FS: Rain Delays I Have Known and Loved

[NorthSideSox72]

Julie has worked for a few minor league teams. Here she gives a nihilistic and amusing recounting of a day of rain delays at a minor league park, and what that experience is like if you work there.

 

I chuckled loudly enough at my desk at work when I read this that I got a dirty look from an office mate. It's a fun read.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Lol, yes. I can vouch for every word of this. All facts.

[caulfield12]

Augusta is the hottest city in the league to do that....it would almost melt your feet. It invariably would rain in the mid to late afternoon the 50% of the time (river valley,) the sun would come out again and scorch you to death. Let's not get started on the humidity and times when it's really windy and people who aren't paying attention to what they're doing end up going airborne. The you had to put a Diamond Dry all over...fix the mound, batter's boxes, cover and uncover the bullpen mounds. Fun fun fun. Good exercise at least.

[caulfield12]

Augusta is the hottest city in the league to do that....it would almost melt your feet. It invariably would rain in the mid to late afternoon the 50% of the time (river valley,) the sun would come out again and scorch you to death. Let's not get started on the humidity and times when it's really windy and people who aren't paying attention to what they're doing end up going airborne. The you had to put a Diamond Dry all over, which is basically kitty litter...fix the mound, batter's boxes, cover and uncover the bullpen mounds. Tamp tamp tamp. Fun fun fun. Good exercise at least.

[greg775]

Great article. The first time this happened to me and I soaked four pairs of shoes would be my signal to find thigh high yellow boots and some sort of raingear to purchase. People might laugh at me but after they get their shoes and socks soaked and are sitting there in misery all day and night they'd follow me to Wal Mart and buy their own yellow boots.

 

I'm assuming these minor league teams pay their interns very little and don't have to pay them from working 7:30 am. til 11 p.m. Excellent fun article and my admiration to the author for working all day and night and getting soaking wet in the process.

[Eminor3rd]

Great article. The first time this happened to me and I soaked four pairs of shoes would be my signal to find thigh high yellow boots and some sort of raingear to purchase. People might laugh at me but after they get their shoes and socks soaked and are sitting there in misery all day and night they'd follow me to Wal Mart and buy their own yellow boots.

 

I'm assuming these minor league teams pay their interns very little and don't have to pay them from working 7:30 am. til 11 p.m. Excellent fun article and my admiration to the author for working all day and night and getting soaking wet in the process.

 

Fewer of us end up with the rain boots than you'd think -- the problem is that we all have other ballpark tasks during the game, so we have to wear stuff than can arguably be ruined but also retain the barest sense of professionalism. It is a paradox, indeed.

[southsider2k5]

This was a fun write up.

[greg775]

Fewer of us end up with the rain boots than you'd think -- the problem is that we all have other ballpark tasks during the game, so we have to wear stuff than can arguably be ruined but also retain the barest sense of professionalism. It is a paradox, indeed.

Never thought of that. You guys almost need a locker somewhere by the field, but I'd guess space is limited as well. I'd hate to work in soaked shoes and socks all day. Do minor league teams pay the interns? Do they pay people for real hours worked? I can only imagine putting in 80-100 hours a week on a homestand and not getting paid or paid for 40.

[DestroyBaseball]

Never thought of that. You guys almost need a locker somewhere by the field, but I'd guess space is limited as well. I'd hate to work in soaked shoes and socks all day. Do minor league teams pay the interns? Do they pay people for real hours worked? I can only imagine putting in 80-100 hours a week on a homestand and not getting paid or paid for 40.

 

It varies according to team. Some teams don't pay interns at all, some pay them like regular employees, some pay them starting from gameday employee report time, even if they've been there longer. It's all about experience and building a network at that point in a career anyway. I was extremely lucky to get an internship that covered my rent.

 

And thanks for the positive response, everyone! Homestands in the minors can feel like these isolated dreamlike bubbles of time where everything blends together because of sleep deprivation and stress (eminor3d, sounds like you know this), and rainy days within those homestands feel like another isolated bubble in themselves. It's an experience.

[Eminor3rd]

Never thought of that. You guys almost need a locker somewhere by the field, but I'd guess space is limited as well. I'd hate to work in soaked shoes and socks all day. Do minor league teams pay the interns? Do they pay people for real hours worked? I can only imagine putting in 80-100 hours a week on a homestand and not getting paid or paid for 40.

 

Everywhere I've worked, we've paid our interns. But it never USED to be that way -- labor laws are changing everything. Now, we are just under strict orders to make sure we don't let them past 40 hours so they are owed overtime.

 

We full-timers are, of course, salaried, and not eligible for overtime. But, we all know what we signed up for. Lots of people get out when they start families, for example.

 

 

It varies according to team. Some teams don't pay interns at all, some pay them like regular employees, some pay them starting from gameday employee report time, even if they've been there longer. It's all about experience and building a network at that point in a career anyway. I was extremely lucky to get an internship that covered my rent.

 

And thanks for the positive response, everyone! Homestands in the minors can feel like these isolated dreamlike bubbles of time where everything blends together because of sleep deprivation and stress (eminor3d, sounds like you know this), and rainy days within those homestands feel like another isolated bubble in themselves. It's an experience.

 

I think the thing I love most about it is how tightly knit the office becomes. The job simply makes NO sense on paper -- and as I'm sure you can attest, can be really hard to explain to other people. "Wait you work HOW much? And you don't get overtime?" I always appreciate the camraderie that arises from being around the only people that actually understand why you do it.

 

Getting ready for an 8-gamer starting on Monday, lol. Earlier this season, I was shocked to find out we were shooting fireworks on a Tuesday night, only to find out that I was wrong and it was actually Friday.