AP Newsbreak: MLB average salary $4.4M after 4.4 pct rise

[Paladin2016]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBO_BASEBALL_SALARIES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-03-18-24-12

Absurd, and even though I love the game, why I stopped paying any attention to professional baseball years ago.

[PzLdr]

Back in the day the Babe, Joe D and the Mick topped out @80K to 100K per year. Most of the guys in the majors now wouldn't have made it to the Bigs. Now, hit .230, have an average arm and range, and you're in. It's a joke.

[katzenjammer]

Heck, if you are a lefty reliever of modest talent, you can pitch well past your prime and earn $5-8 million each season; no problem!

[apples]

I remember back in the day when bb players had day jobs in the off-season. I used to watch bb all the time. Don't really care much now. Heck I only get the free first week on DTV. Looked yesterday the the schedule. Not any games I want to see.

[PzLdr]

I remember back in the day when bb players had day jobs in the off-season. I used to watch bb all the time. Don't really care much now. Heck I only get the free first week on DTV. Looked yesterday the the schedule. Not any games I want to see.

Scooter and Yogi worked in a clothing store in New Jersey. There was a great series on HBO called "When It Was A Game" about baseball in the old days. They used players' home movies to put it together. There was even a shot [from '38] of the Wrigley Field outfield with single strands of newly planted Ivy on the walls. They covered players' off season jobs, and everyday lives [Garagiola talked about taking the subway to Ebbetts Field from the team hotel to play a game].I think you can buy the series of CDs  from HBO. I highly recommend them.

[Paladin2016]

For those who may not be aware (article dated 04/04/16):

Joe Garagiola, the baseball player turned Hall of Fame broadcaster, died Wednesday after a long illness.

The Cardinals signed Garagiola to their farm system when he was just 16 years of age.

Mr. Garagiola's career stretched beyond baseball and included two stints as a co-host of NBC's "Today" show - from 1967 to 1973 and again from 1990 to 1992 - and later nine years as anchor of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show from New York's Madison Square Garden.

In 1991, Garagiola was awarded the Ford Frick Award, which is given by the Baseball Hall of Fame annually to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball".

Former big league catcher and popular broadcaster Joe Garagiola has died.

http://youdontknowfootball.com/2016/04/former-ballplayer-sportscaster-joe-garagiola-dead-at-age-90142309/

I always enjoyed Mr Garagiola's game broadcasting. He always seemed to be having a good time.