Tommy John and A Glove of Their Own

I recently interviewed former MLB pitcher Tommy John, for those of you who have been under a rock for the past 30 years, Tommy had played 26 seasons, accumulating 288 wins with a 3.34 ERA and over 2200 strikeouts. He played for 6 Major League Teams, including the Yankees twice. By the way, they named a surgical procedure after him, too.

For the record, in my humble opinion, he should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the veterans committee ASAP! His omission is tragic…26 years!

So I asked Tommy which came first, the chicken or the egg, or in this case, “A Glove of Their Own”, the popular children’s book, or his meeting Bob Salomon? He replied, “Well, the chicken came first. There would be no AGOTO if there was no Bob Salomon. But the book came first and then Bob got involved with it and we just hooked up one time and started talking and he asked me if I would help him with this and get some things started and going. It sounded like a good idea to me.”

But, before he met Bob he stated that in actuality, “the guy that got involved with me was one of my pitchers that I had at Bridgeport named Garrett Berger. Garrett was a first round pick for the Marlins in about 2000, I believe, and ended up having to have Tommy John surgery and was out of baseball, and I ended up picking him up for my independent league team in 2007. He has a company called ifungo.com where he sells sporting equipment over the internet and that’s where he emailed me and asked me. He said it’s really a good project, it’s baseball oriented, the monies go to charity, and I know Garrett very well, so if he says it’s a good organization (then it is).”

He speaks of how Garrett then introduced him to Bob Saloman and “found out that he’s just (the) salt of the earth. He (Bob)really is passionate about what he’s involved in. And, you know, when you read the book, it’s kind of like the baseball book of Dr. Seuss, where it’s all in rhyme, it’s about paying it forward, you know? Doing things for people and having people do things for other people and before you know it, you’ve got a lot of people doing a lot of things for a lot of people.”

Tommy then speaks about how Bob has been promoting the book.

“ Bob’s gone out and he’s gotten a lot of ex ball players and managers and coaches, and I think he just got Bernie Williams to come on board.”

When asked what he and Bob are specifically doing to promote AGOTO and this is what he had to say, “You know, all we can do is let people know what’s out there. We’re kind of like the catalyst, going around with the signs, like the guy behind home plate all the time, holding up the sign John 3:16, you know? Well, we’re that. We’re holding up AGOTO and if you go online, the thing that I like about it is 1. It’s involved with baseball, and baseball is my passion and my love and it’s all the things that I enjoy doing. If you buy the book online, you can go and pick out whatever charity you want $3.30 to go to.”

Tommy then explained that “$3.30 of every book sale goes to charity.” And that the charity he is a strong supporter for “happens to be ALS because of Catfish Hunter.” He and Catfish use to pitch for the Yankees back in 1979.

He later states that they do a lot of “word of mouth” to help promote AGOTO, “that’s what Bob Solomon does. He goes out and contacts people who contact people who contact people. It’s the same thing: paying it forward with word of mouth.”

I asked Tommy if he was given an advanced copy of the story or if it was just told to him in a conversation he had with either Garrett or Bob he told me that he “did a book signing in Somerset, NJ” and “it was the first time I saw the book. I met a couple of the authors, and it was fun. I enjoyed doing it, and I told Bob I would do whatever I can to promote the book and make sure that the people out there got a chance to see what it is and what’s there and how good it is.” He said that aside from the book signing he has also done “about 30 phone interviews for Bob Solomon and the book.”

Then I asked what Tommy sees as the goal of the book and what he hopes to accomplish by having his popular name attached to promoting it.

“Well, one, to get kids involved in baseball and in helping other people out, maybe not in baseball. That’s that the idea of paying it forward is about. And the other thing is the charitable aspect.

Getting money to charity and helping people that are less fortunate than ourselves.”

I then asked him if he could explain the concept of “paying it forward” a little further?

