Miguel Tejada chatted briefly this morning as he prepared for his first exhibition game as the Orioles starting third baseman. He played third in the intrasquad game on Monday, of course, but did not get a ground ball.
"It's fun...It's kind of like my first day in the big leagues,'' Tejada said. "I get to prove that I can play another position in the big leagues. I'm going to play like it's short. I've never been afraid to make an error."
Tejada said he was not disappointed that he didn't get much action in the intrasquad game, because there is more to playing the position than reacting to ground balls.
"What I was looking for was getting used to the swing of the hitters,'' he said.
And, of course, he also got the same question that he's been getting about third base since his homecoming news conference at the Warehouse. Has he talked to Cal Ripken or Alex Rodriguez to ask about their experiences switching from short to third?
"No, I haven't talked to anybody,'' he said, "but I'll ask anybody. Whenever I see a third baseman, I'm going to ask a question. I not going to just ask the guys who are superstars."
Give Tejada credit for being a little more analytical than the media in this case. Though it might be nice to get some advice from the guys who switched to third base late in their careers, it might make more sense to talk to guys who have played the position all their lives.
Sun photo