Page 1, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhsieh/782969566/ Page 2-3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhsieh/782970448/ 請按 "ALL SIZES" 按鈕看大圖。 Angel in the Outfield by Linda Childers Garret Anderson talks about his baseball career, life in Southern California and why he’s encouraging children to read Garret Anderson is looking forward to a winning season with the Los Angeles Angels. The veteran outfielder has fully recovered from a foot injury that plagued him throughout the 2006 season and is back in top form. The Angels eased Anderson into action during spring training and announced the 34-year-old All-Star will once again be their starting left fielder this season. A Southern California native, Anderson recently spoke with DElight! about his health, life in the OC and how he’d love to see his team, who finished in second place last year in the American League West, win this year’s World Series. DElight!: You had a great season last year becoming the only Angels player to amass 2,000 hits and 1,000 RBIs with the franchise. You also tied for second on the team with 85 RBIs in 2006 and were third with 17 home runs, and you accomplished all of this despite having sustained a painful foot injury. GA: I don't feel that last season was as great as I would have liked it to be. I chalked it up to something I got through and did the best I could have under the circumstances considering that I easily could have gone on the DL list. After sustaining my foot injury, I jokingly told my teammates that baseball was starting to get in the way of my health! This season I'm looking forward to staying healthy and in the game. DE: It's good to hear that you're feeling better. How did you spend the off-season? GA: I'm a family guy. My wife and I have three young children, two girls and a boy, and I love taking them to school in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. They are all involved in sports, and I enjoy taking my daughter to gymnastics and my son to the golf range with me. We like taking family vacations to Santa Barbara and Disneyland. DE: How do you keep in touch with your family when you're on the road? GA: We're big on sending each other text messages via our cell phones. I also call home a lot to talk with my wife and children when I'm traveling with the team. DE: You grew up in Southern California, and I've heard you started playing pickup baseball in your grandma's backyard. How does it feel to be a hometown hero? GA: I played baseball, basketball and football at Kennedy High in Granada Hills, but I don't think my success in baseball has changed me. Sometimes fans will recognize me when I'm out with my family, but they are respectful of my personal time. DE: Was your wife your childhood sweetheart? GA: We've known each other since eighth grade, but we were just friends in junior high school. DE: What advice do you have for Little Leaguers who are dreaming of a career in Major League Baseball? GA: If you enjoy playing a sport, then do it but don't just play a sport hoping it will be your ticket to the majors. Not everyone can be a professional ballplayer. When you enjoy what you're doing, it doesn't feel like work. DE: Is that how you feel when playing for the Angels? GA: When I'm out there in left field, I'm having fun, it doesn't seem like work at all. I've been playing in the majors for the last 13 years, and I've seen firsthand how playing any professional sport can be consistently hard on your body. I'm doing the best I can to be successful and to stay healthy and hoping that my team has a good year and makes it to the World Series. Insight on Garret ‧What's on your iPod?: I have a ton of music on there, probably between 8,000 and 9,000 songs. Some of my favorite artists are Earth Wind and Fire, and Stevie Wonder. I also enjoy listening to old school R&B. ‧What do you watch on TV?: I enjoy watching Nick at Night reruns after my kids have gone to bed. ‧What are you reading?: I recently finished A Well Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Pro Sportsby Brad Snyder. ‧What are your favorite high-tech toys?: I have a portable DVD player and an iPod that I take with me on the airplane, and that's about it. Garret's other Passion DE: You've done a lot of charitable work with California Kids, an organization that provides health insurance for children and other non-profits. Are you currently doing any philanthropic work? GA: My wife and I are working on a reading program with our former school, Maclay Middle School. The program encourages children to spend more time reading, and they can win prizes such as trips to New York based on the number of hours they read. --

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