In the Times

South Bend Silver Hawk Clay Zavada gets a profile in the Times....The New York Times. Before getting to that story, though. Here is something the reporter had in a sidebar as the difference between Zavada and a guy who just signed for with the Yankees.

Zavada earned $1,150 a month last summer with the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks. That would have amounted to $6,900 had he played the entire six-month season.

Using statistics from Sabathia’s last five seasons, he will, based on his new salary, earn $6,934 for each pitch he throws as a Yankee.

Zavada said he did not begrudge players like Sabathia.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the guys that get paid what they get,” he said. “I don’t know what you’d do with all that money, but it’s definitely rewarding for how hard it is to get through the minor leagues."

To the story which expands a bit on the topic:

Days before the Yankees signed C. C. Sabathia to a $161 million deal, one of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ most promising minor league pitchers rose before dawn at his house on the outskirts of this central Illinois town.

An overnight storm had coated the roads in ice, and the thermometer read 8 degrees. It was the perfect morning to sleep in, but not for Clay Zavada, who steered his Nissan Sentra toward town — past frozen cornstalks, an abandoned farmhouse and the red lights of windmills blinking in the distance. A dilapidated motel and a series of fast-food restaurants indicated his arrival in Streator.

Zavada could not afford to be late. This was the only time the high school gym would be empty, and his old coach — the assistant principal — would have time to catch for him.

“If you don’t get it done early and get it out of the way, it’s kind of hard to get it done,” Zavada said, slamming a two-seam fastball toward the gloved hand of Nick McGurk. “You’ve got to get in here and get it done.”

Once the sun came up, Zavada knew there would be other demands on his time. His uncle might call him to work at the family sawmill. A cousin in the construction business often needs a hand. And Zavada has a long list of chores waiting for him on the 40-acre property his father left him and his brother — logs to be split and sold for firewood, a go-kart awaiting refurbishing and posting on eBay, or the thick bushes choking a grove of walnut trees that need clearing. For that task of protecting the trees, the federal government sends him a small yearly subsidy.

Despite an impressive 0.51 earned run average and a 3-1 record last season as a reliever for the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks, Zavada, 24, must work outside of baseball to pay his bills. Last season, he earned $280 a week — before taxes — from the Silver Hawks. His income is typical of the roughly 4,500 minor league players, about 10 percent of whom will play in even one major league game.

Then, there is a bit on page two about life in Streator folllowed by this:

Like many of his neighbors, Zavada’s livelihood relies on a mix of odd jobs and an entrepreneurial spirit. He is a regular at the Streator pawn shop, searching for underappreciated treasures that can be sold online. During the harvest, he drove a truck for a farmer who had shattered his ankle after falling off a grain bin.

His pitching is equally versatile. Zavada takes pride in his best pitch, a changeup, and said that for now, baseball was his priority. But it is clear that he also takes pleasure in other tasks, like clearing brush behind his house, or slicing an old telephone pole into smooth, straight boards at his uncle’s sawmill. Using his pitching hand to line up the blades of an industrial saw may make the Diamondbacks’ management cringe, but Zavada says he will not give it up.

“You got to do what you got to do,” he said. “It’s how I grew up, you know. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Last Sunday, Zavada spotted an opossum that had been wandering around his property for days. He grabbed his grandfather’s shotgun over the fireplace and raced outside. Later, as Gunner trotted toward the house with the carcass in his mouth, Zavada ordered the dog to drop it. With any luck, he explained, this animal may attract another.

Head over for an interesting read.