Traded for Beer
Ben Godar
Today, I am proud to be a baseball fan. Despite its scandals, its whining superstars and its gooey sentimentality, baseball is still a sport where a player can be traded for 60 cases of beer.
Yes friends, pitcher Nigel Thatch of Schaumberg in the independent Northern League was traded to Fullerton in exchange for one pallet of Budweiser. As with any transaction, the immediate question that comes to mind is "who got the better deal?" Is this a straight, value-for-value swap, or is it Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio?
My initial reaction was that Fullerton came out ahead on this swap. The market value of 60 cases of Budweiser is around $1,000, which ain't a bad price for a baseball player. And that's if they were buying off the shelf at Safeway. I'd bet with an order that large, you can swing a deal with the brewery. And I wouldn't be surprised if someone in the organization simply "knew a guy" who got his hands on some beer that fell off a truck.
But upon further review, I began to doubt that Mr. Thatch was worth even $1,000 worth of beer. In seven appearances this season, the right-handed pitcher gave up 22 runs, with 24 hits in just 12 and a third innings.
So, the plot thickens. We're not just talking about 60 cases of beer for a pitcher, we're talking about 60 cases of beer for a really lousy pitcher. But there's still one important component to consider in evaluating this trade:
Budweiser is a really lousy beer.
I mean, seriously, would you want 60 cases of Budweiser? Don't get me wrong, I've choked down many cans of the swill at barbecues, dorm room parties and at the homes of unliked relatives. But 60 cases sounds more like a burden than a blessing, even in exchange for a bum arm like Nigel Thatch.
It also makes me wonder if there was negotiation as to the brand of the beer. Perhaps Schaumberg started high with Sam Adams, then Fullerton low-balled them with Tecate. Schaumberg may then have tried for Michelob, but settled for Budweiser when they weren't willing to part with a "player to be named later."
In years to come, we may look back on the Nigel Thatch trade as a mark of the era before player salaries got out of hand. By 2010, I wouldn't be surprised to see a player traded for a pallet of Widmer Hefeweizen.
But it warms my heart to know that America is still a place, and baseball is still a game, where a transaction like this can take place.
Today, I am proud to be a baseball fan. Despite its scandals, its whining superstars and its gooey sentimentality, baseball is still a sport where a player can be traded for 60 cases of beer.
Yes friends, pitcher Nigel Thatch of Schaumberg in the independent Northern League was traded to Fullerton in exchange for one pallet of Budweiser. As with any transaction, the immediate question that comes to mind is "who got the better deal?" Is this a straight, value-for-value swap, or is it Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio?
My initial reaction was that Fullerton came out ahead on this swap. The market value of 60 cases of Budweiser is around $1,000, which ain't a bad price for a baseball player. And that's if they were buying off the shelf at Safeway. I'd bet with an order that large, you can swing a deal with the brewery. And I wouldn't be surprised if someone in the organization simply "knew a guy" who got his hands on some beer that fell off a truck.
But upon further review, I began to doubt that Mr. Thatch was worth even $1,000 worth of beer. In seven appearances this season, the right-handed pitcher gave up 22 runs, with 24 hits in just 12 and a third innings.
So, the plot thickens. We're not just talking about 60 cases of beer for a pitcher, we're talking about 60 cases of beer for a really lousy pitcher. But there's still one important component to consider in evaluating this trade:
Budweiser is a really lousy beer.
I mean, seriously, would you want 60 cases of Budweiser? Don't get me wrong, I've choked down many cans of the swill at barbecues, dorm room parties and at the homes of unliked relatives. But 60 cases sounds more like a burden than a blessing, even in exchange for a bum arm like Nigel Thatch.
It also makes me wonder if there was negotiation as to the brand of the beer. Perhaps Schaumberg started high with Sam Adams, then Fullerton low-balled them with Tecate. Schaumberg may then have tried for Michelob, but settled for Budweiser when they weren't willing to part with a "player to be named later."
In years to come, we may look back on the Nigel Thatch trade as a mark of the era before player salaries got out of hand. By 2010, I wouldn't be surprised to see a player traded for a pallet of Widmer Hefeweizen.
But it warms my heart to know that America is still a place, and baseball is still a game, where a transaction like this can take place.
posted by Ben Godar at 1:55 PM
2 Comments:
To add to the drama of this interesting trade, Nigel Thatch is the actor who played the conceited athlete "Leon" in beer commercials from a few years back. I actually read about this in the Seattle Times' sports section a couple of weeks ago. Rad!
God bless America! If this doesn't reinforce your faith in our country and the Church of Baseball, then nothing will.
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