All-Everything wide receiver Calvin Johnson wandered across the street from Ford Field to take a little batting practice before the Detroit Tigers game last night. He showed off an impressive display of power, driving balls to the warning track in center field (420 feet from home plate) before going yard to left-center.

The Madden cover boy apparently knows his way around a diamond.

Johnson played baseball in high school, and said he had some contact with at least one major league team before going to Georgia Tech to play football.

"I know I had some history with the Cincinnati Reds, but I don't know if they drafted me or if they just contacted me about a tryout," said Johnson, who also threw out the first pitch before Friday's Tigers-Pirates game. "By that point, though, football had pretty much taken over my life."

Hmm. Seems like you’d know if you’d been drafted by a major league team, but as a rule, I never argue with 6-foot-6, 235-pound athletic freaks.

[H/T: It's Always Sunny in Detroit]