Baseball life questions....

Our family truly believes that God has given this job to my hubby to glorify God and not our family. This life, the baseball life is our normal.  We do understand that it is not the normal that most families outside of baseball understand.  Hopefully after the list of questions and answers below we can help you understand our normal dispelling some of the myths and assumptions.

Throughout our 27 years of Professional Baseball it amazes me as to how many times I have to answer the same questions, understanding that our normal is not yours.  This week after a perplexed looking ticket person (who I see every day of every homestand and he is a very nice man) questioned why my 17 year old was just waking up at 2pm on a Sunday, I began thinking of all the things that people outside of this baseball life don't understand.

(My son was waking up at 2pm after sitting at an 11 inning game the night before that ended at 11:45pm, eating dinner at 12:30am with his dad, and sitting with his dad while he did two more hours of work before going to sleep at 4:30am.)

After the encounter I sent out a request to baseball wives through Facebook and then questioned  wives at the ballpark during the game about repetitive questions they are asked.  These are not just questions from strangers or acquaintances, some they are from family who have lived through these times with us!   Again, our normal is not the normal of the greater population.  Hopefully this list can answer some of the questions many of you have about our lives and what we are able or unable to do in it!

1. Will your hubby be coming with you?  If this question is asked between February 14th and November 1st the answer is NO.
2. I called this morning at 8am, why didn't you answer?  It is a higher probability that I have gone to bed closer to 8am than getting up then between April 1 (beginning of regular season) and November 1 (if all goes well we are in the playoffs in October).
3. Do you and your hubby want to have dinner when you are in town with the team? My hubby goes to the ballpark around 1pm and doesn't return until after midnight most nights so it's me or nothing!
4. What are you doing for summer vacation? First we haven't taken a summer vacation as a family EVER. Second, BASEBALL.
5. With all the money you make you should pay for my _____.  What's the problem?  The problem is that my hubby did not commit to supporting your family or to share in the salary he is making (even if you think he is overpaid).
6. Can you get me an autograph from ____?  No, we commit at the beginning of every year to give to specified charities not individuals or families.  Also, we don't even allow our children to get autographs.  This is our family and asking for autographs from family is much like asking us #5. 
7. Do you know the players?  Well yes. We know the people my hubby works with, just like you know the people your hubby/wife works with.
8. Wow how cool is it to be a wife in baseball?   I am very proud of my hubby and his hard 'work' at playing/coaching a game for a living.  I find it cool that he is living his dream!
9. Don't you think _____ (insert players name) is HOT???  No actually I think my hubby is hot and don't look at other men that way, especially friends' husbands/boyfriends who are 15-20 years younger than me.
10. Would you like me to give you a list of great places to eat dinner when you are in ____ (insert city name)?  That would be lovely but no.  When we are in a city we are going to games each and every night! (OK there are the occasional travel days that the flight gets in early enough for dinner...and we do take advantage of A restaurant)
11. Would you like to come out to our house for a cookout when you are in _____ (insert city name)?  Again a very kind gesture but we do not have a car and are staying at a hotel usually very near the ballpark so we walk or cab it...and again there is a game each and every night!
12. What is your favorite team?  Why the ____(insert team my hubby is with) of course.  They pay the paycheck, and no that response is not because of the almighty $$ but that I am loyal to my hubby and his employer!
13. Do you all (players coaches) hang out together in the off season? No, many players/coaches live in many different cities across the US and usually spend their off seasons staying close to home with their families.
14. Can you get me a date with ___ (insert famous player's name)?  No I am not a personal dating service and I think his wife/girlfriend may have a problem with that.
15. Why are your children not in school in _____ (the city of your hubby's team)?  We as coaches only have one year contracts so we don't find that moving every year is good for our family.  We as players could be traded in any given year so we choose to settle in one spot not related to baseball, usually in a southern state/southwest state so he can workout in the off season easier than in the snow.
16. What do you DO all day?  Well I take care of the finances, travel, the house, the apartment, the family and friends that come to the game, charity work, schedule his life outside of baseball, the children and their schedules, doctors' appointments, grocery shopping, cleaning, emotionally support him, taxi service for him and the kids, and let me see....not much else.
17. So where are you going for...Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, July 4th, your birthday, his birthday, the kids birthday, Labor Day?  We will more than likely be at a ballgame and not always at our home field.
18. Can I get on the field to take batting practice? No, but you can watch while the guys work.
19. I was a really good pitcher in little league.  Do you think I could get a tryout with the team? No, if you were really good then you were seen then...and that was 30 years ago...
20. My son is amazing at baseball and he needs a scout to see him, he is 8.  Can your husband get a scout to come see my son play?  My suggestion would be to wait until he is in high school or college where scouts who know what they are doing can see him...my hubby is a coach not a scout.
21. Aren't you terribly worried that your hubby has a girlfriend?  No my hubby is a man of God and has a commitment to Him to stay monogamous.  Plus he has me as a wife, so NO!
22. Do you regret giving up your career for your hubby's?  No I chose to stay at home and raise the next generation while supporting a hardworking loving husband.
23. When is your hubby going to quit and get a real job?  My hubby is fulfilling the plan the Lord has laid before him.  It is a real job serving God!  Also, he will never because we are all use to this schedule and who knows if we could survive all the time together if he had a 9-5 job with weekends off!!!!!
24. How are you a Christian in baseball?  There are a lot of Christians in baseball, very strong Christians.  The media likes to focus on the bad choices of a few instead of focusing on the good of many.
25. What church do you and your hubby attend when you are in ____? (Fill in MLB city)  My hubby works on Saturday night and Sunday mornings so we do not attend church together in any given city.  When I can I find a church near where we live to attend.  Fortunately we have Baseball Chapel, an organization that provides a Sunday morning service in each of the MLB and Minor League cities.  They also provide bible study for both the men and the women.