Unable To Afford Team Hotel, Orioles Players Almost Slept In Cars

Unless you’re the type of person who enjoys sleeping in the comfort of a Honda Civic, playing for the Baltimore Orioles Double- A team kind of sucks. The Twitter account for the Advocates for Minor Leaguers – which has over 12k followers, despite a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue -- took to the twitterverse earlier this week to draw attention to the Bowie Baysox situation.

 

Whether catching shuteye in their cars or the local Best Western (with free in-room HBO!), the Maryland-based Baysox aren’t likely to have much scratch to drop on crab cakes. Advocates for Minor Leaguers noted that the majority of players in the minors make $15,000 or less per year.

Before having to decide on which car-sleeping method would work best -- passenger seat reclined all the way back, driver’s seat for quick access to the ignition and the AC, backseat to prevent a future visit to the chiropractor -- the team made a deal which allowed the Baysox to stay in hotel rooms for 40% of their daily pay, as opposed to 80%.

As is fitting for a baseball team (and a writer of bad puns), there was a catch. Per the Baltimore Sun, the change in room rate really gave only those who are fully vaccinated for the coronavirus the option of splitting a room and thus the cost. Meaning, the ballplayers weren’t actually receiving a discount. Like a handful of high school seniors chipping in for two queen beds post-prom night, players could just split the cost of a full-priced room.

The Baysox play their next two games at home before a road tilt Saturday in Akron, OH. If you’ve never been to Akron in June, it’s a great place to spend an evening sleeping in your car.