Pearlman: Q&A: Shawn Green

J.P.: You’ve talked about playing in next year’s World Baseball Classic for Israel. I say this with all due respect—you’ll be a 40-year-old reformed Jew who, I’m guessing, has never visited Israel and digs the taste of bacon. Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?

S.G.: You’re right—I’ve never been to Israel. I really want to go, of course. But I don’t think it’s a stretch. The rules are you have to have one Jewish grandparent, or your spouse does. I totally want to do it. It’d be a true honor for me. There’s a tight bond between Jewish baseball players, and this would be tremendously significant for us. On a sports level, it also gives me a reason to start swinging a bat again and get back out there. And it’s for a narrow span of time, so I don’t have to put years into it. Have I been swinging a lot right now? No. I’ll auction off hitting lessons at charity events, so I take a handful of swings. But do I think I can get back to a pretty strong level? Yes, I do. And this would be an honor for me.

• Three things you’d change in the game?: Oh, Jeez. 1. This is a tangent, but either Mondays always off, or a bunch of doubleheaders to provide some days off. Doubleheaders can be a pain, but it’d be worth it for a day to just rest.; 2. I’d get rid of much of the whole Moneyball approach. I like old salty scouts evaluating players; 3. Make every getaway game a day game.

Thanks to Ness.