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Bret Boone
Page 2 staff

No one epitomizes the Seattle Mariners' dream season more than Bret Boone.


	If Angelina Jolie dated the real-life M's second baseman, she'd find him "a complete joy."

The All-Star second baseman is not only hitting a career-best .325, he's already established career highs for homers (26) and RBIs (104) -- with 44 games still left in the regular season.

So, how did Boone go from being a slightly above average second baseman to a leading MVP candidate? Page 2 recently grilled him with our 10 Burning Questions to try to find out.

1. Angelina Jolie is filming a movie where she dates the Mariners second baseman. What would dating you feel like?
Boone: "A complete joy. Ask my wife. It's a dream. And a pain in the neck. Ask my wife."

2. So who should play you in that movie?


	Pitt

Boone: "Some stud. Maybe Brad Pitt."

3. You have a reputation for being, how shall we put this, very confident. Are you cocky?
Boone: "I'm not. I play around with it and have fun. But I'm not cocky. I have a respect for the game, and I know how hard it is. I appreciate the game. I say some things that people think I'm cocky, but I don't really believe those things."

4. So what's the big difference this year in how well you're hitting?


	Boone is tied with Cleveland's Juan Gonzalez for the AL lead with 104 RBIs.

"Nothing, really. The only thing I can say that's different from last year is I've been more consistent. In years past, when I got into a slump, I would change things, and that's how I got in trouble."

5. Just what was your workout routine anyway?
Boone: "Pretty rigorous. I wanted to give myself the best chance this year that I could. I knew this was a big year for me.

"I'm 15 pounds heavier, and I'm definitely stronger. I didn't do it for that reason, though, to hit the ball farther. I wanted to make my body strong, to hold up for the whole schedule. To be as strong as I can for as long as I can."

6. What was the best thing about growing up in baseball family?
Boone: "There was no one thing. Everything was great. Hanging out with my dad at the ballpark. Being a part of it."


	Boone's father, Bob, was a big-league catcher for 19 seasons and currently works as the Reds manager.

7. What was the worst thing?
Boone: "I can't think of a negative. The great thing about growing up in that atmosphere is I got a lot of opportunities to do things nobody else gets."

7a. What about your dad being on the road so much?
Boone: "It was his job. It was his life. And it's what I'm going through now. It takes a special lady to be a baseball wife."

8. What four people -- either living or dead -- would you like to invite to dinner?
Boone: "My grandfather's father. He's the guy who started this whole baseball family deal. I know he's a very interesting guy. I'd like to invite him to dinner and have him see that what happened to his offspring due to him.


	Boone would invite Madonna for dinner just "to see what her gig is."

"And Tom Hanks, because he's my favorite actor. And Madonna, just to see what her gig is. And I'll invite my wife. She has to chaperone us all."

9. What's your favorite music?
Boone: "I listen to everything. I'm very open to things. I like AC/DC, Metallica. I like Madonna, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac. I don't like country. That's about the only kind of music I don't like."

10. What superpower would you most want, the strength of 100 men, the ability to fly or turn invisible?


	John


	Hanks

Boone: "Turn invisible. If I could do anything, I'd want to be able to disappear. As long as I could reappear when I wanted."

10a. You could. But why would you want to disappear?
Boone: "You play this game long enough, trust me, you'll want to disappear sooner or later."

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	ALSO SEE: Ten Burning Questions for Jeff Gordon Ten Burning Questions for Laila Ali Ten Burning Questions for Meatloaf Ten Burning Questions for Carmen Electra Ten Burning Questions for Jason Giambi Ten Burning Questions for Kirsten Dunst Ten burning questions for Denis Leary Ten burning questions for Brandi Chastain Ten burning questions for Alex Rodriguez Ten burning questions for Rob Schneider Ten burning questions for Jane Kaczmarek Ten burning questions for Bradley Whitford Ten burning questions for Jason Priestley Ten burning questions for Harold Stilson Ten burning questions for Morgan Pressel Ten burning questions for Brett Tomko Ten burning questions for Mark Cuban Ten burning questions for Pedro Martinez Ten burning questions for Ichiro Suzuki Ten burning questions for Tim Hasselbeck Ten burning questions for Heath Ledger Ten burning questions for Julie Foudy

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