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Trophy Wife: Everything was great until …
March 31st, 2009, 1:06 pm · 22 Comments · posted by Ashley Thompson, Trophy Wife
March 29th my husband played with the LA Angels of Anaheim spring training team. We were putting meal money in the bank every week, which meant eating out and having a daily iced mocha wasn’t a big deal.
We had plans to travel with the team to Anaheim for the Freeway Series, which would have given us the opportunity to pick up a vehicle we have just bought from a friend.
Our plan was to drive our Jeep to LA, pick up the new car, and ship the Jeep to Arkansas. Our month long tag-team e-mails to shipping companies, agents, friends and hotels had all boiled down to the next few days.
Then Rich got sent to the minor leagues.
Today, my husband plays for the Angels triple-A team, the Salt Lake Bees.
Our last meal out will be tonight with friends. Back to the grocery store with coupons and generic brands. And my Starbuck’s addiction must subside (or at least be decreased drastically).
Going to the game now means I can go whenever I please because no one else will be there, excluding other wives/girlfriends. There are no food vendors, no stadium seating, no loud cheers for the home team, and definitely no leaving early.
Our plans to pick up our car have changed tremendously because there is no guarantee we will travel to the Freeway Series, so, my efforts and month long contacts with everyone involved have all been eradicated and new plans crammed into the past two hours.
Now there are two vehicles to ship, not just one, and it all needs to be done in the next few days. We now have to cancel hotel plans and start looking for apartments in Salt Lake City. I can feel the participants on the other end of the phone growing more and more frustrated with every call I make.
I try to play it off like, “Hahaha…. welcome to my life!”. But, it’s to no avail. If I were a business, I’d be frustrated, too. In less than 24 hours things have been flipped upside down, but strangely, we are unaffected by it all.
This is the life.
At a seconds notice, you could be anywhere. Not just moved down, but traded, released, retired. If they say move, you move. Not tonight, not in a minute.
Right now.
The players usually get the easy part, just doing what is asked of them. The wives get to pack and schedule and plan, then move everyone and everything to the next city. Whether it be down the road, down the coast, or on the other side of the United States. Luckily, we have traveled this road before, so we know what to expect.
Now, I am calling old contacts and previous employers to see if they’ll have me back for my seasonal position. I am re-entering background information for my volunteer opportunities, even though I won’t be able to give as much time to it now that I’ll be trying to make money.
Like any other wife I now have to remain the personal assistant as well as work outside the home. I am not complaining, but explaining. Our future looks completely different today than it did yesterday.
We still assume Rich will go up and down throughout the season, that theory remains constant. But now that he only has one option remaining, who really knows?
Now is the hard part. Waiting for the end of minor league spring training, packing up all of our things, including the dog, and making the 10 hour trip from Tempe to Salt Lake City.
We now have to find an apartment during the end of vacation/ski season when prices for apartments, condos, and houses are through the roof. Other families/couples who were sent down before us have already made living arrangements, which include sharing rent to save money.
It seems as if we have missed out on that opportunity, so now we will be living by ourselves, paying rent in Salt Lake City and mortgage in Arkansas, on a much smaller salary.
Rich will still give 200% to his job, and I will still give 200% to mine. Our support for each other is not based on baseball. Baseball just happens to be the substructure. No matter what happens, I’m sure these little adventures will be viewed as the best times of our lives. I hope I remember that when we are half-way to Salt Lake and we realize we have no place to live.
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Wow. You’re right. Nothing like I would expect your life to be. If you are in need of a good vehicle shipper, I know of one for you. Good luck. Can’t wait to see your next entry…
-H
H, feel free to visit my blog, too. It might give some different details and insight.
Thanks!
Ahsley. I’m sorry to say this, but your comments are a disgrace. They come across as complaining and whining at a time when millions of people are hurting far worse than you two. Many of the millions of unemployed Americans wouldn’t earn in five years what Rich makes in one (if they still had their jobs). They don’t have to worry about their Starbucks addiction because they couldn’t afford one in the first place. They aren’t going to understand your pain of transporting two cars because they ride a bus. Changing all your plans because your husband didn’t get the big promotion is a minor inconvenience; one that many wives can handle just fine. Wives who, I would suspect, would not have the audacity to call themselves a “trophy” no matter how pretty they thought they were.
FYI SarGuy: The minor leaguers make very little money.
I am guessing, and Ashley could tell us, Rich might make about $40,000 as a minor league player, something most fans don’t even realize.
Yeah, there’s still great money to be made in the big leagues, but apparently anyone who even has a shot at realizing it has to keep their mouth shut out of respect for the those who have suffered under this economy — instead of blaming those so-called masters of the universe, and their Wall Street casino.
I myself think that’s a sanctimonious view, and I am getting tired of hearing it. Stop blaming the economy on the entertainers. If you resent their earnings so much, stop watching or reading about them.
