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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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Q & A with Grant Balfour

Posted Feb 27, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 27, 2010 at 04:47 PM

What other sports did he play while growing up in Australia?
“I was big into running, cross country. I enjoyed long distance running and swimming. I played soccer, indoor soccer. I did a little bit of everything. I played rugby.”

How popular is MLB in Australia?
“To the baseball community and the people who do follow it, they’re into it. They love it. But there’s really only a small community that are into it. There are not a lot of people who get their heads outside of cricket and rugby and all the Australian sports.”

What did you know about MLB while growing up?
“We never got the games, so I never really knew anything about baseball in America. I was thinking we had baseball in Australia. I didn’t realize they had it in America until I got a little bit older.”

You’ve played for Team Australia in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and for the Rays in the 2008 World Series. How do the two compare?
“When you play in the World Series, you play for the team, for the organization. When you play in the Olympics, you really feel that, where you come from, you’re home. You come from Australia, and you have the backing of everyone in the whole country as opposed to maybe just the fans from Tampa. And the Phillies (fans), they’re from America, but they’re hounding you. And Tampa Bay is all behind us and whoever else out there that may have seen us as the underdog and wanted us to win. At the Olympics, the whole country is behind you, and they don’t care what sport it is, they want to see Australia win. I think you’ll see people who don’t watch sports all the time will come just to watch. Baseball is not that big in Australia, and the baseball games are sold out. It’s just the experience to see the Olympics and to be there and have that experience, be around the game and the atmosphere. It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling to be in the Olympics.”

What were the Opening Ceremonies like?
“The feel of coming out and being greeted by your home country. There’s probably no better feeling. You get the goosebumps and you say, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable.’ ”

Are you a popular athlete back home?
“I would say in the baseball community they know who you are. They definitely know the Australians playing over here. Outside of that, it would be very minimal.”

Is there a Grant Balfour Fan Club in Australia?
“I don’t know. There could be. I could go home after the losing the World Series and my life won’t be at risk.”

How do you unwind during the season?
“Doing some stuff around the house and garden, not think about the game. I like working in the garden I like spending time with my dog (a pitbull-hound mix named “ZZ”), take my dog out for a run. Things like that. When you’re on the road, it’s a little different. You’re cooped up in the hotel, so I try to get out and walk around a little bit.”