Daily Sports High Five: Denard Span - KMSP-TV

FOX 9 Sports: You are playing on a team that hasn't had the success that others have had since you have been here. How do you view it?

Denard Span: Definitely not fun. You'd rather be on the other side being in first or second place, but we are where we are. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We went through the same thing last year and there's really nothing you can do or say about it. You just need to come everyday with the grind mentality and try to go out there and win games.

F9S: In 2010 you were adding pieces at the trading deadline, now you maybe losing pieces. What happens in a clubhouse the next two weeks leading up to the deadline?

DS: This is all new to me. Even though we went through it a little bit last year, nobody really got traded. There's nothing you can really do about it. It's something you can't control so you just try your best as a player to go out there and do your job. Hopefully by doing that we'll start winning and hopefully all those rumors and those things being said about people being traded will go to rest.

F9S: You are a guy that has had his name out there. Do you read much about it or do you try to stay away from it?

DS: I try to stay away from it but it gets hard. I've heard it since last year and I'm a little bit more prepared for it this year as opposed to last year. It's a flattering thing in a sense if you look at it on the flip side. Other teams are interested in you. Do I want to go? No, I want to stay here in Minnesota. This is where I've been for 10 years, I guess we'll see.

F9S: Is it tough to not have the rumors affect your play on the field?

DS: You can't wrap yourself in it. You can't control it. No matter what you do in this game, there's certain things you can't control and that is defiantly one of those things. Once you go out on the field, you just take control those things you can control on the field which is the game.

F9S: Even though the season hasn't gone the way you wanted it to, there doesn't seem to be any unrest in the clubhouse.

DS: We've been having fun in spite of how the season has been going. I think guys are coming together. We've learned to stick together and become closer as a team. When times aren't going the way you want them to go, it's easy to bicker and fight and point the finger. If anything we've done the opposite and come together.