For the love of baseball
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Over the weekend, the Denver Post became the latest news organization to document a truth: independent league baseball is the purest form of the sport.
The Trinidad Triggers play in the Pecos League, where players get about $50 a week to chase a dream that will elude almost of them.
Oh, it's not all baseball romance by a lot shot.
“Lots of people in the town wanted a piece of it somehow, but they didn’t want to truly support the team,” GM Kim Schultz told the paper. “Whether it was theft at the park, people not keeping their word or host moms trying to sleep with the players, there were a lot of unsavory situations I had to deal with in the first couple years in order to make this club legitimate.”
It's hard to find housing for players now in the city of 9,000. The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has boosted the local economy so much that housing prices have put a decent roof out of the range of the league and its players.
“This game, like life, can humble you,” said third baseman Phildrick Llewellyn. “There’s really no scouting in this league, and you’re not playing in front of thousands of fans, but you’re getting an opportunity to play the game you love and keep your dream alive. That’s what make this place special.”
(h/t: Nate Minor)
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
