But Duva's got you fooled.
His memories are of his four-year run as an outfielder at the University of Florida and his seven-year stint in the minors before calling it quits. He jokingly describes his minor league career as living the dream without making money.
The 37-year-old from Gainesville gushes over starting as a freshman in the College World Series for the Gators in 1991. He remembers Rosenblatt Stadium dwarfing him as he drifted around what seemed like a gigantic centerfield, as LSU eliminated a Gator team that still holds the school record for most wins in a season with 51.
He cherishes the time he hit a career-best .367 as the leadoff man for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, a Cleveland Indians farm team, in the Independent Northern League in 1998 to earn the league batting title.
"That is by far my greatest professional moment," Duva said.
Heck, in the minors he played against Darryl Strawberry and sent five-time All-Star pitcher and World Series champion Jack Morris out of a game with a line drive to his leg.
Duva's pro career ended in 2000 and he left the game to pursue a career in law. He received his J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2002 with honors in litigation and became an associate attorney. Five years later, he made partner at Mozley, Finlayson & Loggins LLP in Atlanta and in 2007 and 2009 was recognized in the Super Lawyer's edition of Atlanta Magazine as a "Rising Star" and one of the "Top Young Lawyers in Georgia."
"When you play ball for as long as I did and you don't get as far as you want, to have something like that to fall back on has been fantastic," Duva said.
Duva is still a partner at the same firm and "loves" the life he's made for himself. Mainly, he enjoys the perk of having the honor to help clients wade through the unfavorable moments, making sure he can bring stability to people's lives.
"The nice thing is we've kind of tried to be a source that people can lean on to navigate through difficult times, either through the corporate context or personally," he said.
Duva envisioned becoming a lawyer while at Florida, where he had a .285 career batting average, made the All-SEC Tournament team in 1991, was a three-time Academic All-SEC (1992-94) and is the all-time leader in triples (21).
He was drafted in the 29th round by the Indians in 1994, but knew his future resided outside of baseball. During his seven-year career, which he said was longer than intended, his wife Ingrid, whom he met at Florida, worked and paid the bills while he "fooled around in the minors."
They are now raising two children — son Andrew, 6, and daughter Elena, 4 — with a third one on the way.
Living in Atlanta, Duva still finds himself immersed in Gator athletics, especially with the recent success of Florida's football team. He's caught a few baseball games and made it to Gainesville in April for the LSU series, in which the Gators swept the defending champs.
"I try to keep up with it as much as possible," he said. "I grew up watching Gator baseball, and I try to keep up with it through the alumni activities and all the fun stuff.
"I'm really impressed with the talent they've been able to assemble, but also what the coaches have been able to do with young talent in SEC play and now in national play."
<a href="http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20100728/ARTICLES/100729473/1136?Title=Where-are-they-now-Brian-Duvatag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20100728/ARTICLES/100729473/1136?Title=Where-are-they-now-Brian-DuvaWed, 28 Jul 2010 15:34:26 GMT 00:00">Where are they now? Brian Duva
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