Q: Is there a question you haven't been asked yet about the Olympics or its selection process?
DJ: (Smiles) It's not as easy as people think because you have to get permission from a club, they can't be on the 25-man roster, and they also probably can't be (the team's) five closest prospects to the big leagues, so you're looking at about the 31st guy in each organization.
Pitchers move up and down the system real quick. Take David Price from Tampa, He's in Double-A in his first year. (The Olympics) would be a great experience for him, but (the Rays) don't want to take a chance with him going out of the country. They may call him up this year, so that's the problem you run into.
Q: Who do you think is the favorite going into Beijing?
DJ: Japan, because they're using big-league guys. It used to be that we (the United States) were the favorite, no matter if we had minor leaguers. Now the whole world plays a good brand of baseball.
Q: Beijing will be the last Olympics, for the time being at least, that will include baseball. Do you think that baseball needs to be in the Olympics to have that platform, or do you think the game has gotten so big, that it doesn't really matter at this point?
DJ: I think (baseball) still needs (the Olympics). More countries have leagues. Russia, Spain, France, these countries in Europe all have leagues (now). I know people are going to be asking some questions, why baseball didn't get re-upped, that and softball. I think both those sports should be back in the Olympic Games.
Q: Did you, or anybody within USA Baseball ever have any conversations with either Bonds or Clemens? Did they come to you at all?
DJ: No, they did not. I was asked by our administrators if I would (consider) Biggio, Clemens ... and my feeling is if they're not playing, I don't want 'em.
