Q&A with Brian Schneider

Washington Nationals catcher Brian Schneider will be a first-time father in a couple of weeks. Schneider recently attended this year’s Super Bowl in Miami, and he plans to make pro football’s biggest game an annual tradition.

Schneider also has a big job in front of him: catching the host of pitchers in camp trying to win a spot in the Nats’ wide-open rotation.

Ken Wright caught up with Schneider outside the batting cages on Tuesday for a quick Q&A.;

Q: What did you do this offseason?

A: I went to Japan with the MLB All-Stars. Came home from that and my cousin got married, my sister got married, and pretty much just hung out with my wife as much as possible.

She’s been pregnant so it’s good to be around her. We did go down to the Super Bowl for three days of partying down there. I had a blast down there. It’s an event I plan on going to every year for the rest of my life.

Q: What are you going to name your soon-to-be first child?

A: We have not told anybody. It’s a secret. It’s really ticking our parents off, too.

Q: When will the world know your child’s name?

A: When it’s born. March 7 is our due date. We’ll have to see if it comes early or not, but it’s a little girl, that’s for sure.

Q: Were you happy with the Penn State football season? [Schneider was raised primarily in Northhampton, Pa.].

A: They hung in there close against Ohio State. The score really didn’t dictate how good of a game it was. Overall, I thought it was a good season. I would have liked to see [Anthony] Morelli stay healthy for that Michigan game and see what they could have done. It ended up being a pretty good game. They have a lot of guys coming back next year so I’m looking forward to it.

Q: And how about Penn State’s recruiting class?

A: I think ESPN had it about 20, but [Joe Paterno] has done good the last couple of years, so that should help out for at least the next couple of seasons.

Q: What’s your favorite sport other than baseball?

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