Now that he's done pitching, Brad Lidge has a new career plan: archaeology

Since Brad Lidge retired back in 2013, he's kept busy enough. He has a radio show. He's a special assistant to the Phillies' front office. He's best buds with Carlos Ruiz. But unbeknownst to us, he's also been making a career pivot ... into archaeology.

No, seriously: As the former All-Star told For the Win, he finished up his bachelor's degree after retiring from baseball, then enrolled in a Master's program in archaeology and history at the University of Leicester in England.

"In baseball, it always felt like we had a ton of downtime on the road, so I started reading books about ancient history and world history, and just found myself really enjoying learning about that," Lidge said. "I told myself that at some point, when I retire, I'd like to do something in a different world, other than baseball."

Obviously he's completed most of the coursework online, but he also flies to sites around Europe to complete the program's field requirements. His first dig came in Italy in 2013, where he unearthed some ancient Roman jewelry -- but, thankfully, not the Ark of the Covenant.

And yes, even thousands of miles away from the States among mostly European academics, he still gets recognized.

"Usually there'll be someone there that says, 'Hey, are you the same Brad Lidge that played baseball?'" Lidge said. "I'll tell them I am, then word kind of spreads around quickly. One cool thing about this is you feel like you're in a different world out there, everyone working with different goals in mind, but we'll end up, inevitably, talking about baseball."

h/t For the Win