Well, let's start with Joe Theisman. I don't believe he was talking about playing in Milb and being paid $1,150 per month.
I am always fascinated by these discussions and comparisons/analogies.
Taking teachers or construction, those employees are almost always protected by unions, very strong unions. Not the case in Milb players. Complain about a safety issue as a Milb player...goodbye. Complain about working conditions, goodbye.
Accrue sick leave, what's that? Accrue vacation? What's that?
Get hurt on the job? Oh boy, don't do that! Want to see a difference in treatment from every work place and work injured employee in America? How much time to you have?
Think these guys don't have families. Head to ST and watch the wives with the babies running around during games, and packing up, with tears flowing, the next when Dad learns he has been released.
Would millions trade places? For sure. However, they didn't spend all those hours on the field, in the cages, on the 12 hour bus rides and the like to even have a chance. Its nice to say they would trade places. It is different to say they would put in the time, make the sacrifices and have the heart, talent and commitment to even get a chance to play in Milb Those in Milb are the rare ones with talent and passion and who made the sacrifices almost every day for many, many years to get there.
How is Milb different.
Well, you show up in February/March and compete for a job without any pay. If you get one, you relocate, find housing, find transportation and be ready to play in 2-3 days.
When you start playing, every play/AB/pitch is graded, everyday. Not many jobs where that is true.
The major difference in the way work is done is Milb players need to be better at what they do every single day. If they don't, they go home.
How many of us can say that each and every day someone is grading our performance, grading it against every other player and deciding who plays and who leaves. How many of us would admit we go to work every day and know we need to be better than yesterday. Heck, most of us go to work and feel if we did as well today as we did yesterday, we are secure. That gets you your release in Milb.
To suggest Milb is a normal job and gets compared to a normal job is, to me, just plain wrong.
This site is filled with posts about the dream.
Well, these are the players living the dream, except most eventually get called into an office and told the dream is over, even when they did nothing wrong, did the job well, played through injury, and sacrificed and never complained.
It is over in the blink of the eye of a player development director who determined that player is expendable. Severance..none. Accrued vacation...none. Hurt on the job...oh boy, are you in for some pain, and not from the injury.
There is no business like Milb in this country, because it is a business, run by very tough business folks who employ bright eyed young men who just want to play a game