Things I DO NOT Miss

College Graduates in the Millennial era do 1 of 3 things upon receiving a diploma:

1. Work a full-time job, despite the pleas of all of their older friends/siblings not to "grow up too fast"
2. Futilly seek employment, while spending the majority of their time playing nintendo on a parent's couch
3. Attempt to "find oneself" - which ends up consisting of traveling through Europe and drinking away a decade of their life

Luckily for me, minor league baseball provided a 4th option - one that proved to be the perfect bridge between college and the "real world". It was a life that included a paycheck, a minimal level of responsibility, my passion in life (baseball), and enough free time to still drink beer and be young. I have been looking back recently on my time in baseball on somewhat of a nostalgia kick, and last week I shared a bunch of the little things that I miss about the minor league lifestyle. Things that seemed trivial at the time, but in looking back, make up memories of a much simpler time in my life that I already miss. It's not that I took any of those things for granted, but when you're 22 years old, do you really put much thought into how great it is to be able to just wake up and throw a pair of shorts on before going to the office? Or how genuinely awesome it is when a bad day at work consists of playing a children's game for 6 hours and maybe going 0-3? When all is said and done, my 3 years as a New York Met will likely comprise 3 of the best years of my life, but that is not to say that their weren't some equally annoying things about being a minor leaguer that I am ecstatic to have put behind me

Here are some of the things that I definitely DO NOT miss about being a minor league baseball player for the New York Mets

I do not miss 5:30 wake up calls during spring training

I do not missing catching bullpens before 7:00 AM

I do not miss the pull-out beds at the Port St Lucie Holiday Inn missing half of their springs, causing the most uncomfortable night's sleep one can imagine

I do not miss being broke all the time

I do not miss taking 9 Aleve and 4 Excedrin over the course of the day just to mask the pain of throwing

I do not miss Tony Bernazard

I do not miss 2-hour team meetings that seemed even longer due to mandatory English-to-Spanish translation

I do not miss former September Call-Up "cup of coffee" big leaguers who think they deserve a bigger locker at the minor league complex because they had 6 at-bats "in the show"

I do not miss 30% of my nutritional intake being rice and beans

I do not miss bus rides in Brooklyn after the rosters expanded...do you really need 38 guys for a road trip?

I do not miss facial hair restrictions

I do not miss being forced to wear my pant legs up

I do not miss watching talented ballplayers miss out on playing time just because the organization had money invested in someone who is clearly less talented

I do not miss having to explain myself for being a Yankee fan


I could probably list a hundred more things that I miss or do not miss about being a Met. I guess being away from the game makes you think a little deeper about the time spent in uniform. I'd love to hear some feedback from some former ballplayers and coaches who are no longer involved in baseball...what do you or don't you miss about the game?

--Teddy