Thank you, Earl. And, SarGuy, you are definitely entitled to your opinion. But please remember that my blog is for entertainment value only. As I said in my post, I am not complaining, but explaining. Rich and I both come from very modest backgrounds and I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, with more month at the end of the money. This is why I spend a lot of my free time donating to charities and volunteering at food banks. We by no means live an extravagant life, but we do what we can to help others since we have been blessed. If you are frustrated about the current economy, please do not take it out on me.
“Trophy Wife” is not a title based on appearance. It is all in good humor and just lightens the subject… most people stereo-type us and if it gets people to read what the life is truly like, then I can’t complain. BTW, I have a profile that reads: “A trophy wife to a baseball player… but not much of a trophy, though”. Have you looked at the pictures?! LOL!
Wow, such hardship!
It must be very trying these days to make ends meet on a measly $400,000.00 a year.
I believe that Earl said $40,000 a year, not $400,000. But the amount is irrelevant. Curve balls can hit anyone’s plans. Now more than ever, we should have a little more compassion.
Who’s making $400,000?!?!?!? Do your homework! LOL!
$400,000 is minimum for the active major league roster, minor leaguers do NOT make that much!!!
Ashley, I apologize on their behalf. I am amazed by the lack of knowledge of those who profess to follow baseball.
$400,000 for a minor-league player? Please get a grip on reality, folks.
Ashley, you have amazing patience. One of my problems is, I do not suffer fools nearly as well.
If I don’t know something, I ask before I shoot my mouth off.
Break out the violins, oh no, no starbucks? Give me a break lady….
Ashley,
I have enjoyed reading your blog for a few weeks and am excited to see you posting here. As a big Angel fan, and being a girl - it’s great to see the other side of the baseball player - the wife!
Kudos to you, and don’t take any crud from anyone!!
I really enjoy reading this Ashley. As a fiance of a Double-A Mariners player that will be traveling with my future husband next year, it’s great to hear stories from other people in the same boat as us. What to you do for a job during the season? I know lots of girls that work at the fields selling tickets or that sort of thing, so I’m always curious :) It’s great to have a sense of humor about all this, it’s hard sometimes to keep such a positive attitude when all you want to do is get your feet on the ground for a few minutes! Kayla :)
No offense, but if those two didn’t realize Thompson was ticketed for AAA this year, are we really the ones that are uninformed? And most Americans do just fine on $40,000 a year, if they’re lucky to earn that much. The difference is they aren’t being paid to play a game. Don’t clump me in with the “fools” - I understand athletes and entertainers get paid what the market allows them to, even in a depressed economy. But forgive the readers if they aren’t so sympathetic to their plight.
To those who think 40,000 should be plenty to live on - you are correct if you live in 1 place, with 1 house, with 1 set of bills. However, as I’m sure Ashley will agree, most minor league players don’t have that luxury. They do like to have a home to live in the other 4 months of the year when they aren’t playing baseball. Therefore, they not only have to pay for their “home” (the one they live in during the offseason, unless they want to shack up with parents or friends), but they also have to pay to live in the hometown of their team, in this case Salt Lake City, which is a vacation area and therefore can be expensive. Along with that comes the cost of keeping up both homes, as well as paying the bills at both places. It certainly would be possible to live off of 40K a year, but when you have to have 2 homes it gets a bit more difficult. I know it is possible and some people do it, but not many are doing it with basically 2 mortgages. And in response to getting paid to “play a game” I’d just like to say that to the player’s it is not a “game,” but their job and their livelihood, which they have worked very hard for their whole life, just as most people have worked to get where they are in their job. In their “game” they will work 12 hour days, 7 days a week for several weeks with no day off. Most people at least get Sunday off at least once or twice a week. I know if I worked everyday for 50 something days straight it wouldn’t feel quite like a “game” to me, but more of a JOB.
Sorry I meant Sunday off at least once or twice a month…
No one is asking for sympathy. I am simply writing about my life. If being so judgmental gets you through your day, then keep on. But regardless of the negative comments, my life continues to be as a traveling wife. Please read more than just a few lines, and please don’t take it so seriously. Try reading it with humor instead of animosity. Everyone seems to be angry with me… are you angry at all entertainers? Are you angry at the guy in the cubicle next to you because he makes more than you? Do you get angry when your wife gets a manicure? Are you angry with yourself for spending a few extra dollars on pizza instead of cooking? These posts are for entertainment only. If you are not entertained, move on.
I’m entertained. And yes they are angry with themselves and just using you as a punching bag. Keep doing what you’re doing most of us are enjoying it.
Some people are jealous of professional athletes. ‘Nuff said.
Players in the lower minors make far less.
Short/Rookie-A: $850/month
Low/High Class-A: $1,050/month
Double A: $1,500/month
Triple A: $2,150/month
Now, that’s only while they play. No off-reason paychecks. And they only get $20/day meal money while on the road, not at home.
Rich gets more because he’s been in the big leagues, but keep in mind that if he gets hurt or released then the paychecks stop. He has a wife to support; as she said, Ashley has to look for part-time work which probably won’t get her much more than minimum wage.
