The Barometer Online

Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Brian Fleming Barden, a native of Templeton, Calif. hit .265 with one home run for the United States national team in Beijing, China. The 2008 Olympic baseball team took home a bronze medal in the Beijing games.

Over the summer the eyes of millions were fixed upon televisions, watching swimmer Michael Phelps and the United States "Redeem Team" on the hardwood. But lost in the shuffle of the Beijing Summer Olympics were the sports taking place on the diamond.

On the baseball field, the United States earned bronze over a strong Japanese team in the final year of Olympic competition for the sport of baseball. Team USA was in search of its own redemption after failing to qualify for the Athens games after winning gold in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

An integral part of the 2008 bronze medal squad was former Oregon State standout Brian Barden. Now a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, the Templeton, Calif. native was one of the select few to be invited to join the national team for baseball's last year in the Summer Olympics.

"I feel bad for future generations in high school looking forward to playing in the Olympics someday," Barden said of the removal of baseball from the Olympic schedule of events.

At OSU Barden anchored the Beaver defense while helping to lead the offense from 2000-02. In his three years in Corvallis, he hit .362 on his career without dipping below .345 in a complete season. As a freshman Barden hit .370 and started 43 games.

"Just being able to have my name associated with where I went to school it kind of promotes the school and it is a great honor," Barden said.

The former Beaver has been back and forth between the Major Leagues and Triple-A ball with his second organization, the Cardinals, having played 32 games in the Major Leagues. Barden is not one of the names that really sticks out on the Olympic roster, as college baseball fans will recognize the name of Cleveland Indians farmhand Matt LaPorta.

To Barden, his selection to the "to-be considered" list was a surprise in itself.

"Getting the chance to play in the Olympics, I didn't even realize that the Olympics were this year," he said. "Even being in the group that was being considered was a great honor."

Continued...

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