Nine Innings: Q+A with Brian McFall
•Top of the 1st: (SD) Where are you living this offseason?
•Bottom of the 1st: (Brian) I'm living with (Naturals' infielder, and good friend Ed Lucas) and my family in Surprise, AZ...
•Top of the 2nd: (SD) What are you doing to occupy your (off-season) besides baseball stuff?
•Bottom of the 2nd: (Brian) I'm doing some youth lessons with kids out here in the greater Phoenix area, and hanging out with my son (Braeden) while my wife goes to work full time.
•Top of the 3rd: (SD) What goes into your workout/training regimen? I assume you are healthy after your (hamstring) injury this past summer...
•Bottom of the 3rd: (Brian) Baseball-wise I'm doing sprints and a lot of running to make sure my leg stays loose and healthy. I've been taking some swings when I do my lessons, and I've been working out four or five days a week.
•Top of the 4th: (SD) What exactly goes into your daily workouts at the gym?
•Bottom of the 4th: (Brian) I'll workout for two or three hours, either at LA Fitness or at the Royals' facilities (in Surprise).
•Top of the 5th: (SD) How much have you kept in contact with the other guys (from the 2009 Naturals) as well as other guys from the Royals' organization this offseason?
•Bottom of the 5th: (Brian) Well, I'm living with Ed Lucas of course. I talk to Marc Maddox quite a bit, and I text a lot of (other people). I got married this (October), and Kurt Mertins came to my wedding (Ed Lucas served as Brian's best man at the wedding), and I talk to Cody Strait a bit too. Also we were all in a fantasy football league, so we stay in touch on the internet too.
•Top of the 6th: (SD) What other sports teams do you follow in the offseason (NCAA, NFL, etc.)? I know you're a big football guy, both college and pro...
•Bottom of the 6th: (Brian) Yeah, it was kind of a bummer for me with bowl season, because Michigan didn't make it into a bowl game (Brian is a dedicated fan of the maize and blue). But I'm pretty excited about watching the Arizona Cardinals in their playoff game (against the Green Bay Packers) this upcoming weekend.
•Top of the 7th: (SD) What was your favorite Naturals moment from the past couple years?
•Bottom of the 7th: (Brian) I'd have to say the day we clinched the playoff spot in 2008, because we clinched at home in Springdale in front of all the home fans.
•Top of the 8th: (SD) With your injury this (past) year, how tough was it to not only not play for a few months but also to leave the team mid-season when they were playing so well?
•Bottom of the 8th: (Brian) It was really hard because there were a lot of guys (with the team) that I like playing with and it was a fun team to be on, and we really were starting to do really well. I followed (the team) almost every day, and talked to people probably four, five times a week the rest of the year. It was tough leaving the community too, they were very supportive, but I worked really hard to (try and get back), but by the time I was close to being ready, there was only about a week left and at that point they didn't really need me back there.
•Top of the 9th: (SD) You're a free agent this offseason. What's that been like, going through (minor league free agency) for the first time?
•Bottom of the 9th: (Brian) Its been pretty nerve racking, talking to agents and talking to scouts. It would have been great to get back to Northwest Arkansas and finish (last) season but hopefully at some point in time I find my way back into the community, but, at the same time I'm excited to try and start with another organization with a clean slate. But I'll miss all my friends and the guys that I'd be leaving...
Nine Innings appears on nwanaturals.com every other week.