Meet the Bears -- Justin Parker, shortstop

BEAR FACTS: The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Parker was born March 14, 1987 in Fort Wayne, Ind. He played collegiately at Wright State University in Fort Wayne and has a younger brother, Jarrod, who pitches for South Bend, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate in the Class A Midwest League. Jarrod Parker, 19, had a 7-3 record and 3.25 earned run average through Monday.

Q: Did you play any sports other than baseball in high school?

A: I played football and basketball. I was a point guard in basketball and a quarterback and safety in football.

Q: Was baseball always your favorite?

A: Growing up, my favorite sport was whatever was in season. It was probably about my senior year in high school that I realized that baseball was where my future was.

Q: Your brother is obviously an outstanding athlete, too. Are others in your family athletic, and do you have other brothers or sisters?

A: My dad was a pretty good athlete and my mom was a pretty good athlete, too. But it's just my brother and me in the family.

Q: Did you have a favorite major league player growing up, and why?

A: When I was growing up I was a White Sox fan, but my favorite player was Ken Griffey Jr. We were at a game at Comiskey (Park) one day when I was a little kid and he was walking by and I asked him for his autograph. He didn't even turn his head, so from then on my favorite player was Alex Rodriguez.

Q: What are your favorite non-baseball pastimes?

A: With our schedule this time of year, it's pretty much sleep. But I like to go fishing during the offseason. And I play a video game every now and again, although I'm not as heavily into that as some of the guys on the team.

Q: Do you have a favorite baseball movie?

A: Probably Sandlot. And Field of Dreams is really good.

Q: Do you have any baseball superstitions?

A: Nothing that I'm fanatical about, but if I'm doing something and it works for me, I stick with it. I'll stay with my usual routines to keep me in my comfort zone.

Q: When your baseball career is over, what do you think you'll remember most about Yakima?

A: I haven't had a chance yet to go around and see much of the town, but what I've always remembered about being on other teams is the six or seven-hour bus trips. I'll always remember just having a blast with the guys on those trips.

 -- Roger Underwood