Friday March 29th, 2024
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2016 Free Agent 3B/IF Robert Gauden

 

 

 

Robert Gauden

 

Interview conducted on 11/15/2015

Who are you playing with in 2016?
I play in Mens A in Canada called the Mizuno Canucks, I am also a member of Team Mizuno. I am looking to also play Confrence on a B team in the USA next summer.

2016 Conference Free Agent – rob.gauden@goodlifefitness.com

What positions do you play and what is your best position?
My best position is 3rd base, but I also play a lot of 1st base as well as some 2nd base.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
Robert Blackburn is easliy the most dedicated and professional player I have ever seen play this sport.  I'm a huge fan of watching the guy hit in games or BP.

Up here in Canada the 2 players I enjoy watching play the most are Steele Lewis and Colin Andrews, they are absolute freaks on both sides of the ball and total game changers.

Why do you like the game of softball?
I'm a very driven individual, I thrive for competition. I love accomplishing things that I shouldn't be able to, I work very hard for those results.  When we are at the park to just sit back and enjoy the moment makes all the hard work worth while!

Who is the best up and coming player in softball and why?
I love good people, gamers and guys who are driven to be great.  Pitcher Aaron Lewicki exemplifies all of these traits.

What is your nickname in softball and how did you get it?
Chudder, most people dont even know me by my given name to be honest.  It's a name I got way back when I was 13 years old and all we did was play box ball and watch terrible horror films.

What is your height and weight?
6'2" and 230lbs

Where do you call home?
Ancaster, Ontario Canada (about a 45 minute drive to Buffalo)

What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
Our season is about 6 months in Canada and I traditionally only take 1 or 2 weekends off over the summer.  On an off weekend I would normally just do yard work and catch up on property maintence.

What do you do for a living?
Help manage a fitness club.

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
Highschool Baseball and Basketball.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
I started playing league in 2008 and then attended Neil Teagues Spring Training with the Pros, I went 5 straight years and tried to learn as much as I could from people like Robert Blackburn, Rusty Bumgardner and Christian Dowling. I've been fortunate enough to be asked to play in the 2014 & 2015 Border Battle.

Is there a player that you would compare your game to?
I can hit for some power but I pride myself on the ability to base hit it.  The player I always tried to model myself after was Todd Cadenhead (sorry for all the Canidain references).  Toddy, has been the captain of the Canadian Border Battle team for years now, a great player and a great team mate!

What would you say is your career highlight to this point? Maybe one play or game that sticks out to you in particular?
Playing Team USA at the 2014 Border Battle.  My team was tied with team USA going in to the 7th inning, I've watched the game a dozen times since and I can remember the emotion of being in the game like it was yesterday!

In your career was there a single person (player/manager/coach) who had the most significant impact on your approach to the game? Why?
Rusty Bumgardner.  I met Rusty 7 years ago now and for some reason he has always been so welcoming to me and always taken extra time to help me develop my swing right from day one.  Honourable mention to Robert Blackburn.

What advice can you give a young player trying to break into the upper level?
Keep working, stay positive and be humble!

What type of batting grip do you use and what ounce bat?
2 fingers bottom hand and 2 fingers top hand with a modified grip.

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
Hit in tunnels 1-2x a week, Yoga and lift weights

What is your favorite sports team and your favorite sport other than softball?
Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Raptors.

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
No superstitions, but I'm quirky, real quirky.

What would be your "at bat" music selection?
Hillybilly Deluxe – Brooks & Dunn.  The start of that song is bad ass.

What is your favorite non-World tournament and why?
Canadian Championships is a 5 day 10 game round robin followed by a 2 day playoff, its a battle of attrition and its the closest thing to being a pro athelete I've ever felt.

What is the best softball field/complex you have played at and why?
Disney was awesome but I still think that Mid America Ballpark in Cinci has the worlds best backdrop and setting. Playing there reminds me of my home park and the atmosphere is intimate and exciting.

Where is the best place to eat on the road after a game?
Pizza Hut, Stuff Crust pizza and 2L of Diet Pizza every Saturday night (this coming from a guy that just said he wasn't superstitious)

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
I was standing on 1st and the right handed batter gave us the nod like he was going to try to cut the 1st baseline and I thought the 1st base coach saw it too, he didn't.  The batter ripped a seed and it drilled the coach right in the ass and dropped him like a stone.  He had a bruise the size of his entire ass for a month.

Tell us something about you that most would never know about you?
I have 4 nipples.

 

 

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