“Well, if you’ve ever seen the movie Pay it Forward, where the little boy does one good deed and that deed to that person then becomes another deed to another person and then to another person. Then it’s two and then four and then it’s 16 and it’s 32 and it just keeps going and it just goes all over. I think the show was shot in Las Vegas and it was really a good show and the little boy ended up getting killed and the final scene was the mother and her boyfriend went out and here were all these people with candles, thousands of them, coming forward to pay their respects to the boy who started paying it forward. You know, if someone does something for someone else, and then that person does it for two people and those two do it for two more people and all of a sudden, you’ve got a whole bunch of people out there doing good deeds for other people.”

When asked if he had AGOTO story from his past that he could share with our readers, but he said, “You know, I don’t. It’s about little kids playing ball and not having the equipment, and a guy comes by and makes sure that they have equipment. You know, growing up, I didn’t grow up in an affluent family by any stretch of the imagination, the most money my dad ever made was $4.65 an hour, and that was right when he was retiring when I was out of the house. So you can see. . . but I had every piece of sporting equipment I could ever want: baseball gloves, basketball, and you know, that’s what I did, and that was the great love of our lives back then: sports.”

Tommy John and His Coaching and Playing Career

When inquiring with Tommy if he was currently managing, he had this to say, “No, I resigned July 8 from the Bridgeport Bluefish, and I took a job with a company out of Murray (sp), Kentucky, and I sell sports scoreboards: football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, all sports scoreboards. I’m the sales rep in the state of Texas, and what we’re trying to is get the coaches and athletic directors to look at our product. We have a good product. The company’s called Sportable Scoreboards out of Murray, Kentucky, and I think I’ve sold 4 so far since I’ve been going at it.”

Getting back to Tommy’s career, we discussed how you don’t hear guys playing 20+ years anymore, let alone 26, especially as a pitcher. Tommy didn’t attribute his longetivity to a workout regimen.

“No, I think it was genes passed down from my dad. I developed a pretty good work ethic from my dad. Other than my elbow, I really didn’t have any significant arm problems. And, I just kept myself in very good shape. Very good shape. Workout regimen? Nolan Ryan had a very good regimen. But his was just as good as everybody else’s. It’s just the fact that in his family, someone gave him the gene to throw the ball harder than anybody else that I’ve ever seen.”

As I mentioned earlier in part one of this interview, Tommy played for a few teams. So I asked him if there an organization that was better to play for, and likewise, was there one that was the worst, or that he least liked to play for?

“Well, as long as you’re playing major league baseball, they’re all very good. I particularly enjoyed playing for the Dodgers when Theo O’Malley had the ball club. I thought Walter and his wife Kay and then when he passed on to Peter and his wife and then Peter’s brother in law ran the team. They treated it pretty much like a family. But the best place in the world to play baseball, or in fact, to play sports was New York City. Playing for the Yankees was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me as far as my pro career went because it’s a tough market to play in. The fact that you can go out there and play and go through all the stuff that happens within the organization. . . it’s tough and if you enjoy people and you enjoy doing the things that New York has to offer, you will absolutely love it. If you don’t, it’ll be a very, very tough time for you.” He continued to say, “I absolutely loved every place I played. I know that sounds like a very political answer, but. . . I did! I enjoyed every place I played. I started out in Cleveland and then I went to the White Sox and I spent 7 years in Chicago. That was close to home. I could get home on the weekends or my mom and dad could come up on the weekends. Chicago was great. Los Angeles was outstanding! The weather, the ballpark, the fans out there were great. New York, like I said, it’s the best place to play. I never played in St. Louis for the Cardinals, but that would be a very good baseball town too. I even played in Oakland, too, for a very short time, and I enjoyed Oakland as much as any place I ever played.”

Looking at ballparks: Tommy spoke about which ballparks he pitched well in, and which one that he just didn’t want to pitch in at all.

