Tuesday 6th July 2004

They filled the tunnel, waiting to emerge.
And then, it was like they were all wired with the same current.

"We were the last contingent in the tunnel," Brett Roneberg said.
"There were 120,000 people out there.
Our flag-bearer walked out first.
And the electricity, when the crowd saw him . . . the adrenaline just surged through the tunnel and everybody had goose bumps.
"It was awesome, one of the best feelings I ever had."

Roneberg, an outfielder for the Portland Sea Dogs, played in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, representing Australia, the host country.

"There is nothing better than playing for your country in front of 30,000 fans cheering you on," he said.
"They were doing Aussie chants and doing the wave."

Roneberg, 25, already has been asked to play again for Australia in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

The Athens Games are Aug. 13-29, so Roneberg would have to skip out on the Sea Dogs for the last three weeks of the season.

"I'm about 90 percent sure I'm going," Roneberg said.
"I just need to talk to a couple more people about what situation would be best for me."

If Roneberg decides to go, he knows he cannot repeat the 2000 experience.

"I've already done the best you can do," he said about playing before the home crowd.
"Being in Sydney made it so special."

The Australian team will meet Aug. 1 in Arizona for training.
With Roneberg in midseason shape, he would bypass that and join the team in Athens.

Roneberg would be missed by the Sea Dogs.

He leads the team with 54 RBI, 87 hits and 41 walks, and is among the leaders in home runs (12), doubles (19) and batting average (.284).

This could become the best of his four seasons in Double-A.

"So far, I'm very happy with my numbers and how I've been playing," Roneberg said.
"I'm very excited with what the future can bring in the next few months, and next year."

Roneberg was signed by the Florida Marlins in 1996 when he was a 16-year-old in Cairns, Australia.
Shortly after his 17th birthday, he came to the U.S. to play rookie ball.

He worked his way to Double-A with the Portland Sea Dogs in 2001.

At the start of the 2002 season, Roneberg was traded to the Montreal Expos and played for Harrisburg.

He then signed as a minor-league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing for the Altoona Curve.

He signed with the Red Sox last November, bringing him back to Portland, now a Boston affiliate.

Roneberg said he likes Portland but hopes to play for Triple-A Pawtucket.

"I'd like to have the chance to play every day in Triple-A," Roneberg said.
"Hopefully, I've done enough to earn that shot somewhere."

If Roneberg keeps putting up good numbers, he may be tempted to skip the Olympics, hoping for a call up to Triple-A.

If the 2004 Games were in Australia, Roneberg obviously would be going.

He has such fond memories of 2000 when he played with another Australian and former Sea Dogs player, Glenn Reeves.

The atmosphere was unforgettable, especially the opening ceremonies.
"There were 120,000 people cheering for us, and it was so loud it was almost quiet," Roneberg said.
"It was so quiet and surreal to walk around.
We took forever to walk around.
It was only a 400-meter track and we must have taken 20 minutes to go around that thing."

Roneberg will have to decide soon if he wants to take another walk, under the Australian flag.