"I retired prematurely probably when I was just getting to know and understand the game," he says. "I got a lot of flak from my agent and the general manager. They said, 'You're going to be in the Major Leagues. You're going to have a long career.' I just felt it was time. There were other things I wanted to do. I had been having these feelings for a long time."

Looking back on his career, he regrets that he wasn't able to string together a couple of seasons without injuries (he played with an injured shoulder that eventually required surgery).

"Had I not left baseball, I'm sure I would have walked away more fulfilled," he says.

Pressed further, he will tell you his biggest regret has nothing to do with baseball. "If I have one regret it's that I didn't play college football and maybe beyond," he says. "Football was more of a passion for me than baseball, and it came more naturally. It was not my favorite sport."

During nostalgic moments, he remembers getting hits against the likes of Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson and playing in the ballparks of Boston and Chicago and more.

"I remember the clubhouse, being outside every day, the smell of grass, putting on my cleats and swinging a bat," he says. "I miss those things. But I know I made the right decision."

---

E-mail: drob@desnews.com