“Well, I had a tough time starting out pitching at Tiger Stadium. White Sox park was a great park to pitch in back in the early to mid 60’s. The old Dodger stadium, before they moved the fences in, was a great ballpark. Old Yankee stadium was outstanding. You know, when I first went there and played there with Cleveland and DiMaggio and Mantle and Maris, that was a great ballpark. Then they reconfigured it and made it smaller and now they’ve made it even smaller and you know, but back when it was 465, 467, and left field was 407, you could just throw balls and guys could hit ‘em a mile and they were outs! The old ballparks were great! In fact, I even enjoyed pitching at Fenway with the short left field wall because everybody was trying to hit it over the wall, and that made my sinker down and away even better.”

Given Tommy had a good sinker, the line drives he gave up at Fenway that might have been a HR in most ballparks were just line drives there. “(chuckle)Oh yes, I dented the wall many, many times!”

When asked if there were any guys that he just didn’t want any part of pitching to Tommy replied, “Well, I didn’t mind pitching to anybody. There were some guys who hit me better than others. They guy who comes to mind who hit me well was Ken Griffey, Sr. I could get Junior out, because he was only about 10 years old at the time! The other guy, statistically, Ned Yost, the ex-manager of the Brewers, was like 12 for 14 off of me, and I don’t ever recall him hitting the ball like that, but obviously he did.”

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 3 of my interview with Tommy John. At the end of the third section there will be the complete audio of the interview.

Tommy John and His Thoughts on the Game Today

Swinging back from Tommy’s career to the way baseball is currently played I wanted to get his opinion on a few of the differences since his playing days. But I also wanted to get a feel for his take on who he likes to watch, especially modern pitchers.

“I like to watch Chris Carpenter, Brandon Webb, Peavy, Santana. I like Carpenter because he throws the ball. He gets the ball, gets on the rubber and throws. He throws strikes and he puts the ball in play. He gets it, and he pitches old-time baseball. Brandon Webb has one of the best sinkers I’ve seen in a long time. I like Halladay at Toronto. Santana has some of the best, I call it variance of speed. He goes from 94 mph to 72 or 73 mph and if you as a hitter have to slow your bat down or speed your bat up that much, it makes it very tough to hit. Most pitchers in baseball today are 2 speed pitchers. They may have 3 pitches, but their split and slider are the same speed so, you get something fast, something not as fast. If these guys have something else they can throw that’s slower, they can get guys out on it. You don’t see guys that pitch that have curve balls anymore. Big curve balls. And if you have a big curve ball, you can be very effective. Kershaw with the Dodgers has that big curve ball. And guys are swinging at it in the dirt because they just don’t see it anymore. It’s just not there.”

Seeing that Tommy played in the AL before the DH and also in the NL after the DH so I wanted to get his opinion about pitchers batting and he was very adamant about his views.

“I think pitchers should be able to hit, run bases, slide, take the second baseman or shortstop out to break up double plays, I think they should be able to do all that stuff.”

I wondered if Tommy thought there were any current day batters that he thought would give him a hard time if he were pitching to them todayand he said, “Jeter would. Rodriguez would. Anyone who likes the ball out over the plate. There are some guys that are very good hitters now. Good hitters are going to get their hit. Pitchers are going to give them their hits. You just want to do it without anybody on base.”

Knowing the bond that can be built up between a pitcher and a catcher, I asked Tommy if there was a certain catcher that he just loved to throw to. His response was “Munson, Johnny Oates, and for the Red Sox fans out there, I loved to pitch to Pudge Fisk. I only pitched to him 2 innings in the All Star Game in ‘80, but he was very good. Better than what I thought. I knew he was a good hitter, but he was a very good catcher.”

Personally, I don’t think fans in general or even some managers respect the art of a catcher who has the ability of calling a good game. Seeing how strongly Tommy felt about pitchers hitting, which I totally agree with his stance there, I wanted to know how important it is from a pitcher’s perspective.

“Well, it’s the pitcher’s responsibility to throw the ball, but you’ve got to have good rapport between the pitcher and the catchers. I would tend to let my catchers call the game. But, I had good catchers, and I didn’t pitch well when I had bad catchers. I was constantly second guessing myself. “should I throw this? He’s not the greatest thinker in the world. What should I do?” I liked to have a great thinking catcher behind the plate. The catchers in the last few years have been offensive, and they catch between at bats.” Likewise, I was eager to ask Tommy for his take concerning the use of pitch counts.

