Now that Joe Mauer is back from his all-star trip to Japan, he has come back home and is ready to relax. During his time off, he has done several interviews. The Chicago Sun Times posted an article yesterday:

“Joe Mauer, the Minnesota Twins’ All-Star catcher, is eager to plop down on his couch Saturday and check out the Notre Dame-Army game.

Why? Well, Mauer — fresh off a trip to Japan with a major-league all-star team — hasn’t seen many college football games this fall. And he hasn’t had a chance to keep up with his high school teammate, Notre Dame tight end Marcus Freeman.

‘’I was pretty excited to hear the news about Marcus [starting],'’ Mauer, Freeman’s quarterback at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn., said by phone Tuesday. ‘’I mean, it’s too bad the other guy got injured, but injuries always give others opportunities.

‘’I know Marcus will be ready. He’s always been a great athlete. Just playing basketball with him growing up, the way he moved on the court, I always knew he could do some things in football. And he did. I’m confident he’ll do well when his number is called Saturday.'’”

To read the whole article, click here.

Also, if you are an ESPN Insider, then you have access to a chat session with Mauer. You can read the whole chat session here, but for those of us who are not insiders, here’s a teaser.

“Sarah : Memphis TN: I was always curious about this: When you are catching, do you ever get crossed up? And when this happens, is it more often a misunderstanding by the pitcher of which sign you signalled, or do you sometimes get confused, and forget which pitch you actually motioned for? Basically, who’s fault is an unexpected pitch?

 Joe Mauer: Yeah, you get crossed up, probably not as much as you would think. When it happens, it’s not fun, especially when there’s runners on base. You could be looking for a breaking ball and get hit in the chest with a fastball. As far as who’s fault it is, it’s just a cross-up. I put the signs down, so I think I’m right most of the time.”