Every kid growing up playing baseball wants to someday be a pro; a Major Leaguer, really, but I guess being a minor leaguer counts too. Aside from living the dream, playing a fun kid’s game for money, and living devoid of the job responsibilities most of the world endures, there is one other, big perk: All the PB&J your face can handle.

But it doesn’t just stop there. Aside from being provided with multiple loaves of bread, plastic silverware and two orphanage-sized jars of Skippy and Smuckers to stave off the pregame hunger, players are typically provided with a big spread of concession-stand hotdogs, hamburgers, corndogs, soda, popcorn, or whatever the ballpark was selling that night. 10 pizzas from Papa Johns after the game?

Absolutely.

Sure, the pasta and other catered meals sometimes find their way into the clubhouse after games, but those meals appear with less frequency and certainty.

Plus, it’s the little things. There’s actual Gatorade in the cooler, a big tub of Dubble Bubble, and all the free bags of David sunflower seeds you can spit. And yes, I know Dubble Bubble tastes like soggy newspaper roughly 25 seconds after your first chew, but hell, just spit it out and grab another piece – it’s free, after all.

Dubble Bubble is to Gum as White Castle is to Restaurants

I just find it ironic that the high level athletes, besides playing a kids’ game, largely get fed kid food, and they love it. I’d be lying if I told you that my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich wasn’t awesome – it was. I eat super healthy when I can buy and cook my own food, so I never eat the stuff that I’ve been eating, mostly because if I don’t, I’ll go hungry. The travel schedule and energy demands of being on the road and at the ballpark all day are high, making packing all of one’s food pretty much a non-option. Sure, you can plan ahead and bring some healthy stuff with you, but overall, you eat what they give you. You can cringe at the options, or allow your smiling inner-child a summer in the sun.