Sports

Michael Phelps Takes Batting Practice With Orioles at Ed Smith

Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps is in Sarasota to film a Golf Channel special at Laurel Oaks.

Olympian champion and Maryland native Michael Phelps is not in Sarasota to swim the Gulf of Mexico, but is out of the water taking batting practice with the Baltimore Orioles and hitting the links.

Phelps has been spotted around Sarasota this week, and is chiefly in town to film a Golf Channel special for The Haney Project, which chronicles Phelps' attempt to jumpstart a professional golf career, The Baltimore Sun reports. The Sun also reported the filming is taking place at Laurel Oak Country Club.

But Phelps couldn't pass up a chance to take batting practice with his hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles. As seen in the videos above, he didn't exactly knock them out of Ed Smith Stadium.

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Just because he's the most decorated Olympian ever, doesn't mean he excelled at baseball, he shares with The Baltimore Sun:

“It’s my first time taking BP, so it was a cool experience, being able to do that with these guys and especially after a remarkable season and hopefully they have a good one coming up,” Phelps said. “These guys are just normal guys, they are funny guys, they are just out here having fun and I enjoyed being around them.

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“Everyone was sitting here saying what I should be doing so I just tried to listen to all of them a little bit. I wanted to hit one out, but we caught a couple that were close.”

Yahoo's Big League Chew baseball blog joked that, "It's too bad Phelps isn't from Houston. He might make the Astros."

The Haney Project airs 9 p.m. Monday on the Golf Channel.


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