Kids press conferences produced fun, laughter and more at FanFest

There is always something special about seeing the sport of baseball produce a smile on a kid's face. We saw that in abundance on Saturday during the latest edition of Orioles FanFest.

I was asked to help moderate two kids press conferences with players. I would call this a hidden gem of FanFest. At least it was hidden to me (my bad for that) until Saturday. Presented by MASN, the press conferences were great fun and very well-attended. The kids got their own press passes and then lined up behind a microphone to ask their questions.

I was there for the press conference with relievers Tommy Hunter and Darren O'Day, and another featuring frist baseman Chris Davis and shortstop J.J. Hardy. I'll have more on the latter one in a future blog, but today here are some notes and quotes from the Hunter/O'Day kids press conference.

One young fan asked Hunter about the fastest pitch he's ever thrown.

"Boston. Dustin Pedroia was a cool one," Hunter said. "I think I went 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 and 101 mph. Pretty cool at-bat, like the 11th inning or something. But 101.6 (mph) is what it registered on MLB.com. My dad let me know that after the game. I got a cool attaboy after that one."

One question led O'Day into talking about his close friendship with Hunter.

"We play catch together every day. Our lockers are right next to each other. Our wives are good friends. Our dogs are good friends," O'Day said.

Both were asked about their favorite thing about playing baseball.

"It's fun, first of all," O'Day said. "Started playing at 4. To do that for your job is pretty cool. And being part of a team is something I enjoy. I think even when I retire, I want to be part of a group of people working toward something. It is very rewarding to accomplish things with your friends and coworkers."

Said Hunter: "Well, I have to say the best thing about baseball is that's how I met my wife. So I am definitely going to say girls."

When the players talked about fun things they've done this offseason, Hunter talked about some time he spent hunting. O'Day said that is the only time he ever sees Hunter quiet.

"And I sit still. I've got that problem, too," Hunter said. "During the year, it's hard to keep me in one seat for too long. Ever watch me in the bullpen? It's an absolute mess out there. I'm a circus."

In response to one question, Hunter mentioned he is not a big fan of Yankee Stadium.

"The food is good there, but the stadium, not so much. The fans are right above you in the bullpen and they're really mean. Not nice. Yeah. Go O's," he said to big applause.

Here are some other questions and answers from the kids press conference:

Question: "Who do you inspire the most?"
Hunter: "I hope I inspire him (O'Day) every day, to be the man he can be."

Question: "Where is your action figure?" (asked as a youngster held up his Chris Davis action figure).
O'Day: "That was a big topic of discussion in the locker room. He got picked on a little bit for having his own action figure. Just because we were jealous." To which the kid questioner replied, "Yeah, I thought so."

Question: "Darren, you had a great 2014, and Tommy, you had a great second half of the season. What will you both do to improve this season?"
Hunter: "Well, I need to start the season better," he said to more laughter. "So next year, you can say I had a good first half of the season and we can tie the two together."
O'Day: "You are always trying to get better. I'm working on a changeup for the eighth consecutive year."

Question: "What is favorite team to beat?"
O'Day: "I like to beat Toronto."
Hunter: "I like to beat Toronto, too. But it's not fun to beat one team over another. As long as you beat every single team, it's a lot more fun. What is your favorite team that we beat?"
"Yankees," the youngster said to big applause.

Watch here: Courtesy of Orioles.com, click here to see a short video clip from the Hardy/Davis kids press conference.