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GETTING TO KNOW MATT WATSON
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
McCaskey graduate Matt Watson, the newest addition to the Barnstormers' starting lineup, looks back at his career and looks forward to playing for his hometown team.
Is this an exciting opportunity for you considering you’re a Lancaster native?
It’s always nice to come home. I don’t know if everybody sets out to play in the Atlantic League. But while I’ve been playing, I’ve been following Lancaster a little bit. I’ve been here since the team has been established and I’ve gotten down to the stadium to see it.
For me, the way the year panned out, it was a long year between winter ball (in Mexico) and going to Korea and dealing with a lot of things in organized baseball. It was nice to get a chance to play in Lancaster and in independent ball. I want to relieve some of the stress and get back to playing for the enjoyment of playing and seeing if it’s still a passion that I would like to pursue as a career.
When you were at Clipper Magazine Stadium as a fan, what were your impressions?
It seemed like they drew well. There were a lot of people coming out from the local community and the suburbs around Lancaster. It seemed like a nice place. I’ve always liked the 300-foot fence in right field. Not that I’ve ever been a pull-happy type of hitter, but it’ll be nice to give that a little run here and see how it works out.
You were so driven to get to the big leagues and then to make it back. Is your outlook different now that you’re older?
Some of the things I’ve been through with traveling and trying to uproot a family are no different than with a lot of guys who have kids. I always want to be around there for them. I want to be close to them. The last few years have been taxing with me being away in Japan and being gone for seven or eight weeks at a time.
I don’t think my career is over. I’d like to make it back to the big leagues. But I’m a realist. I think the odds may be slim to get back there. I think I could get back to Asia and do well. But I want to see if it’s still enjoyable playing, to see if it’s something I choose to do for a career or whether it’s time to turn the page.
You mentioned that you turned down Double-A offers in order to play here. Could you explain why?
I had a couple of offers in the Southern League. Between Mexico and Korea and coming back here, I couldn’t see taking off and going to the Southern League. You get to the point where you’re 30 and you’re playing with kids who are 21 or 22. At least here in independent ball, you have guys you’ve played against or run along with. Jason Scobie was my roommate with the Mets. Zack Parker I know from playing winter ball. There are a bunch of people who are closer to your age instead of that 8- to 10-year gap, which makes it a little uncomfortable.
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