In this week’s edition of “Small Talk,” Boston Red Sox first pitcher Justin Masterson answers the big questions from little kids.
1. Do you like Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift, I think she’s great. One of her guitarists that she travels with is a good friend of mine, so I absolutely enjoy him, so I by default enjoy what she does, too.
2. Can I see your best robot?
My best robot is probably my worst robot.
3. Are you an angry bird or a happy bird?
I’m a happy bird. There’s no need to be angry. I don’t need to knock things over. I want to build things up.
4. I play “Mario Kart” on Game Boy. What games did you play?
Game Boy, that’s the original. That’s the first thing I ever won when I was a little kid … at Parkwood Elementary School (in Beavercreek, Ohio), so I played that a lot. My favorite: any “Mario” game. You give me any “Mario” game, I will dominate you, your mom, your brother, your dad, your sister’s brother, everybody.
5. Have you been on the news?
No, I don’t think I’ve ever been on the news. Currently, I’m not on the news. … Maybe one day you could be on the news, maybe be the anchor, take (NESN Red Sox announcer) Don Orsillo’s job. That would be great.
6. Do you like to study fish?
I like to eat fish, and I like to catch fish. Actually, down (in Florida) I like catching sharks.
7. What do you know about Canada?
I don’t know much about Canada, except most Canadian baseball players are pretty nice. And Toronto is a fun city, and one of my good buddies is from British Columbia.
8. Who inspired you to play baseball, and how long were you playing it?
I don’t even know. I just felt like when I was a little kid, I was like “I want to play Major League Baseball.” Then I had a teacher say, “Why don’t you try to do something you can actually do?” … and here I am today. But along the way, my parents, friends, family, everybody’s been real encouraging, and it’s just been whatever you want to do, put your mind to it, and you can do it.
9. Were you the tallest person when you were in fifth grade?
Actually, crazy enough, I was the second-tallest person at that time. There was a girl who was taller than me. … She was just a little bit taller than me, but we always battled. I feel like each week we were growing so fast that we’d challenge each other to be the tallest.
10. Have you ever had a really bad day? What happened in your worst day?
I’ve never had a bad day. Every day is perfect, right? I’ve got three kids. I’ve got twins that are 1 year old. I mean, every day is great, when everyone’s crying.