Alright, let’s talk about this MLB pension thing, you know, the money they give to them baseball fellas after they done playin’. I heard tell it takes just 43 days on a team to get some of that money, ain’t that somethin’? Just a little over a month, and you’re set for a bit of cash later on.
Now, I ain’t no expert, mind you, but from what I gather, it ain’t just about playin’ for a bit. They gotta figure out how much money them fellas made each year, what they call “Annual Earnings” and “Final Average Annual Earnings”. Sounds fancy, but it just means how much they got paid, plain and simple.
How they figure out the money
See, they add up all the money a fella made durin’ his playin’ years, then they do some kinda figurin’ to decide how much he gets each month when he’s too old to swing a bat. It’s like puttin’ money in a piggy bank, but a real big one, you know?
- They look at how long you played
- They look at how much you earned
- Then they do some math, I reckon.
I heard tell there’s this fella, Bobby Bonilla, somethin’ like that. They paid him off a long time ago, but he still gets money every year on July 1st, they even call it “Bobby Bonilla Day”! Imagine that, gettin’ paid long after you stopped playin’. Must be nice.
Now, this pension thing, it ain’t just for the superstars, you know, the fellas on TV all the time. Even the fellas who just warm the bench for a bit, they get a little somethin’ too. Long as they played them 43 days, that is. That’s what I heard, anyway.
What about the fellas not from around here?
And it ain’t just for the fellas here in America neither. I hear tell they got fellas playin’ ball all over the world, and they get pensions too. There’s even a phone number you can call, but I ain’t got it on me right now. Somethin’ about benefits and insurance and all that. They take care of their own, them baseball folks.
I also heard you can find all this information in some papers, they call it “Plan Documents” I think. I don’t know much about that neither but sounds important. It probably tells you all the nitty-gritty details, the stuff I can’t explain ‘cause I ain’t no book-learnin’ person.
It’s important money for them fellas
It seems to me like this pension is a real important thing for them baseball players. They work hard, you know, runnin’ around and swingin’ bats and catchin’ balls. It ain’t easy on their bodies, I bet. So, it’s good they get some money after they’re done playin’, help ’em pay the bills and such.
And it ain’t just the fellas playing now. The old timers are gettin’ their money and young fellas coming up in the ranks will get it too. They call it “Major League Baseball Players Benefits Plan Handbook” so I guess there’s a book with everything you need in it.
Twenty years? A long time, that is.
Now, this “20 years” part in the title, I reckon that means how long they been payin’ out these pensions, or maybe how long some fellas gotta play to get the most money. I ain’t rightly sure. But 20 years, that’s a long time, no matter how you slice it. A whole lot of baseball games played in 20 years, I tell you what.
So, that’s the gist of it, as best as I can figure. It’s about baseball players getting money after they done playing. They gotta play a little while, and then they get paid later on. And it ain’t just for the famous ones. It sounds fair enough to me. They put in their time, they deserve a little somethin’ for their troubles, wouldn’t you say?
It’s more than just playin’ ball
Thinkin’ about it more, this whole pension thing ain’t just about hittin’ home runs and catchin’ fly balls. It’s about lookin’ after folks after they give their all to the game. It’s about makin’ sure they ain’t left high and dry when they can’t play no more. And that’s a good thing, no matter how you look at it. It’s like they always say, “You reap what you sow,” and them baseball fellas sow a whole lot of hard work and dedication.
Anyways, that’s all I know ‘bout this MLB pension thing. Like I said, I ain’t no expert but I tried my best to explain it in a way that makes sense. It seems like a good system, and I’m glad them fellas get taken care of.
Tags: MLB, Pension, Baseball, Retirement, Benefits, Players, Earnings, Bobby Bonilla, Plan Documents, 20 Years
