So, you think you can coach in Texas …
The Fort Worth Cats, an independent minor league team that has helped produce major-leaguers Luke Hochevar and Max Scherzer, is allowing one fan to become a coach.
The winner of an eBay auction will join the likes of Duke Snider, Sparky Anderson, Rogers Hornsby and Maury Wills as a coach of the team — but only for six games (home and away).
But that’s not all.
The winner will receive a salary to coach first base — $1 per day, baby, and you only have to work one inning! — get a uniform (of course) and be assigned a locker, appear on a baseball card, get to live it up on a minor-league bus during a road trip (and stay in a fine hotel, I’m sure), get $5 per diem (enough to cover dues), chances to take batting practice and, of course, get to be absolutely grilled by a member of the media.
And, if that’s not enough, the winner’s uniform number will later be retired and the honoree will get to throw out the first pitch at that game, which the ex-coach will enjoy from the stands with as many as 30 guests.
Now, seriously, who wouldn’t want to do that?
The starting bid is $1,999, and the auction closes on Dec. 14.
Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
Innovative owner Bill Veeck once had an entire section St. Louis Browns fans manage a game from the stands. A guy would stick his head out of the Browns’ dugout and ask the fans if the team should bunt, steal, change pitchers, etc.
Fans responded by holding up placards that read “Yes” or “No”. Then the move was made. Somewhere, there is a photo of “Grandstand Managers Day” but I can’t find it online. I think it was 1951 or 1952 and I believe the Browns won the game.
Thanks for the post.
Think of the poor sap who comes to the team in later years, and can’t get the jersey # he wants because it was ‘retired’ for the honourary manager. Welcome to the minors, son.
Its a cool idea, and definitely more of an effort than most teams put into their ‘Honourary coach / manager’ type promotions.
If you’re manager shouldn’t you be allowed to coach first base for more than an inning? Darn those insurance clauses!
I dug into my savings and under my couch cushions and now I am only $1,939 short!
Much closer than I was this morning …