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Nilsson goes for Olympic gold and World Series crown
SYDNEY, Sept 14 (AFP) - David Nilsson has hopes of pulling off the most impressive double in baseball history, claiming a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics and a World Series title within a month. The 30-year-old Australian catcher left behind North America's Major League Baseball, which refused to shut down for the Olympics, to play in Japan this year so he could be in these Games, the first with baseball pros allowed. "The Olympics just fell in my lap so to speak," he said. "I'm over the moon to be here." But Nilsson also signed a deal to play for the New York Yankees after the Olympics, meaning he will not arrive until the two-time defending World Series champions begin their major league playoff run in October. "They will watch and see how I do down here," Nilsson said. "This will be major-league level. Granted not the best of the major leagues but if you can perform well at this level, you can perform at a major league level." But will the shift from the Japan League's Chunichi Dragons to the Olympics to the Major League Baseball playoffs be too much of a globetrotting grind for his body and mind? "There have definitely been some questions about that," Nilsson said. "I couldn't say no." But for the moment, the Olympics, not the Yankees, are foremost in his thoughts. "I don't know what their clubhouse is like," he said. "That's two or three steps down the road for me." Nilsson spent eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers, earning All-Star honors before buying out an option year so he could be set for Sydney. It is a decision he does not regret. "I had a decision to make. I took a path that put me here," Nilsson said. I've never been to the Olympics in my life. I'm very excited about it. "I haven't made any sacrifices to come to the Olympics. I played pro baseball. I went to Japan, which I wanted to do sometime in my career. I haven't made sacrifices. I have never looked back and said, 'What am I doing'?" The time in Japan gave Nilsson an idea how tough Japan will be here with 12 top pro stars. "The best thing about going to Japan after staying fit was to learn a lot about the Japan players and have a little understanding of them," he said. "As they are a main rival for a medal, that will help." Nilsson did not play his first pre-Olympic exhibition with the Australians until the eve of the Games due to illness. "Today has been my best day in the last three weeks. I feel like a million dollars," he said. "The most encouraging thing for me is to live in the village with all the individual athletes like (tennis star) Pat Rafter and realize if I wasn't part of a team I wouldn't have a chance to play. Now I have the team to help me and pull me along.
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