What made you decide to forego your junior season of football?
Last year I played for the US National team and that was during football, so I had to make the choice of playing football or for the US Team. It was a very tough decision, but I thought it was the best thing for me. That got me to where I could play this year. It was a pretty good deal.
What was that like?
It’s great, I mean if you want to stay at home and have a summer, then don’t do it because I was at home maybe two days a week for three years. I was hopping on planes every weekend and going to Florida or California. Wherever the best ball players were, that’s where we went.
Pretty good competition?
Very tough. One of the g uys I was playing against is now a first-round pick. It’s good competition.
Is it going to be difficult to come back to football after having missed a year?
it’s completely different than football. One of the main reasons I played football is number one for my friends and number two is that it gives me a break from baseball. Because without football, I would be completely burnt out.
Who is your favorite baseball player?
Joe Mauer. He really impressed me. I went to a junior national showcase (at the Metrodome) he was there taking batting practice trying to showoff before we all went out there and he’s an athlete. He was a quarterback and a catcher. I guess I can just relate to him a little.
