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Ryan Radmanovich seldom thinks about his career numbers, until he catches a snippet of the movie Bull Durham.

"When the movie gets to the end and they talk about Crash Davis hitting his, what, 246th or 247th or whatever minor-league home runs, I always think: 'Two hundred forty-seven? Geez, I have closer to 270,' " the outfielder for the Somerset Patriots said.

Two hundred fifty-eight to be exact (through Monday). And counting, except for the two major-league homers.

Radmanovich, a Calgary native who will turn 37 the day after the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, on this day is sitting in the empty stands at Campbell Field across the river from Philadelphia, where the Phillies are being hammered 10-4 in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of 45,006. It is broiling hot, and in two hours, a crowd of 3,521 will watch the Patriots thump the Riversharks 12-3 in a game highlighted by a Christmas in July promotion with the Campbell's soup company giving out collector snow globes and Christmas carols greeting each plate appearance by a Patriots player.

The night before, in his 1,547th career minor-league game, Radmanovich was the K-Man of the game. He had struck out twice, meaning one more time and everybody in the stands would get a free pizza. "Man, you going to feed the whole ballpark," cackled Alberto Castillo, the former major-leaguer and Riversharks catcher, when Radmanovich came to the plate for his final at-bat. Radmanovich singled to the opposite field on the first pitch.

Radmanovich has earned a paycheque playing baseball since 1993, when the Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 14th round out of Pepperdine University. He has played in 12 cities since then, and his cup of coffee in the majors turned out to be decaf: a 25-game stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1998, when he hit .217, with two home runs. In 2001, he was one of the last cuts of the San Diego Padres out of spring training, after the organization signed future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.

The Patriots, based in Bridgewater County, N.J., play in an independent league where teams are composed of unaffiliated players who earn an average of $1,500 (U.S.) a month to a maximum of $3,000 a month.

"I had my opportunity," he said, shrugging. "I've always been a hot-and-cold player and when I did come up to the majors, it was to spot start and play defence, and when I got off to a slow start, I got labelled a fourth or fifth outfielder.

"It happens. I understand. My wife asks me how I'm not more frustrated with the game because of the way my career came out, but that's just the way my personality is. I've always accepted things out of my control better than some people. I never pissed anybody off. I never burnt any bridges. I've just always been a bubble guy. Go to a major-league game and you're going to see 5 per cent superstars, 10 per cent all-stars, and 85 per cent of the rest of them are like me."

This will be Radmanovich's 11th major international competition for Canada, going back to the 1993 World Student Games. He is no longer an everyday player, but is instead a lefty bat off the bench. He and fellow Baseball Canada lifer Stubby Clapp bring a bounty of international experience to help manager Terry Puhl. Radmanovich is an encyclopedia of the written (and unwritten) rules of international baseball.

"The difference is that internationally, umpires stand by the rules," Radmanovich said. "They'll go into your dugout and chase you out on the field if they think you're taking too long between innings. Over here, you can have a drink of water, take your time a bit. That doesn't work over there."

It is testimony to Radmanovich's physical conditioning and savvy that he can say he has never been released by a team he's played for, but he admits he might have retired had Canada not qualified for the Olympics.

Radmanovich is a stay-at-home pop for much of the year, looking after five-year-old Eva and two-year-old Sophia. His wife, Elissa, teaches school in West Hartford, Conn. He also works at a baseball camp, where his students include the children of ESPN anchors Karl Ravech and Reece Davis. He hopes to use his contacts to get some production work on ESPN games eventually and is open to coaching in the Canadian national program.

"Ironic," Radmanovich said with a laugh, "here's a Canadian guy teaching American kids how to play their national game."