Sunday, January 25, 2004

Daddy, Where Do Baseballs Come From?

Daddy: Good question, little Billy. All of the baseballs in the major leagues come from one factory in a country called Costa Rica where workers stich each and every ball together by hand.

Little Billy: They must make a lot of money. A major league baseball costs about $15 in the store.

Daddy: Well, actually, they get paid about $.30 a ball, which comes to about $2,750 a year.

Little Billy: Hmm. Hmm. So who get's the rest of the money?

Daddy: The owners of the company who provide the jobs.

Little Billy: Oh, I see. Is $2,750 a lot of money? How much to professional baseball player make a year?

Daddy: Oh, a little over $2 million, on average.

Little Billy: Oh. Hmm. But it must be fun making baseballs.

Daddy: Well, kind of. Although it gets kind of hot. Sometimes it gets up to 95 degrees and workers feel like they're suffocating.

Little Billy: Ewww. But they must be really good with their hands to make balls. Right?

Daddy: As long as they can still use their hands. Have you ever heard of something called "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?"

Little Billy: Daddy, can you tell me a different story? This is making me sad.

Daddy: OK, sure. What else do you want to know, Little Billy?

Little Billy: Where do my sneakers come from?


The whole story is here.