Country singer Garth Brooks is building quite an MLB resume for himself. Brooks has signed a contract for just over a week with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and is joining the team for some spring training reps. Brooks reported on Monday, and will be with the team until next Thursday.
Brooks is no stranger to MLB rosters. He's previously done similar work for the Padres and Mets. He talked about why he's choosing to go with the Pirates now.
"It's the 20th anniversary of Teammates," Brooks said, via Tribune-Review Sports. Teammates For Kids is Brooks' charity, which is focused on, naturally, the kids.
According to the website, the charity works as follows:
Professional athletes generously donate based on performance levels in their sport. A great pitcher, for example, might pledge a donation for every strikeout, a quarterback for completions, a hockey goalie for saves, a basketball player for free throws, etc. Then, the Foundation's Board, made up of Hall of Fame athletes, corporation owners, corporate officers, and entertainers, triples the amount donated by each athlete. Because the Foundation's overhead expenses are privately funded, 100% of all money donated goes to the kids. And now...we're asking FANS to join the team. Pledge money alongside your favorite athlete or sports team and we'll match it for even MORE money. 100% of YOUR donation goes to the kids! That's not a goal ... it's the rule!
As for Brooks himself, he looks like he might be just a little bit out of practice.
Definitely some room for improvement, but there are definitely worse options.
It's a little awkward seeing Brooks get signed when two superstar free agents in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are available, as baseball Twitter has noted, but such is life.
Brooks isn't the first celebrity to get picked up by MLB teams. Billy Crystal spent a bit of time with the New York Yankees in his day as well. And who can forget Will Farrell playing 10 different positions for 10 different teams in day in 2015?
Perhaps Brooks can do better than a strikeout, though he likely won't get a chance. The Pirates begin spring training exhibition games on Feb. 23, two days after Brooks' contract expires.
