Team USA will play the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in an exhibition game, and Barrett is scheduled to be behind the plate catching Roger Clemens. Team USA will open play on March 7 against Mexico.

I'm in the locker room with these guys, and I've been thinking about how much respect I have for them and how much respect they have for the game and for their country. It's really cool. As I looked around the room, I saw guys who have won MVP awards, Silver Sluggers, Gold Gloves, Cy Youngs. To me, this is better than an All-Star Game experience because it's American and National League players together.

I have time in the offseason to see [Boston catcher] Jason Varitek, and I know [Washington catcher] Brian Schneider very well, so the catchers already have developed a good closeness. We have a pretty good chemistry going which I think is important, and I'm trying to learn what I can from those guys.

My locker is between Jeff Francoeur and Chipper Jones. I'm from Atlanta, and these two guys play for what was my favorite team growing up. They've won how many National League East titles in a row -- and Chipper has been a large part of it. Then you've got the up and coming future of the Braves in Francoeur, and he's from the Georgia area. That's pretty cool, too.

I see how guys go about their business and how they're true professionals. I've been real impressed with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Just being around those two guys, they're unbelievable. They're special. They have a tremendous amount of respect for the game. I think that plays over into every aspect of their life. As excited as I've been about this opportunity, it's cool to see guys who have been on All-Star teams for 10 years or whatever, or however many championships they've won, and to see that they're as excited as I am.

It's cool to get to know these guys. I'm studying. I am a big fan of these guys, too. I love the way every one of them plays. I told Johnny Damon today that I really like the way he plays, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I shared that with Schneider and Varitek.

I'm here to get better, too. Schneider has been catching a lot longer than I have. I feel this experience will make me a better player. I'm excited to be here, and I realize I'm getting close to belonging on the same field with those guys. With that comes a responsibility on how you act and how you play the game, and I couldn't think of any better guys to be around than the guys I'm on this team with to help me learn and understand that more.

I talked to [Team USA manager Buck Martinez] and we have a nice rotation set up. I know I'm catching Rocket on Sunday. I'm excited to work with Roger. You have to understand, I miss Greg Maddux and some of those other guys on the Cubs. As great as this is that I'm playing with these guys, it feels a little awkward. It's Spring Training, and I feel like I'm away from my team. It's only been two days. 'Otis' [Cubs equipment manager Tom Hellman] brought some of my stuff to me, and I saw him, and it was weird. I feel like I'm away from my family, baseball-wise. I'm thankful Derrek Lee is here because I can hang with somebody from the Chicago Cubs.

I've come to realize that being with the Cubs has really helped my career. It's not just Dusty [Baker], but everybody. I feel I'm representing the Chicago Cubs in this event. I don't feel like I'm representing just my home state, Georgia, or my family.

The majority of people who know who I am now are Cub fans. I feel like I'm representing those people now. I feel like I've got strong support from them. Nothing against the Montreal fans, but I don't think there would be as much power. There's a significant amount of power playing for the Cubs and playing at Wrigley Field. I haven't felt pressure or anxiety because of the experiences I've had in Chicago. It's cool to have that experience now in my back pocket going into this.

The other cool thing is I really like Reggie Smith, the hitting coach. Dusty told me to look out for him and grab him and work with him. There's a certain kind of passion that you see in people, and you feel it in the whole room, but with the coaching staff, it's in every coach. They're just as passionate about baseball and passionate about winning as we are.