Michael Barash decides to hang up cleats, begin coaching career

Key notes from Michael Barash interview

• It is great to be back in College Station, there has been a lot of support by fans and it has been overwhelming having them reach out over Twitter, texts and direct messages, it has been incredible. My decision to not play baseball anymore has been best described as every baseball player has a timeline. It varies from long and lucrative to short short. Mine was different, I am unbelievably thankful for the Angels taking me in the ninth round and inviting me to big league camp twice.
   
• A part of me has always been in Aggieland I have always felt linked to the opportunity to impact others. Playing professional baseball was always a dream of mine and I loved it. I wanted to move on and close that chapter of my life, move on to coaching and finishing my degree. It is a promise I made to myself, my parents, and my coaches. I only have a year left, then I want to get into the coaching field.
   
• It is tough to say how long I have been thinking about this move. I can’t pinpoint one day or moment that I had, but when I felt like it was time that is when I went into my mangers office and called it quits. The interesting thing about baseball in the minors is you play 140 games in 152 days so there is going to be days you don’t want to play baseball. When it became a repetitive thing for me, that’s when I knew it was time to hang up my cleats and put on some turfs and grab a fungo.
   
• The coaches here at A&M completely changed my life. When I came in here I was not the same person when I left. Before I got here I was cocky and then once I got here and saw how much a college coach can impact a kid. That was when I realized this is something I really want to do. They are incredible, and that is what I want to do. I want to be that figure head and be a leader for kids like me and change 30 guys lives at a time.
   
• The three most gifted played I played with in my time at Texas A&M were AJ Minter, Nick Banks, and Boomer White. Boomer could really hit. He was built to hit, with those little arms he can never get outside his swing. He was unbelievably talented, he doesn't miss.