The Chicago Tribune
Wednesday 2nd September 1998

Minor League towns feel like home to players

The idea of letting a stranger move into your home might be a little unsettling.
But if residents can stand a 200-pound baseball player sleeping in the spare bedroom and eating at the dinner table, they could find themselves with free tickets to Schaumburg Flyers baseball games.

That's the deal in the northwest suburbs as Schaumburg's minor-league team tries to find homes for its future players.
The idea is to match young, underpaid ballplayers with area families who can provide meals and lodging for the athletes during the season. In return, residents get free tickets to the games and the chance to root for a player who, in most cases, becomes a member of the family.

It is a program that has proven successful among other minor-league teams, including the Kane County Cougars in Geneva.

"The real benefit is the relationship that develops between the players and the family, which lasts a lifetime," said John Dittrich, general manager of Schaumburg's team. "It's very gratifying to those families to see (players) go on to have this great success and remember that they knew them when."

Schaumburg baseball officials plan to start marketing the idea to fans in December, after signing players in the fall. Of the team's 22 players, at least a dozen are expected to be placed with area families during the 1999 season.

Families willing to help will be asked to fill out a questionnaire describing their accommodations and house rules, such as how many players they are willing to take in and whether they allow smoking or drinking in their home. The players will review the questionnaires and participate in finding a compatible match.

Most minor-league players range in age from 18 to 28 and earn a monthly income of about $700 to $2000 during the four month season, baseball officials said. Although some families decide to charge players a monthly rent of $50 to $100, others simply throw down the welcome mat and open their doors.
In Michigan this year, the two dozen families housing a player of the minor-league Lansing Lugnuts are providing free room and board.

"They know these guys may live a glamorous life on the outside, but when it comes down to it, they make hardly any money. They live away from home. They can't afford to move bedroom furniture, and dishes and pots and pans, and all the stuff it takes to move into an apartment," said Jennifer Burigana, a Lugnuts official.

While baseball officials say both sides have much to gain from such relationships, some teams shy away from the concept, saying players need to learn the responsibility of living on their own.
For instance, the Savannah Sand Gnats have arrangements with local apartment complexes to provide players with furnished two-bedroom apartments. The apartments house four players, who share the reduced monthly rent of $400 to $500.

While it is rare for relationships between families and players to sour, it does happen, officials say. In those cases, the player is usually transferred to another family.

But most matches work.
Robin and Diane Renner of Aurora opened their home to Brett Roneberg, an outfielder for the Kane County Cougars. The couple says that since the 19-year-old from Australia moved in, he has become a role model for their two sons, ages 7 and 10..
Not only do the boys see Roneberg working hard to attain his goal of making it to the major leagues, the couple says, but Roneberg also lets the boys tag along with him to games, where the Renners enjoy the VIP treatment reserved for families and friends of the team.
"My wife has even made the comment that, if our two boys are as respectful and polite as Brett when they're 19, we'll be lucky," said Robin Renner.