Rich is lucky because Ashley travels with him, but most players are alone for six months except for the occasional visit.
And don’t think they have a huge bonus sitting in the bank either. That’s only for the high-round draft picks. Most guys are lucky enough to get money to finish college.
Only 10% of minor leaguers ever get a major league callup. Of those, only 25% will play five years in the majors. Combine the numbers, and it means that only 1 in 40 minor leaguers will be a big-league regular. The other 39 are fodder for that 40th guy.
It’s a difficult life, one full of sacrifices, failures and loneliness. It takes a lot of courage to pursue pro baseball as a career, because the odds are very much against the player making any kind of money to have a comfortable life.
Ashley, please tell “Chop” I said hi.
Don’t take no crap Ashley! These naysayers have desperate lonely lives that I have nothing but pity for. They would beg for the opportunity that Rich has been given, and would trade places in a heartbeat to play a kids game for a living.
I’m not angry with you, Ashley. Just trying to point out how some things in your post could have rubbed some readers the wrong way. Personally, I don’t read too much of your stuff on here simply because its not why I’m here - I’m more interested in what happens on the field, not in the players home life. Nothing personal. I enjoy the eclectic blend of Angel related reading on here, and I know you play a role in that. Don’t let a few negative comments rattle you, as they’re going to happen. Sports fans can be quite testy!
To Amber - this is exactly what I mean. Why buy a house if you’re always on the move? Most people struggle to pay their rent, let alone a mortgage and rent. These “problems” that they apparently have are still pretty far removed from the day to day struggles of the average American. This is where all the dissent comes from.
To Stephen - I understand the life of a minor leaguer isn’t all roses and Champagne. When I think of “sacrifice”, however, I think of my dad working two jobs his whole life to support his family. I think of fire fighters getting paid lousy wages to risk their lives on a regular basis. I think of under-paid public school teachers with degrees who get paychecks 9 months out of the year who do it for the love of their job. If I was even close to good enough to get a sniff at professional baseball, I’d understand the risk and financial struggle I’d have to endure to play a game I love. But “courage”? Give me a break. No one is forcing these guys to play. If life is so bad for them then they should get a real job.
Firefighters and public school teachers don’t have half-drunken clueless buffoons insulting their integrity from the anonymity of the crowd or the Internet. Firefighters and teachers have unions, benefits, pensions, and a reasonably secure career path. Firefighters and teachers work full-time. Firefighters and teachers know where they’ll be working tomorrow; they can’t be traded to another fire department or school district. Firefighters and school teachers make more than minor league players, unless you’re talking about the lucky 10% who set foot in a major league dugout. And I’ve yet to see a firefighter or teacher who has to ride a bus with 24 other colleagues 14 hours overnight to get to their workplace.
Quite frankly, Carlos, you’re coming off like someone who thinks a minor league ballplayer’s life is glamorous, you’re jealous of it, and you’re attacking a player’s wife because of it. Your self-perceived inadequacies are your problem, not hers. You complain about your father working two jobs like it’s Ashley’s fault. It’s not. Most ballplayers work multiple jobs too. They have their ballplaying job for six months, which pays a pitiful compensation, then they have to scramble during the other six months to find part-time work that pays little more than minimum wage. 90% of them will wash out, which means eventually they’ll be dumped back into the worker pool behind the rest of their peer group in terms of skills and career experience.
I’ve been unemployed since October, and my wife since July, but the last thing I would ever do is tee off on an innocent person to take out my frustration with the economy. You don’t like your lot in life, do something about it.
Yes, how unfair it is that minor league ball players with zero chance of making the big leagues don’t have the job security that firefighters and teachers do. Never mind going into a burning building and wondering if you’ll come out of it. And maybe you missed it, but in Southern California teachers are being laid off left and right. But at least they don’t have to take the bus to work!
Again, who’s forcing these poor, oppressed ball players to play? I’m not attacking Ashley, nor am I blaming her for anything. The point is that these guys play because they love the game. They know what the compensation (or lack thereof) is. If they know the odds are stacked against them but still go for it, hey, more power to them. I understand you’re passionate about minor leaguers and all, but get a grip, man. Its a GAME. Its entertainment.
Do me a favor and point out where I judged or attacked Ashley. I gave my two cents to the discussion. I never attacked her character or said anything rude. I’m not even bothered by what she said. I was reacting to Earl calling people “fools” and trying to offer an explaination as to why some readers reacted to her post the way they did. You, on the other hand, did attack my character, which is fine. I’m a big boy and I can take it. And honestly, I’ve been reading your stuff for a couple years so it doesn’t surprise me one bit that you’d fly off the handle like this. You’re not going to let anyone tell you you’re wrong, are you? So sorry if I offended you. I still struggle to see how I came off as hostile or jealous, but if that’s how you interpret it, fine. Honestly, though, you need to relax. Its just baseball, afterall. There really is more to life. I know I can forget that sometimes myself.