Staying Positive

By: Angie Wiatrowski

Thirty-two is the magic number for Chicago White Sox outfielder Brian Anderson. Ironically, Anderson’s favorite sport is basketball and he said he wears 32 because his favorite player is former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson.

“I love basketball,” said Anderson, “But my future is in baseball. I was always a good at basketball but my passion is baseball.”

Anderson grew up playing baseball just like many other kids.

“When you’re a little kid you pick up that oversized red bat, and your dad throws whiffle balls at you, and out of all the thousands of swings you take it’s bound to come back and hit him square in the crotch,” he said. “Every dad wears it, my dad wore it too.”

Anderson said his dad played a very important role in his athletic career.

“(He) was always there,” he said, “I could never complain. He did everything he could to make me a better player at any sport I was playing.”

Anderson made his Major League debut on August 16, 2005, the same year the Sox won the World Series. Anderson said being part of a championship team as a 23-year-old was a dream come true.

Anderson also believes that there has been a lot of pressure since then.

“It was almost too much fun,” he said of 2005. “You look at it now and if you don’t win the World Series every year or go to the playoffs, it’s (disappointing).”

Anderson hasn’t had a lot of playing time lately (33 at-bats so far this season), but he still has a positive attitude. He wants to win another World Series, but a personal goal of his is to get back into the starting lineup where he spent much of 2006, hitting .225 with 8 HRs and 33 RBIs for the Sox.

Anderson said he tries not to focus on the negative.

“I can either be pissed off and be one of those guys that everyone forgets about,” he said. “Or I can just swallow my pride, learn from this, and try to use it positively.”

He brings his positive attitude out on the field too.

“When we play side by side it’s fun,” said teammate and fellow outfielder Nick Swisher. “He has funny stories and we’re always laughing out there. He’s a great guy, good dude.”

Tags: Brian Anderson, Chicago White Sox, Magic Johnson, Nick Swisher

Angie Wiatrowski is a journalism student at Columbia College Chicago and has been an active journalist since freshman year of high school. She attended Minooka Community High school, where she was the Special Features editor for the school newspaper. She was born and raised around baseball and is a diehard Chicago White Sox fan. Also, check out her blog.