FOCUS ON...TIM OLSON

Tim Olson should be a nice addition to the RedHawks 2006 infield. Tim came up as a shortstop with the Arizona Diamondbacks but can also play all other infield positions. Tim, a Grand Forks, N.D. native, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 7th round of the 2000 draft and first made it to the majors in 2004. In 2005 Tim played in the Rockies organization and logged time in both Colorado Springs and Denver.

Tim was a highly decorated athlete at the University of Florida. During his junior year, his final with the Gators, Tim, then an outfielder, earned consensus All America honors after hitting .394 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs (one RBI shy of the school record). Tim also broke the Gator's consecutive game hitting streak after hitting in 29 straight games. However, Tim is most known for his clutch hits including a game-winning, three-RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Gators a victory over San Jose State, which kept Florida alive in the NCAA Regional. Tim collected several national and regional awards, including being named to the Baseball America 3rd Team All-American team and the All-SEC Team. His school honors included the Top Offensive Player of the Year Award and the Coach Fuller Award for timely hitting.

In an interview with ESPN, Tim said that he had many memorable moments during his time in the major leagues. "It was fun playing against all the guys I watched as a kid," Olson said. "I got to hit against John Smoltz and play against Roger Clemens. I got to watch Randy Johnson get his 4,000th strikeout. There have been some nice highlights." However, Olson said his favorite memory was picking up his first major league hit which occurred it Toronto's Skydome in 2004.

Tim, who has been playing baseball since he was 6 years old, said that his favorite player growing up was Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken, Jr. because he liked the way he played. Although he also played basketball and football when he was younger, Tim prefers baseball because its different every day. He enjoys the challenge of baseball and says that because there are a lot of things to overcome, it keeps the game exciting. Tim also likes to hunt and fish in his free time.

If that doesn't show you how cool Tim is, this should. I first met him in 2003 when he came to town with the Tucson Sidewinders. He quickly became my favorite player on that team so I spoke to him several times during the series. Before the 3rd game of the series, I showed him the ball ex-RedHawk Cole Liniak had given me. Cole had hit a HR the game before and wrote on the ball "that one was for you!" before throwing it to me over the dugout. Not to be outdone, the next day Tim presented me with a ball that said "I gave you a ball, now get me a hit." Anyone with that much personality has to be a fan favorite! :-)

I am leaning towards doing the next focus on personal favorite Wes Littleton. If you would like to suggest a player for a subsequent focus or if you are a rangers minor leaguer who would like to volunteer yourself (yes, I know I am dreaming!! :-)) please e-mail me at redhawks1fan at yahoo.com or by clicking here.

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