jamisea

I love Allison! When Ryan played in Pensacola, Allison called me to ask questions about housing very early—like in January—as she anticipated that Ryan would land on the AA Roster. Lord knows that navigating LIFE off the field can be hard for players. If a player is lucky enough to have a parent who is as much of an advocate for them as Allison is for Ryan, they are truly blessed. FYI, Ryan doesn't do social media, so Allison keeps us up to date on him.

Two Words: Ryan Mason. Call him up. He'll sort it out. Nerves of steel & talent to boot.

If any of ya'll come down here, let me know. We'll "pass a good time."

For the record—from a Blue Wahoos perspective—the realignment makes sense in a lot of ways. BUT we will miss the Twins. The entire organization is a class act—including my fellow online commenters.

IMHO from a Pensacola perspective, we would be sad to see the Twins leave. We love the Twins and their organization from the players up are all FIRST CLASS. From my understanding, MLB wants their affiliates realigned in order to get geographically closer to farm teams. So I chuckle about Miami. Geographically, If I need to drive to Miami from Pensacola: 11 hours. If I need to fly there, there are few direct flights. The closest MLB teams to Pensacola are Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Houston and by 3 miles—the Texas Rangers. The rumor mill is def. working OT in Pensacola though. I have head the Mariners and D-Backs are also interested—neither of which make any geographical sense....

As a Blue Wahoos host mom, this is great news! I miss my “sons” this year, but at least they will get paid. Thanks Twins!

Our family has been getting to-go food from the Blue Wahoos and I was treated to a delicious Mother's Day brunch with a beautiful water view! Sadly, I am not nearly as happy since there are no players here, but I'm not as sad as the players are.

We are on the same page, but logistically, having players in host families coming in and out from road trips is bound to make families not want to host a player. Our team travels through FL, AL, MS, TN and through GA. That's bound to cause issues—and a lot of hotels are still closed.

Blue Wahoos host mom chiming in. I have spoken to several of my "sons" over the past couple of weeks, both from the Reds and Twins and none of them are optimistic about a season for them. The Venezuelan players are stateside, as most had just arrived when all of this happened and VZ would not take them back. The only optimism I've heard is a couple think that if MLB expands the rosters, they have a chance of getting called up. The other players are spread out across the US, trying to make due with whatever workout situation they have. The lucky guys are the ones in less populated states, where they can get outside and do some form of baseball workout—even if it's with their family standing in during "practice." The less fortunate guys are ones who are "holed up" in heavily populated areas like New Jersey or New York where the lockdown has been very strict. From my perspective as a host mom—and the one who volunteers to coordinate the host family program in Pensacola, there's another issue: How many local families are willing to host players who are traveling a bunch and coming in every 5 days from a different place? I know a couple of our families who have health issues that would probably not want a player this season. How many hotels will be open for road trips, and how many states will have "self-quarantine" laws in effect when the players cross state lines? Just this morning, I read that the Angels are cutting their MiLB staff. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/05/19/los-angeles-angels-furloughs-minor-league-staff-june-1st/ I have to think that other teams will sadly, have to follow suit. This whole thing makes me sick but I applaud the local teams who have come up with creative ways to keep some revenue coming in. If you need something to do in Pensacola, look no further than this: Bubba Watson's Disc Golf Course at Blue Wahoos Stadium. https://www.milb.com/pensacola/news/bubbawatsondiscgolf

I met Willie Joe when he was in Pensacola for the Twins Caravan. He was called at his home the morning of the event to substitute for another player who missed his connecting flight and wouldn't make it in time. Pascagoula, MS is a 1.5 hour drive down I-10 and so Willie Joe jumped in his car and drove to the Caravan. What a very nice young man. I don't know about his baseball playing yet, but his work ethic and personality are 5-stars in my book. I hope to see him in Pensacola very soon.

I'll be in Ft. Meyers late on Sunday March 22 - Wed. March 25.

We don't normally see players outside of the season, unless we travel to Spring Training. We did that last season and are going this season with the Blue Wahoos front office staff. However we have had the occasional player roll through town and spend the night on the way home from somewhere else. We have an "open door policy" with all of the "kids." I'm facebook friends with many of the players, so try to keep up with them when we can. Last season was a bit confusing when the Lookouts (Reds) played in Pensacola because we hosted 3 of those players before. One of our former Reds players, Calten Daal, was traded to the Twins—so that will be fun to see him again in Ft. Myers!

Hey y'all, Twins host mom (Blue Wahoos) posting here. I'm happy for the pay raise for the players. I had to chuckle at the logic when I saw someone post about the players getting $400/week = $10/hr. LOL. Players are at the stadium 10-12 hours per day. A lot of their day is working out, PT, BP, etc. before the game. Oh and between Opening Day and the final game (5 months), they get 11 days off. Some of the "days off" end up being half days because they need to load up for a road trip. The guys who make the All-Star team only get 8 days off. The team provides 2 meals per day at the stadium, an afternoon lunch and a meal after the game. There are a few free host families in Pensacola, but some are charging some sort of rent (200-300/mo.) From my understanding, Cedar Rapids is free. In Ft. Myers the players can stay at the training facility, but are charged a fee for room/board. I have heard it's $10 per day, which is a bargain for anyone. Out of their salary, the players have to pay the clubhouse manager, buy breakfast, get transportation, and buy their own equipment (though a few players are provided equipment through endorsements.) On days they are on the road, the Reds used to pay the players get a per diem of $25. I haven't heard what the Twins pay. They do get excellent healthcare—as they should. After all it's in the team's best interest to keep the players at top physical conditioning. Far more players than you'll ever know get ZERO signing bonuses. Maybe they had a crap agent, or no agent. Maybe they were signed from outside MLB. Of the 26 players we have housed over the past 5 seasons, I think 8-9 had signing bonuses. And yes, there have been 6 guys sharing a 1 bedroom apt. Not here in Pensacola, but one of our former players from the Daytona Tortugas did just that. On that note, the players know they are lucky to be playing baseball, especially international players. They love it. But it's also their job. We all wish we could get paid for the skill we LOVE rather than slogging away at a desk (I'd ride my Vespa 12 hours a day if I could). Let's play ball! Jami

Keep going guys and we'll see you in Pensacola soon. Our family has hosted quite a few of the Latin players this season and they are really great guys.

Pretty sure the reason Hackimer was suspended has something to do with his public display of anger at the manager (Borrego) on the field. My husband was at the game. I can't describe it further than this as I was not there.