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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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A couple of questions with J.P. Howell

Posted Feb 20, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 20, 2010 at 05:09 PM

How do you unwind during regular season?
J.P.: “I play video games every single night (with) my boys back home. It’s perfect. It’s usually around a three-hour difference. I’ll play against them on line. We play baseball, hockey, Call of Duty. We’re on it, dude. It’s the best way to zone out. It calms me down, good or bad game.”

What do you do in the offseason to unwind from the regular season?
J.P.: “We like to have family over every weekend. Football is on. Pretty much doing nothing in the offseason, that is awesome. Family and home. Not leaving the house. We don’t have a weekend during the season. I miss it. I’m sleeping and I tell my wife I’m working. I’m working on getting my rest.”

What sports other than baseball did you play?
J.P.: “Football and basketball in high school. I loved football. I was a linebacker and fullback. They used me at QB when we had to throw something deep.”

So you were a reliever even back then?
J.P.: “Right. I was a relief quarterback.”

Earliest baseball memory?
J.P.: “Playing T-ball every Saturday morning. I remember hitting and running around the bases and catching up to the other runners and I’d have to wait for them, try to push them a long.”

Funniest teammate?
J.P.: “Grant Balfour. Grant always has something funny to say, and his accent. It’s Grant, B.J. (Upton), he can do some funny things, and (James) Shields. He can be funny. Those three.”

Is there anyone on the team as funny as former Ray Jonny Gomes?
J.P.: “Not even close. He’s in his own little world. There’s no chance. I don’t know anyone as funny as Gomes.”

Favorite Winter Olympic sport?
J.P.: “The curling is really growing on me. It’s like a chess match and shuffleboard at the bar. I also like the skeleton. I like the figure skating, too.”