoming Summer would be no different.

That day changed my life in a lot of ways - but not financially. Afterall, I was a senior.

The experience of getting selected in the MLB Draft is drastically different for seniors than it is for juniors - or even High School seniors, for that matter. The reason? Leverage.

If you're listening to a discussion on a certain prospect's draft stock or potential signing bonus, you will hear the word Leverage at least 47 times per square hour (*calculations estimated).

Leverage is a junior draftee's best friend - it's the money maker. When negotiating a signing bonus, the organization must throw enough money at a junior to make it worth his while to leave school - forgoing his senior season, not to mention a college degree - and sign a professional contract.

The negotiation process can take weeks, even months if either side is stubborn, but rarely do you see a top junior prospect go unsigned. Leverage can only go so far - as insulted as he may be by the team's offer, he knows it's likely far more than he'll get the following year as a senior.

MiLB LIFE: Universal Big League Dreams

Every day, minor leaguers of all levels come to the park with the goal of making the Big Leagues in the back of their mind. It's a daily motivator, the ultimate goal, and, hopefully, the big payoff after years spent in Pittsville towns and rundown motels.

But it's not just the players on the field that are dreaming big. Take a look around any Minor League Stadium and you'll see people who work in all aspects of the game doing the same thing- paying their MiLB dues with the hope of someday fulfilling their Major League dreams.

I remember one game late last season, I sat in the dugout having one of those profound moments that could only happen during a baseball game. Our team was up at bat and I had made the last out of the previous inning, so I grabbed a spot on the top dugout step nearest the bullpen and just zoned out.

I looked around at all the fans and stadium employees, peeked up in the booth at the PA announcer and the play-by-play commentator, even checked down the line for the concession stands and the fan shop- I remember thinking, 'this is some production!' But it wasn't any special night, it was simply a Minor League baseball game, just like the other 139 I would play that year.

I thought of how many baseball games were likely going on at that exact moment- hundreds, I thought. Thousands. Ehh, thousands? Maybe.

MLU'S HAT OF THE WEEK: Superbowl Special

In honor of the most viewed program in television history, MLU opted to throw a little Superbowl spin on this Sunday's Hat of the Week.

Now before you  yell "Objection" to the fact that neither of these hats is of the Minor League ranks, keep in mind that the feature is called "Hat of the Week" - not "Minor League Hat of the Week"- so all hats from any baseball level are fair play. 

Sure, MiLB lids happen to be my favorite, but, there are a lot of great caps out there- NCAA, MLB, World Baseball Classic, Independent Leagues, college summer leagues, etc.- and MLU will do its best to bring them all to you.

Now, on to our featured items:

Our first hat screams Steel City. The yellow Pirates hat is a classic look, one that I wish the modern-day Bucs would adopt as a consistent throwback cap. Simple in its colors and style, the Pirates represent a unique city whose triumvirate of sports team all wear the same colors. Whether you're cheering on the Penguins, Steelers, or Pirates, Pittsburgh bleeds Black and Yellow.

Hat #2 could be one of my favorite hats of all time. Even when I thought it was simply a glove on the front, I liked this Brewers throwback because of the colors and the simplicity. But then I discovered that I had overlooked one of the greatest logos of all-time- how could I have missed that? That's not merely a glove, that is an M and a B! I was amazed. This is one of the most cleverly constructed logos in sports, and I'm glad to see the Brew-Crew has come to their senses and started wearing this old hat and colors again- why they strayed from it in the first place? The world may never know.

*Yes, I'm well aware the Brewers are from Milwaukee, not Green Bay- but I'm playing the odds that all Wisconsin natives are Cheese Heads.

I hope everyone enjoys their Superbowl Sunday- win or lose, remember: it's all about the food.

Previous Hats of the Week
Lehigh Valley Ironpigs
Chattanooga Lookouts
Corpus Christi Hooks
Montgomery Biscuits

MiLB LIFE: Explaining My Profession to Non-Baseball Minds



DJ wasn't always the money-making, actress-dating, ring-winning machine he is today.

I love talking baseball with people who know the game. It's a topic that never gets old for me, and, if prompted, I always enjoy sharing my own insight and experiences on a life-long passion that I'm now lucky enough to call my job.

"What position do you play? When do you report to spring training? What level will you start at this year?" These are some of the questions I face regularly, and I'm always appreciative of the person's curiosity. I realize I'm lucky to do what I do - to be a part of the decimal point percentage of young baseball players who get a shot at their dream - and I'm proud to share my story with anyone interested.

But as cool as I feel while talking baseball with those in the know, I feel ten times less accomplished - less worldly, less established, less intelligent - when discussing my career with those without a baseball mind.

"You play baseball? For a living? Ohh, so you know A-Rod! Oh, how cool! When do you play on ESPN?"

MiLB LIFE: Bus Rides

Minor League Baseball and bus rides go hand in hand. Bus rides are an inevitability of Pro-ball, resulting in some people even referring to MiLB leagues as Bus Leagues. You board the bus, you pick a seat, and you drive to your next game- it's up to you how you want to spend those next two, five, eight, fourteen hours. Just hope you're not next to the fat kid. Or the smelly kid. Or the loud kid. This is gonna be a long ride.

Regardless of length, I start every bus ride the same way. I board the bus about fifteen minutes before our departure time- early enough to have a wide variety of seat locations to pick from. I usually walk about two-thirds of the way down the aisle toward the back, selecting a seat to my right (the left side of the bus if facing the windshield). I aim for a seat exactly two rows behind a TV monitor, a distance I've found to be perfect for optimum viewing pleasure. I make sure no one has already laid claim to that seat, and then I unload all my goodies.

A bus ride is only as enjoyable as the things you bring with you. For instance, my bus ride survival kit looks something like this: latest issue of Men's Health, copy of Mind Gym (or whatever book I'm reading at the moment), iPod and headphones, Subway footlong or peanut butter sandwich, protein bar, pack of Stride gum, G2 Gatorade, water, family size bag of pretzels, sweatshirt, and, perhaps most importantly, a pillow.

COLLEGE to PRO: Competition

The jump from college to pro baseball is ridiculous. Pitchers throw harder, guys hit the ball further, and no one, I mean no one, makes an error. I felt so overwhelmed when I stepped on a professional diamond for the first time- these guys were baseball machines!

Ok, ok- absolutely none of that is true. That may be the conception of most players walking into a professional clubhouse for the first time, but it only takes a few minutes of that first Rookie Ball practice- perhaps when the guy you're throwing with air mails you by 10 feet, or when the pitcher fielding grounders watches the ball go through his legs for the third straight time- for you to realize that the guys around you are all human.

Your new teammates are just like you- they were the best players on their college team, and there's something about them- a tool, a quality, a mindset- that enables them to play at the next level- but they're not perfect.

Every first year player makes mistakes- hell, every Big Leaguer makes mistakes. Baseball is a game made up of errors and miscues, but it's the best players and best teams that are able to minimize those miscues. Consistency is what every player strives for in this imperfect game- it's what separates the best from the rest.

Consistency is also what separates pro-ball from college baseball.