Temporary Setbacks

All right everyone, after the most stressful two weeks of my entire life, the rosters have been posted! FINALLY! Think I'm exaggerating? Okay, you're right, I am; but man did I have a lot of work cut out for me. We all know I'm a rookie at this whole baseball wife thing, so I definitely have a lot to learn still. However, from what I've been figuring out on my own so far is that, all I am really supposed to know is enough to know that I really know nothing at all. Still with me? :) That's because when it comes to baseball, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Last year, Tyler ended the season in Reading, PA, the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies; we were hoping to start the season off there again. With that mindset, I began my search for apartments in Reading. I searched high and low and near and far, well, not too far from the field that is, in hopes to find quality housing. I spent hours doing my research and getting in touch with contacts the other baseball players kindly referred to us. I've realized referrals are really the only way to go, as it's not easy finding an apartment complex that will offer us everything we're requesting. I mean, the following doesn't seem like too much to ask for... right?

Location - a safe neighborhood, minutes from the field, shopping, restaurants, shopping, hotels, attractions, shopping, etc. Did I mention shopping?

Security - gated communities, controlled building access, parking security, etc. Basically as long as it's safe for the girls that stay behind during the dreadful eight-day road trips.

A pool - oops, how did that get on the list? That's just my own personal preference. :)

Short term or month-to-month lease - it seems almost unusual in the minors for a player to stay with the same team for a whole season. Even if that were the case, I would politely reply, "No, we don't want to spend the entire year in your town, thank you." Believe it or not, we actually like to get away from the field during the off-season!

Fully furnished - if not, we sleep on an air mattress and live out of a suitcase for six months. No big deal. Other options are Craigslist, Goodwill, and furniture rental companies, most of which I've found out give the baseball players discounts! Thank you to those companies!

Lastly and most importantly, all of the above as long as it is...

Affordable - aka as cheap as we can get it! What typically happens though, is that players will pack as many guys into one apartment together as possible. Think I'm kidding? Last year, I knew of eight players living in a three-bedroom apartment together! Yeah, insane! It's also pretty common to find three, four or five guys living together in a two-bedroom apartment. It might not be the most comfortable living situation, but it makes rent super cheap for each of them, which is exactly what they need. Remember when I mentioned all the sacrifices they make in order to make it to the big leagues? You can add living arrangements to that list.

After all the hours I spent researching, calling, and emailing places, I finally found two apartments that were perfect and willing to work with our unique situation! I also got in contact with a furniture rental company that was so good to us too! We then found players that actually wanted to live with a married couple, probably because they knew I planned on cooking for them, and things seemed good to go. Don't worry, we only planned on living with two or three other guys, not eight! Ha! I received the apartment applications and spent so much time filling them out. I decided I wasn't going to send them until we knew for sure where we would be going this year, because I didn't want to throw any money away via application fees. Good thing I'm so smart, kind of...

Turns out Tyler's name did not show up on the Reading roster, but instead on the Clearwater one. The Clearwater team is a step down from Reading, as it's only the High A affiliate of the Phillies. All is good though. Yes, Tyler was disappointed to be starting with a team lower than where he left off last year, especially since he just had the best spring training of his career, but we know it's just part of life in minor league baseball. We know to never lose faith when we encounter bitter disappointments, because they are simply the price we will have to occasionally pay for our willingness to take risks as we follow our dreams.

Tyler and I had a serious conversation the night before final cut day, and decided that wherever we end up this year is exactly where we are meant to be. We know that God created this world ready to unfold according to His own timetable, and not ours. Temporary setbacks might leave us feeling uncertain or doubtful, but we have to remember that God will always reveal Himself to us! In time, we might find out that a temporary setback isn't actually that at all, but just a different path for us to take. It can still be hard seeing that sometimes though when we find ourselves becoming impatient for the reasons behind things. We know to continue to trust in God because He will never fail.

Now, I'm not much of a preacher, I'm just trying to give you all a peak into our actual married life in minor league baseball. Truth is, things won't exactly be luxurious, serious conversation will have to happen, and low points are going to be unpredictable. With all of that said however, Tyler and I will continue to dream big! We've been having such a blast together and I can already tell I'm going to have the most amazing memories from traveling around with him. We have so much faith in God and I also have so much faith in my husband, that I know we have nothing but an intensely bright future ahead of us. I am so proud of Tyler and we are very thankful he still has the amazing opportunity to do what he loves to do! I am so excited for season to start this week, so Clearwater, here we come...I mean stay? Ha! And so, my search for apartments begins again! :)

The Joy of Going Broke

Ever feel like you're running out of money, poor, or going broke? Well, I'm totally feeling it. Thankfully though, Tyler and I are nowhere near that point because we’ve been saving and saving money! Not to mention all the gift cards from the wedding…so great! Sometimes however, we just can't help but be more aware of our expenses during certain periods of time. Example: Spring Training.

For the month of spring training, I will pretty much be the moneymaker. Tyler and I will still get money from the Phillies to help pay for our "living out" expenses, which means we’ll get just enough money to where we won't have to live in a tiny hotel room for the month. :) Unfortunately however, it’s not going to be enough to cover the $1,700.00 bill we just received to get our car fixed. :( Oh joy! Turns out cross-country driving took its toll on "my baby." So much for our tax return!

I'm sure you can tell now how thankful we are that I got the job at the cafe. Work is going pretty well for me at the moment; it's not hard, it's just not exactly the place I want to spend my time while in Florida. I know I’m blessed to have gotten the job so easily, and on top of that, conveniently, while Tyler isn’t in season yet, aka: not getting paid yet, so I definitely won’t be taking the income for granted. Here’s why…

The inside scoop is revealed: minor league baseball players don’t make much money. In fact, the biggest paycheck they will most likely see, unless they make it to the big leagues, is their signing bonus. That being the amount of money they sign for when they are drafted. It's true, some guys sign for five, six, even seven figures, but the majority of them do not. When it comes to the rest of the season, the players will, for the most part, make less than you yourself make every month. Pretty crazy knowing they are at the field sometimes more than twelve hours a day, seven days a week!

This is only one of the sacrifices they make for the chance to "make it" in baseball. People really envy Tyler because he gets paid to play a game. It makes sense and I completely understand because baseball is a game, but in our case, it is also his profession. There are many business decisions to be made along the way, and quite a few levels of baseball to advance from. Most people think there are only three levels in the minors: A, AA, and AAA. The real deal is as follows:

Rookie Ball

Short Season A

Low A

High A

AA

AAA

Majors

On top of these levels, there’s also spring training, fall instructional league, and winter ball; all places where a players’ every move on the field is on radar. Although hard work from these players is important, it doesn’t always ensure success or advancement, and it definitely does not ensure millions of dollars. What is does ensure for us however, is the opportunity to travel the country and experience different cities most people do not, to meet other wives, fiancés, girlfriends, families, coaches, and players (big league guys too) along the way that can relate to our lifestyle, to actually know what the inside world of baseball life is really like, and most importantly… to be able to watch a baseball game every night. :) I love the fact that I get to watch my husband do what he loves to do and share his dreams with him of making it to the big leagues. This lifestyle takes a lot of faith and a lot of sacrifice with no guarantee of making it, but at the end of the day, and no matter what our future holds, we will always have each other.