As many of you know, the Olympics begin tomorrow in Bejing and the USA Baseball Team is out to get a gold medal. Fortunately enough, we were able to get in touch with Chad Renning of the Memphis Redbirds and set up an interview with short stop Brian Barden. The following interview is also featured on www.fantasybaseballgenerals.com and www.majorleaguereport.com.

Note: The interview has been slightly edited for grammar purposes.

You didn't draw too much attention coming out of high school, but managed to land a spot at Oregon State. Did you expect to get more attention from colleges or pro teams?

I figured going into my junior year that I was a lock to get a scholarship somewhere because I was getting all these letters in the mail, but what did I know. After hitting over .500 my senior year you would think somebody would offer some sort of scholarship, but nothing. All I would get is a couple of invitations to walk on at lower Division-I schools. To tell you the truth never ever thought about playing pro ball at that time, never talked to any scouts. I had always wanted to attend college.

What do you remember about your draft day experience? Where were you expecting to go? Did you expect the Diamondbacks to take you?

Draft day was a pretty normal day for the exception of having a new employer. I was expected to go 6 - 9 so no surprises there, but throughout the whole scouting process never did I once speak to the Diamondbacks. The scout that drafted me said he had only seen me play once that year, the first game of the season, which I was 2-5 with a home run that went out of HoHoKam park against Arizona State and made a couple good plays.

You played in Lancaster, El Paso and Tucson, three very good places for hitters. Explain why each of the ballparks is hitter-friendly and how you took advantage of each of them.

These are hitter friendly parks because being situated in the desert the ground tends to be harder making the infield faster as well the outfield the same allowing more hits and extra base hits. Lancaster is a good place to hit home runs due to the crazy amount wind that blows out on a nightly basis. As for the other two parks, they have big gaps which for a player like me that doesn't have a lot of pop, I took advantage of that to rack up the doubles and triples.

You were waived by the Diamondbacks last year and picked up 10 days later by the Cardinals. Were you aware of the Diamondbacks' plans and how did you handle that week and a half where you had no team?

No idea that I was going to get waived. figured I'd get through at least one season on the forty man considering that I had been a pretty consistent player in the minors excluding last season. When I first got the news I felt betrayed because I worked so hard to get to that point that I didn't deserve that. But this is how the business works and I was that guy at the bottom of the totem pole. The D-Backs bought me a plane ticket to go see my family that day. Going home to my wife and her family was weird for me because in a way I felt like I had failed and didn't know what everybody's perception was going to be. The ten days I went from having extreme hate for the D-Backs to coming to a realization that this might not be where I ultimately belonged. The tenth day I received a call from the Cardinals which was a big relief. I could have a fresh start to a season that I would just like to forget about.

Some reports have compared you to Chad Tracy, a good line-drive hitter that lacks a lot of power. How would you characterize yourself.

For the most part I am a line drive hitter with the ability to hit the ball out of the park. I just don't have the ability to lift the ball on consistent basis to hit a lot of home runs. My defense is far superior, don't mean to brag but it is and I run better. Overall, I feel like I am more of a complete player than Chad. I like Chad a lot, no hard feelings. Next question.

Who's decision was it for you to move from third base to short stop? How has the transition been so far?

As soon as I got to Memphis last year the manager put me at shortstop and I have been able to stick there the entire year. While in D-Backs organization, I kept telling people I belong in the middle infield. People get labeled to easily in baseball; it is annoying. I feel my defense is more than capable and it is a better fit for my bat. I love being back at shortstop which was where I grew up playing and for somebody with a glove as good as mine, it is a waste to have it stuck at a corner position.

How did you find out that you were selected to Team USA? What was the process for the tryouts?

I received a call from Paul Seiler in mid-June and he told me I was among 60 others being considered for the Olympic team. During that period, I believe scouts were probably at our games keeping tabs on the 60 players in which they probably sat down and came up with the best mesh of 24 guys. I found out through a text message from a friend saying that she had read it on the website.

Have you been outside of the country before? To China?

When I was 13 I traveled to Argentina to play basketball, and when I was 16 I went to the Netherlands for baseball. Never been to China before.

Team USA was unable to come away with a medal in 2004, does that have any impact on your determination to win?

Not so much, my determination to win comes from one: a very competitive personality, two: this is the Olympics a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a gold medal which thousands of athlete wish were in my shoes, and three: I haven't had many chances in my life to win a championship so I am really excited about this opportunity we have.

Are there others on the team that you are excited to play with?

I am excited to play with everybody, this will be the most talent I have ever been around so it is nice to be in that company. Mostly excited to have the coaching staff that we have.

According to Eric Berger (Memphis Redbirds Communications Assistant), Colby Rasmus 'doesn't really have a computer or use email.' Were you or any of the other Redbirds aware of this?

Yes sounds like Colby.

Have you talked much with the Cardinals or your agent about getting called up after the Olympics?

I would love to get a September call up but that is out of my hands and I haven't heard any word about it. We will see!