M:  What is it like to be a professional baseball player?

B:   I have been doing this now for 17 years.  It is my job, but something I still love to do.  I do not            however enjoy being away from my family.  I have a wife and 2 kids, and the traveling is not as          fun as it used to be.

 

M:.  Who was your favorite team and player growing up?  

B:    I loved Ryne Sandberg and the Chicago Cubs.

 

M:  Do you have a daily training routine?

B:   I do; playing baseball every day for almost 7.5 months takes a lot of working out.  I train hard in        the offseason, and during the season I have a program I try and stick to.  Sometimes it is hard            with all the traveling, but that is the only way to get better and most importantly, stay healthy.

 

M:  Do you have a daily diabetes routine?

B::  I would not say I have an exact routine.  I am just very aware of what I am doing at all times.            Inlcuding what I eat in relation to what I am about to do physically, and with those combinations I      make the best effort to keep my surgar at the right level.

 

M:. What was it like to play for Bobby Cox?

B:   Playing for Bobby was like playing for your grandfather.  I always wanted to do well and make him      proud.  He is an amazing manager and even more of an amazing person.

 

M:  Have you ever been low pitching in a game?

B:   I have not ever been low, but I credit that with always being prepared before I pitch.  I am very          aware of where I am at all time, and thus never allow this to happen.  There have been times I          have been lower than I wanted to be while warming up, but I always make sure to have glucose          tablets or Gatorade handy.

 

M:  Did players and coaches treat you differently after being diagnosed?

B:   The answer to that is no, and I think that is only because I live my life as though I do not have the      disease.  I monitor myself and keep myself perfectly healthy, but that is the extent.  There is not a      reason to let diabetes control you.  Live every day just like everyone else.  It does not hinder one          thing I do on a daily basis, so teammates really forget or do not even care I have it, because it is        not something that anyone notices.

 

M:  Does diabetes run in your family?

B:   My parents and grandparents never had it, but my sister does.

 

M:  Do you ever sneak food?

B:   I do not have to sneak food because I eat whatever I want.  I just understand that I need to know        exactly what  am eating and how many carbs are in it.  So, I would not really call it a cheat, I            just eat.

 

M:  What is your favorite moment in your baseball career?

B:   It would probably be my first day in the Major Leagues.  It is also close with the first game I              pitched back in the Major Leagues after I found out I was a diabetic.  I was scared at first if that        was ever going to happen, but I made it back and diabetes will never be a reason why I do not            play.

 

M:  Any advice?

B:   Stay on top of it; never use the disease as any excuse.  You can do whatever you want.  Diabetes will not be the reason I die when I am old and gray; always know your number, and don't guess your   number.  The monitor is your  only true number.  Guessing causes problesm.  When in doubt,            CHECK!!  Good luck.

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