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The Questions with Gary Matthews Jr.

Rangers Outfielder

What was yourwelcome-to-the-big-leagues moment?

The ninth inningof my first game [as a Padres rookie in 1999]. I wasn't nervous all night,until hearing the start of Hells Bells when [closer] Trevor Hoffman came in. Ithink we were up a run, and I heard 50,000 people go nuts. Your heart startspounding.

Your mostembarrassing moment?

In 2004 at YankeeStadium someone left up the lineup card from the night before. I looked at thewrong card, saw I was in the lineup and prepared all day. The game starts, andafter we've hit, I run out to rightfield and see there's two rightfieldersthere. [Second baseman] Alfonso Soriano and the umpire were laughing at me.Soriano yells, "Hey, Junior! I think we got a problem!"

If I werecommissioner for a day, I'd ...

put all East Coastteams on the West Coast at the start of the year. I hate playing in the cold.Either that or I'd put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.

LAST WEEK

Matthews had adouble, a triple and an RBI on Sunday as Texas won its third straight game,against Detroit.

THIS WEEK

The Rangers hostOakland, against whom Matthews homered on Aug. 9.

TWO PHOTOS

TONY GUTIERREZ/AP (MATTHEWS FIELDING); CHARLES BAUS/ICON SMI (MATTHEWS HEAD SHOT)