"This is pretty much a dream come true for me..."
The Dallas Stars played a little baseball on Monday. And they enjoyed themselves.
"I'm like a little kid in a candy store," goalie Ben Bishop said. "It's just a blast to be out here."
Stars center Jamie Benn, defenseman Stephen Johns, and Bishop threw out the first pitch at the Rangers game, but also did some batting practice before the game.
What did Bishop prepare for most, the throw or BP?
"Ohh, the batting, yeah. That's where all the bragging rights come from."
Benn appears to hold those bragging rights after today...
"Fortunate enough to hit a couple out," he said shyly.
But when I reminded him that he hit one into the upper deck, that's where Benn allowed himself to be a little proud.
"Uh, two actually," he said with a grin. "But I'm not saying..." -- he cuts off, laughing with the group of media collected with him -- "we're having a good little competition here. These guys are hitting a couple bombs as well, so it's a lot of fun."
The upper deck shots are impressive, but the biggest potential hit for the Stars this week would come from their GM Jim Nill, in his pursuit of one of the biggest names in the game -- free agent John Tavares.
"Yeah no, I mean it would be great. I mean obviously he's kinda like the Kevin Durant free agent right now," Bishop said. "Wherever he goes, he's going to make that team that much better."
"Obivously he's a great player in the league, and everybody would love to have him," Benn said. "It's nice to have our teams name on the list, and we'll just see what happens."
But if it does happen... just imagine... Benn, Seguin, and the best free agent on the market?
"Yeah, that powerplay does sound pretty nice, doesn't it?" Bishop said with a smile. "Maybe a couple more goals for me, definitely would be nice."
You're on deck, Mr. Nill.