Garth Brooks heads back out on the road
Hollywood Nations: Fresh off his world arena tour with wife Trisha Yearwood, country superstar Garth Brooks announces a North American stadium tour.
Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement and will be taking the baseball diamond once again.
The country music superstar will take his talents to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a week on Monday to participate in their spring training and will report with pitchers and catchers.
"As a celebrity, they haven't cut me yet, so we'll see," Brooks joked to The Associated Press while scooping up ground balls at third base and shagging fly balls in the outfield. "You've got to use your advantages, you know. Before you could crowd the plate all you want because nobody wanted to hit you. You haven't got speed. You haven't got fielding. You haven't got hitting. So, use the other thing you've got."
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Brooks’ spring training outing will mark his fourth stint with a Major League Baseball club during the pre-season action, having graced the field with the San Diego Padres (1999), New York Mets (2000) and Kansas City Royals (2004). The 57-year-old crooner’s workouts will commence on Thursday.
Brooks is briefly returning to the sport to mark the 20th anniversary of the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, which has raised more than $100 million for children's charities. The foundation pairs children with professional athletes.
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Brooks was a Pirates fan despite growing up in Oklahoma.
The Pirates did not announce that Brooks would be in camp until Monday morning, making it a surprise for his "teammates."
"I went out to take some fly balls and the guy didn't look familiar," left fielder Corey Dickerson said. "Then it hit me. It's really cool. My brother and I grew up listening to his music and I'm looking forward to having a chance to talk with him."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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