Man, now I kind of worry about him.

I think he sounds like he's gotten back to a good place in his mind and life:

You’re heading for the Italian baseball league this season. Are you excited for Italy, and why is it a good choice for you at this point?

I’ve changed as a person, so my dreams have also changed. I don’t want this idea — that the only way I can feel good about my career as a baseball player is if I’m trying to make it to the big leagues — to dominate the decisions I make. I have a chance to go play in Italy . . . it doesn’t pay as much, but does that really matter? My wife wants to go really bad, I want to go really bad. I think it’s an adventure.

Hayhurst is this generation's Jim Bouton. And the fact that he is shows really how little the clubhouse culture has truly changed since Bouton was playing.

-- MWE

Guys can use injury in the major leagues to . . . for example, they can say, “We’re going to send you down,” and you can say, “Uh, my arm hurts.” And then they have to keep you until you’re better. And since in the major leagues you’ve got the union on your side, you can drag out an injury if you want. They call it Club Med in the big leagues, when you abuse DL time.

I've suspected this for years, but its nice to hear someone finally admit this goes on.

Nobody ever gets (to the majors) and talks about what it’s like to be scared to death and fail at it. I’ve always prided myself on showing the other side of the athlete, aside from the clichéd, heavily written-about superstar that never seems to struggle, when in fact most of the guys who make it up there don’t last. They’re trying as hard as they can, but they experience failure on the biggest stage possible. And that’s life-crippling, it really is. It’s really hard on you psychologically.

Interesting stuff, especially with more and more players having to take time off to deal with anxiety issues (Zack Greinke, Khalil Greene, Taylor Buchholz)