Want free tickets to a full season of Modesto Roadsters games? Host a player
The best seat in the house of a Modesto Roadsters game could be a room in yours.
The Roadsters are looking for local host families to house players this summer in exchange for free tickets to the whole season.
“You get a front-row seat to the grind and the game,” reads the callout. “These aren’t just athletes, they’re future legends with cleats in your hallway and big-league dreams.”
From when players arrive in early May to when they leave in September, hosts are expected to provide a bed and a few home-cooked meals.
Of a roster of 25, only a handful of the players are local to Modesto or live within driving distance. So far, 15 people have reached out to offer lodging for players. Michael Neis, general manager of the Roadsters, said he’s grateful for those who have stepped up. Some of the hosts have lodged Nuts players before, so it’s a homecoming moment for them, he added.
Part of the family
Retirees Nancy Day and her husband, Steve, have been hosting players for 17 years. Going to games feels like rooting for her own son. One of the players she lodged even became her son-in-law.
The Days’ guest room reserved for players is decorated in baseball memorabilia, including player cards of every player she’s hosted.
Often, this is the longest time the young players have been away from home. She’s there to support them, during their bad and good nights. She said she stays in touch with a lot of the players and their families afterward.
“They become family to you,” Day said.
Her kids, who are in their 30s and 40s, still get excited about coming over to meet the player currently living at their house.
For the past three years, the Seattle Mariners, the major league affiliate of the former Modesto Nuts, housed most players in apartments in Lathrop. Now with the new Roadsters, the Days can welcome a player back into their home again.
“I’m really excited to have baseball back in Modesto,” Day said.
The Roadsters’ inaugural season is at John Thurman Field, where the Modesto Nuts had played for two decades. The team starts its season against the Pioneer Baseball League Travel Team at home for six games from May 19-24.
The last home series is at the end of August, when the Roadsters welcome another new California PBL team, the Long Beach Baseball Club, to Thurman Field for three games. In the last six games of their first season, the Roadsters will play Long Beach.
Those interested in hosting can contact 209-572-4487 for details and to lock in a spot.
