Interview with MLB All-Star Jason Bay

Provided by Active Team Sports
For Active.com

Jason Bay is one of the most exciting young players in Major League Baseball. As an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates he was named Rookie of the Year in 2004 and has already been named to the National League All-Star team twice in his young career. We spoke with him recently to get his thoughts on playing baseball in Canada and what it was like at theLittle League World Series in 1990.

How does a kid from Trail, B.C. end up playing baseball and not the great sport of hockey? I actually played both (hockey and baseball) until I was about 12 or 13. After that I just played baseball because I like it more.

What's the Little League scene like in Canada? It's certainly not what it's like in the states. There are teams and fields, but just not all over the place. Obviously there is more hockey played than baseball. But I think baseball is gaining more popularity in Canada due to the fact that more major league players are from there.

What was it like playing in the Little League World Series? It was awesome. Coming from a small town like Trail, British Columbia, and then playing in front of all those people at 11 years old was just amazing. It's something I'll never forget.

What effect did Little League have on your development as a baseball player? As a person? It increased my interest in the game of baseball from a developmental standpoint. As a person, I think it made me understand the importance of team play. It was a lot of fun and even though we didn't win it all, it was fun for the whole team and we all had a great time just being there.