Notes from the Carson Fulmer conference call

Monday was a full day for Carson Fulmer. Shortly after Vanderbilt cinched a return to the College World Series by beating Illinois in Champaign, the Commodore ace received a call from the White Sox, who drafted him with the eighth overall pick.

Afterward, he did what the rest of us did: He watched Chris Sale mow down the Astros, with his siblings and their spouses in tow.

"My brother knows of [Sale] growing up in Lakeland, and that's the first we wanted to do," Fulmer said on conference call. "We wanted to see Chris Sale throw live, so we went to a Buffalo Wild Wings in Champaign, and we sat there and watched."

(To paraphrase Thecip's Carlos Quentin Tiger Beat cover, "He enjoys doing the same things you do!")

Fulmer was on a bus back to Nashville during this introductory call, during which the media got acquainted with him while covering the bases. Among the more interesting notes.

*Fulmer brought up Sale's name before reporters did, when describing his reaction to being drafted.

"I was definitely surprised. It's definitely an honor. Growing up, seeing a guy like Chris Sale from my hometown with the White Sox, and the impact that he's made on the organization -- I was pumped up for it. I definitely wanted to become a part of the White Sox organization. I'm pumped up for the opportunity, and I definitely want to make an impact right away."

*Though he hails from the same Florida hometown as Sale, Fulmer said he's never met him (his brother his closer to Sale's age).

*Fulmer said he'd like to meet Sale, and pitch and learn alongside him and Carlos Rodon (he also said Jeff Samardzija, which might be a stretch in terms of timing).

"I see myself as a starter. I feel like I've built a really good endurance level. I've been able to keep my stuff late into games, and that was definitely something I had to go out and pitch and prove. I know throughout the years I've been labeled as a reliever. I viewed that as a challenge, as something I definitely wanted to go out and prove."

*However, Fulmer did qualify that statement by saying he was good with a reliever role if it helped the team win. He had a couple such quotes when it came to his timetable and development, which I think would earn him the adjective of "coachable."

*Fulmer earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 10, and he says, "I think it really helped me with my discipline ... just being able to stay flexible, stay limber, but more importantly, stay disciplined."

*Fulmer leans on "definitely" in his answers. As verbal tics go, I'll take "definitely" over "like" and "kinda." It shows confidence and a willingness to take command of a situation.