Interview with A's outfielder Ryan Sweeney

Ryan Sweeney and his fiancee, Natasha, had just driven through Cheyenne, Wyo., mid Tuesday afternoon. There were still about 10 hours to go before the couple pulled into Cedar Rapids.

Yes, it's a long, long drive from Oakland, Calif.

"I've got my car packed to the brim, and my dog is curled up in the back corner sleeping," Sweeney said. "I just want to get home. I'm tired of living out of a suitcase."

The former Cedar Rapids Xavier prep just finished his best season in the major leagues. The 24-year-old outfielder played in 134 games for the Oakland A's, hitting .293 with 31 doubles, six home runs and 53 RBIs.

Despite balky knees, he closed strong, hitting .360 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs in September. You saw him a few times on ESPN during the summer, making great catches, including one in which he leaped over the center-field fence in Texas to rob the Rangers' Ian Kinsler of a game-winning home run.

In fact, Sweeney thinks that may have been the start of his knee issues.

"I jumped up for the ball and then came down," he said. "When I got back to the dugout it was like 'Man, something doesn't feel right.' I had tightness underneath my left kneecap."

By season's end, Sweeney had tendinitis in both knees. He received something called platelet-rich plasma injections in his knees Monday and won't be able to run for about a month.

"I think it's just one of those things that when you keep playing, it doesn't heal," he said. "So hopefully with rest, it will."

Here's the rest of the the phone interview with Sweeney.

Q: What did you think of your 2009 season?

A: Good. I mean, you always could have done better. But I improved on every single stat this season, except stolen bases. That was because Oakland didn't really have me try and steal much because of my knees. It's like I told my agent, hopefully every year I'll just try and keep progressing. Increase the RBIs, increase the home runs and the batting average."

Q: Man, you really hit a ton in September (.360 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs). Does it make you feel particularly good that you finished so strong?

A: I've always been a good hitter the last couple months or so. Last year, I was hitting something like .310 going into late August, and I was like 'Man, it'd be great to hit .300 my first full season in the big leagues.' I put too much pressure on myself. This season, I was sitting around .270 or .280, so I was just relaxed."

Q: Do you feel like you've proven that you are a bonafide big leaguer now?

A: Having three full seasons in now, you feel like you belong ... But there's always room for improvement. It's hard enough to get to the majors, but to stay there is not easy, either."

Q: What's it like to make a great catch in a game and then go home and watch it on ESPN's "Web Gems?"

A: It's cool. It seems like I have a lot more messages on my phone from the people back home. I don't hear from them when I'm sucking (laughs)."

Q: Are you tired of hearing about how you have no power?

A: I don't really care. I mean, you'd always like to hit home runs. But I had a career high in doubles this season. Oakland is not an easy place to hit home runs.