Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. and 13-year-old Matthew Rodriguez lead very different lives -- Hall is after an 11th Olympic medal and Rodriguez is preparing to enter high school -- but their common bond brought them together Monday: Type 1 diabetes. Hall, spokesman for the pharmaceutical company Becton Dickinson, was at Beth Israel Hospital's Friedman Diabetes Institute to share his experiences -- and swap workout tips -- with five kids afflicted with the disease. Among the group was Rodriguez, from Oyster Bay. Rodriguez wants to start at third base for Oyster Bay High School and Hall, 33, is training to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in hopes of defending his 2000 and 2004 gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle. Each approaches his endeavor while coping with bouts of listlessness, nausea and frequent needle-pricking to check blood sugar levels and inject insulin.
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