Midwest Leaguer in the Super Bowl

There is a football game tonight. Kelley Washington, who played for the Kane County Cougars in 1998 and 2000, plays for the undefeated team. He gets a Q & A at The Sporting News website. Skipping down to some of the baseball stuff:

Do you remember your first home run in the minors? Yes. We were losing 6-0 and I hit a two-run homer in West Michigan in Single-A ball. I was playing for the Kane County Cougars. I hit it to deep left field. ... I thought it was just a long fly ball. I'm digging toward second base and all of a sudden I see the umpire waving his hands so I knew it was a home run. I don't think I've ever run around the bases so fast.

Did your teammates give you a hard time for busting it on a home run? Oh they did. I remember in the clubhouse after the game, it was kind of a joke. They said I must have never hit a home run as fast as I was going.

As for Josh Beckett, your old roommate: Cocky player or the most cocky player ever? You can only pick one. (Laughs) Cocky player. Cocky, confident player. In a good way.

What was your take on Beckett when you first met him? I knew he was a high school phenom. He was a first-round pick and I knew he was going to make it one day. He carried himself in a manner where he knew he was good and it was just a matter of time for him to make the majors. It was a good opportunity for me to meet him and be roommates with him and get to know him.