Professional Sports Subjective Question

[EarlJam]

This came up during discussion at the Braves game Tuesday night:

Okay, the salary is the exact same ($500,000 per year). Nevermind if that is in line with the positions. That's not really the point. For that salary, would you rather:

1. Be a bullpen coach on a Major League Team, never playing in the field but traveling with the team, knowing and working with the major leaguers, etc.

OR...

2. Be a starting catcher at the AAA level, playing nearly every day with no guarantee whatsoever that you'll ever make the bigs.


So, the choice is basically, for a salary of $500,000 a year, would you rather play every day at a near major league level, or get called up as a bullpen coach, sacrificing playing to "make the bigs?"

[ugadevil]

Coach. Being a catcher sounds miserable. Even if it's a different position, I'd probably still choose coach. It'd be great to be at the major league level, playing or not.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I'll play AAA hoping to follow my dream, get my big break and make it to the show. When that is no longer a possibility, then my talents will still make me valuable to a team as a bullpen coach, your option B.

[mr. synellinden]

I'll play AAA hoping to follow my dream, get my big break and make it to the show. When that is no longer a possibility, then my talents will still make me valuable to a team as a bullpen coach, your option B.

Agree 100%. Put me in coach, I'm ready to play ...

[brevity]

Coach. Being a catcher sounds miserable.

Exactly. All that squatting would drive me nuts. Name another position (say, relief pitcher) and I might actually be torn. Ultimately, though, I'd rather travel from ballpark to ballpark the major league way than the minor league way.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm would be on the backend of the age range at which I could be a major league player...so I took the coaching choice.

[Clipsfan]

No way I'd want to be a catcher...I was one when I was 12 and the pitcher only threw 60 mph fast balls. That was bad enough for both my knees and my hand. I still have issues with my knees from all that crouching, and I have no desire to catch 90+ mph fastballs. I'll be a coach instead.

[hughgs]

This came up during discussion at the Braves game Tuesday night:

Okay, the salary is the exact same ($500,000 per year). Nevermind if that is in line with the positions. That's not really the point. For that salary, would you rather:

1. Be a bullpen coach on a Major League Team, never playing in the field but traveling with the team, knowing and working with the major leaguers, etc.

OR...

2. Be a starting catcher at the AAA level, playing nearly every day with no guarantee whatsoever that you'll ever make the bigs.


So, the choice is basically, for a salary of $500,000 a year, would you rather play every day at a near major league level, or get called up as a bullpen coach, sacrificing playing to "make the bigs?"

I had a girlfriend who used to ask a similar question:

How many IQ points would you give up to dunk in traffic? She was literally a rocket scientist who was pretty athletic. It made for some interesting bar conversations.

Sorry for the sidebar.

[Channing]

not exactly even - coach not only gets 500k a year, he also gets 5 star hotels, a 125 a day per diem (or roundabouts there) while on the road as well ... as opposed to i am not sure what in AAA

[YmoBeThere]

She was literally a rocket scientist who was pretty athletic.

I guess it is okay to be a rocket scientist if one can't be a theoretical physicist

I keed, I keed...I'd go for whatever would win me a title.

[hughgs]

I guess it is okay to be a rocket scientist if one can't be a theoretical physicist

I keed, I keed...I'd go for whatever would win me a title.

Yeah, she went and got a PhD so you could probably think of her as a theoretical rocket scientist. I'll leave the rest to you .

[MrBisonDevil]

I'll take AAA.

• About 20 less games in MiLB than MLB
• 50 cent hotdog and nacho nights (for family)
• Colorful mascots
• Washed up actors who sing the Star Spangled Banner
• Cougarific fans (see Bull Durham)

What's not to like about AAA?

My top choices are #1 Louisville Bats (Reds), #2 Durham Bulls (Braves) and #3 Columbus Clippers (NYY)

[mr. synellinden]

I'll take AAA.

• About 20 less games in MiLB than MLB
• 50 cent hotdog and nacho nights (for family)
• Colorful mascots
• Washed up actors who sing the Star Spangled Banner
• Cougarific fans (see Bull Durham)

What's not to like about AAA?

My top choices are #1 Louisville Bats (Reds), #2 Durham Bulls (Braves) and #3 Columbus Clippers (NYY)

The Yankees triple A team is no longer in Columbus. Their AAA affiliate is the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

[Turk]

What about the time element? A player's years are limited, while you can coach until you're a fossil like Don Zimmer, Charlie Manuel, or Bobby Cox.

So if the number of years in both choices is the same, I would choose to play, but if the career is for as long as you can stay employed, then I'd go coach.

Sidebar question: Why do baseball coaches / managers tend to coach a lot longer than their counterparts in the other major sports?

[Shammrog]

Not a baseball guy, but would rather play than coach. I think most coaches would; they are, 99% of the time, guys who played who either weren't good enough to keep (or start playing at the next level) playing at a certain point, or got too old. It's the way to stay in the sport.

[Truth]

I had a girlfriend who used to ask a similar question:

How many IQ points would you give up to dunk in traffic? She was literally a rocket scientist who was pretty athletic. It made for some interesting bar conversations.

Sorry for the sidebar.

No apologies needed -- excellent sidebar.

I've wondered this many times... the ability to dunk in traffic would have been an amazing ability, definitely one that I would have LOVED.

[Clipsfan]

I had a girlfriend who used to ask a similar question:

How many IQ points would you give up to dunk in traffic? She was literally a rocket scientist who was pretty athletic. It made for some interesting bar conversations.

Sorry for the sidebar.

MY wife always just asks how many years off the end of my life I'd be willing to give up to be able to dunk with authority.

[blazindw]

I'll take AAA.

• About 20 less games in MiLB than MLB
• 50 cent hotdog and nacho nights (for family)
• Colorful mascots
• Washed up actors who sing the Star Spangled Banner
• Cougarific fans (see Bull Durham)

What's not to like about AAA?

My top choices are #1 Louisville Bats (Reds), #2 Durham Bulls (Braves) and #3 Columbus Clippers (NYY)

And the Durham Bulls are the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Richmond Braves are Atlanta's AAA team, although that about to end this season.

[MrBisonDevil]

And the Durham Bulls are the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Richmond Braves are Atlanta's AAA team, although that about to end this season.

Sheesh... I'm so out of date. I forgot MiLB teams tend to change MLB affiliation a lot. I got the Columbus Clippers wrong (I remember seeing Jeter play for them). I got the Durham Bulls wrong (I remember seeing Chipper play for them). LOL.