This season, on Alone in the Game, you said the biggest difference between you and the other players is your love for the game and love for the people in it. Is that still the case? That’s the biggest difference in us. You guys played together for years as the same group. Then, in a span of a few weeks last summer, everyone except Kahwum and you lost their jobs. Did that change things? Yeah, but just hearing from them after it happened, it was just like a relief. I was always worried about us, so it was kind of comforting to know everyone else was concerned as well. For the first month after it happened, I was kind of in shock because I had no idea what was going to happen. I was worried about my teammates too because it would be really bad if I found out someone wasn’t doing as well as me. What was your initial reaction when you found out you were going to be released? Honestly, I kind of figured I was out [of touch] and people were expecting me to be gone, so when I got the message, I was really upset. When I found out that you guys had brought me back [on Friday], I was really surprised and it kind of took me by surprise. Honestly, before all this happened, I never expected to make it back. The only thing that was different was knowing I was bringing back a player who would be here and playing. At the same time, I wasn’t ready to get my team back yet. I figured it would be much later when we actually played and I came back, but luckily, it happened a lot sooner. You said you’re not yet ready for the team to be back together, how does that affect your play? I felt really good and wanted to play really hard last week and I did. I didn’t want to be thinking about the game too much and try to force something or play poorly. For the first two weeks, I’ve kind of been trying to take my time and get my mind right and go as hard as I can. On March 6, 2014, you’re retiring from professional baseball. Tell me about your reaction when you found out. Initially, it was like a slap in the face because I’m so excited about being a player and then all of a sudden, it’s over. It’s like I wanted to start my career over again as if I was just making the majors for the first time and then all of a sudden that didn’t happen. I was really bummed out. Are you planning on playing in the minor leagues? The only way I would consider it is if I got an offer to come to a team in a different country because I would really like to try my hand at something else. It was weird because when you grow up with baseball your whole life, you know it’s not going to be as easy as it looks in the first five seconds of watching someone throw a baseball. You know it’s not going to be like that, so you are really excited and there are nerves, but it’s going to be really cool and you’ll be a star and you’ll get to take the field for games. The day when I actually was able to do that was right after I made the big leagues with my first team. You think about how fun it would be and how many of those games you would be able to sit and watch. Then, after that day, it just kind of gets boring and you want to go back and play. What did you play in high school? When I was in high school, I was playing on a team that had a girl named [Jemmye] Sasser on it. She was our pitcher and she had great stuff and a great arm. I played second base and we went on a pretty good run and made it to state championship. Was that your first trip to state? I was actually the youngest on the team and at the time I was 12, so no one could really expect me to win state and it was pretty cool for me to win my first game at state. How much did that go to your head? I mean, I was also 12 but we didn’t get to go on a really good run in my first tournament ever. No one was really expecting me to do anything or win, so it wasn’t like that. A lot of the coaches and teachers said it was a big deal, but everyone’s kind of like their own little band and they won’t do their own thing, so you just don’t care. No one said it was that big of a deal because everyone else on the team was good at their other sports and did really well. It’s not like I did it or that they looked at me because of that. It was just a really fun time and exciting because it was my first state championship. During a game one of your opponents made a comment about your brother being in the majors. What were your reactions when you heard about that? For some reason, I think they saw how small I was. The guy who made that comment said it was because of my stature and that he thought it was funny. My coach made me come out to him and him and some of the coaches were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to beat this guy.’ The guy said, ‘Hey, I didn’t mean it like that, you know? You’re a tough kid and it’s funny because your brother is really tall. He would never do that.’ They all started to apologize after that, but I just laughed it off because he was just having fun. On Tuesday, they announced you would not play in the game on Wednesday. Did you hear about this and get angry? Honestly, I didn’t hear until like 1 or 2 p.m. and I was pretty mad that they didn’t talk to me about it. A lot of the guys had just gotten off the field and they were walking through the clubhouse, so I was just asking them what happened. I was really upset because I didn’t get an explanation or an answer. At least one of the guys, someone on the team, told me that they did it to save money. When you go to so many games, you need a lot of extra guys and I kind of got the impression that this is how they were going to treat me after learning how much money they wanted me for my two games here in the majors and all the work I put in this year. All that money is going to waste on me, but it’s going to be fun for the fans. Did you feel you deserved to be paid more than the other guys who are going to get their contract renewed for next year? Honestly, I didn’t get paid enough. I thought that I was going to be signed with a second contract, but it’s not like I asked for that. I can kind of understand how it’s done and why they do it. It’s their money, but at the same time, it was a whole bunch of money and I didn’t know what was going to happen. As I was walking off the field, they told me they were going to talk to the front office about it and I thought, ‘Well, if they don’t give me anything, I’m going to be upset.’ If they decide not to give me anything for next year, then I’m not going to be happy because I had really been looking forward to next year. How has this affected you the last two days? At first, it was a really big deal and I was really upset because I didn’t really expect them to say no. It was kind of disappointing because at least I thought that it was a possibility. Once the weekend was over, I had a chance to sit and think about it and know that they actually were going to pass on me. Now, I just kind of figured out how they’re going to do it and it was kind of nice knowing that I was going to be leaving on a good note because I’m going to be playing. It’s kind of like, ‘Okay, you’re just going to fire me in my head, but at least you’re going to tell me on Monday when it’s time for me to leave.’ I think that’s why I felt better the next day. It was just a really hard way to get let go, but at least I got the feeling that I could walk out the door knowing that I’m not upset or mad or just frustrated, and that’s a really nice feeling. It’s pretty crazy. When did you decide to retire? I was really hesitant and I had a really long time to decide and at first, I was kind of leaning towards retirement. Now that it’s all said and done, I felt a little better about it. I knew that this would be the end. It just took a lot of people and a lot of opinions and emotions to make that decision, but it wasn’t really an easy one. It was a long process, but in the end, I got to a decision and I felt like I could see my whole career without my body hurting and worrying about it anymore. I felt like I could see all the good and all the bad times and all the hard times and it’s time to hang them up, so I’m excited