all star game

Similar to our Michigan road trip last summer, our vacation this year had to be scheduled, or cut a day or two short (however you want to look at it) due to our vending schedule. We got home from the airport at 1:15am and by 2:00pm on Sunday we were at the stadium ready to work the 2014 All Star Futures Game.

There had been a lot of buildup for this event, over a year's worth. People literally kept working a job they would have otherwise quit in order to be able to work the ASG. We went into the first day, the Futures' game and the Celebrity Softball, tired, but really optimistic about making some decent money and having the scramble to get home from another country worth it, but our hopes were quickly dashed. There were too many kids, too many locals, and too many cheap tickets and people just weren't spending their money. Overall Sunday was a huge letdown and I was wishing I was still on the beach.  I will admit though, it was pretty fun to watch Nelly, Adrian Peterson, Jenny Finch, and January Jones, among others play some softball.

Luckily on Monday, the Home-run Derby, things started to turn around. I wouldn't say the next two events were really that lucrative to work, nothing compared to a concert or even a post-season Twins game. But they were above average (for this year) and the tips were flowing pretty generously. I may have managed to get myself a $50 tip at the Derby.

Besides the only slightly-above-average-compensation aspect of the games, they were longer events and management was super stressed about presenting our stadium and our city well. They were exhausting games to work. Yet somehow they managed to be a little fun. And if nothing else now I have the privilege of saying I have been to/ worked an All Star Game; though I will be perfectly fine if I never have the opportunity again. Now I am desperately hoping the Superbowl coming here in a few short years won't be another repeat of this (but hey, it's football, so I doubt that seriously).