DJ BaxendaleDJ Baxendale, 24
Lookouts Pitcher
Going to a course on a day off is relief for any golfer.
Especially when it's a baseball pitcher playing a different game than he's paid to play.
DJ Baxendale arrived more than an hour before his scheduled tee time Tuesday at Moccasin Bend Golf Course. That's good. Most golfers there drive in with tires squealing to make a tee time.
Baxendale is different. He prefers to prepare.
His preparation for a round of golf is similar to his preparation for a day of pitching for the Chattanooga Lookouts. Arrive early, get loose, get locked in and then play as well as physically possible.
"There's a lot of down time being a pitcher, so I tried to figure something out to fill the void," Baxendale said. "My uncle was really good at golf, and my grandpa always wanted me to play. So one day I decided to pick up the game. I was about 16."
Baxendale, at the time, knew he had a future in professional baseball. Now he could be a major league player in a week, next month or as a call-up in September. Or next year.
For now he'll be beating golf balls at courses in the Tennessee Valley.
"When I was a senior in high school, I somehow let one of my best friends convince me to play golf for the school," Baxendale said. "Ever since then, I try to play as much as possible."
He said he and several other Lookouts players get together for a game as often as possible. Most of those are pitchers.
"Hitters don't want to mess with their swing," said Baxendale, who has played the best courses in and around Fayetteille, Ark. "We play almost every off day, and it's mostly pitchers who come out to have a good time."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.