“Pitch counts are like putting a governor on a car because they don’t want the car to go too fast. They put pitch counts on the pitchers to keep the pitchers from throwing a lot of pitches because 1. They have a ton of money invested in them and they probably are on huge salaries and they can get more out of their money if they have a pitch count on him. Back when I played, the starting salary was $7000, and if the guy hurt his arm, he was back selling used cars on his buddy’s lot, but now they have millions invested in salaries, scouting, training. And so the pitch counts, I call them necessary evils. Honestly, though there is no reason why a guy can’t throw 120, 125 pitches, in a ballgame and not hurt their arms.”

I briefly returned to ask Tommy about his managerial days to see if he adhered to pitch counts when he managed.

“Oh yes. When I managed an affiliated team, we had pitch counts and we had to adhere to them. But when I managed in the independent league, there were no pitch counts. Guys pitched 7, 8, 9 innings. If they were still throwing the ball good, they would stay in the game. I just kept asking “how do you feel?” and if they felt good, they could stay out there. If they were getting tired, I’d get someone warmed up…”

My final question to Tommy was to ask him what he saw change from his rookie year to his last year, 26 seasons later.

“Mainly the players were rushed through the minor leagues towards the end. You might have to spend 5, 6, 7 years in the minor leagues before, but you can’t afford to do that now because like I said, they have so much money invested in these guys you just can’t afford to have them in the minor leagues very long. They have to get through the minors and into the big leagues and that’s the way it is.”

I would like to thank Tommy once again for his time and for the interview. Hopefully this will generate interest in the book A Glove of Their Own, too.

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

**The Quotes as presented are direct from Rollie Fingers courtesy of an interview that he was kind enough to grant me in conjunction with his new book.**

When people approach professional athletes, they are usually looking for a career retrospective or a biography. That is exactly what Yellowstone Ritter had in mind when he contacted Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers.

With the idea on the table, Rollie said no. So Yellowstone went back to the drawing board with Rollie, and what they came up with was Rollie’s Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Baseball Stories and Stats, Lists, and Lore.

When discussing the book, I was treated to a conversation that covered many facets of Rollie’s Hall of Fame career, and the stories and opinions were as diverse and colorful as the book that he helped author in his name.

After bypassing the notion that talking about himself for 250 or so pages was a good idea, Rollie did start to hash out a plan with Yellowstone, who he credits with doing a lot of the interesting research in the book.

“I don’t want to get into autobiographies, I don’t want to talk about myself.”

Fingers explains, “We started hashing it out, and decided he has done a lot of research on baseball. So why don’t we do a book on basic baseball itself. So we decided that’s what we were going to do.”

“We went through a bunch of statistics and facts and came up with a bunch of things that you might not know about…different crazy stats of things that happen, who are the best hitting pitchers of all time, you don’t know that.”

“People think of the greatest home run hitters of all time and think of Babe Ruth, they don’t think about that Warren Spahn hit more than anybody.”

In 1958, Warren Spahn, in just 108 at bats, hit .333, and also mustered 35 home runs, 189 RBI’s in his career.

The book, as Rollie and I discussed, is really about expanding on what people love so much about baseball.

As Rollie said, “That’s all baseball is, is numbers, it’s run by numbers, averages, percentage and odds. Managers make their decisions based on the numbers.

“If this guy hits the ball 7 out of 10 times to the left side then they’ll play a shift to the left…there is more books on statistics than you can think of and we just brought out some of the ones that we thought were the most interesting.”

To look back at Rollie’s career by the numbers, one American League Cy Young (1981), one American League MVP (1981), 341 Career Saves (10th all-time), 944 career games (17th all-time), 709 career games finished (5th all-time) and 81.1% (the total number of writers hall of fame ballots he was elected on for the Hall).

He appeared on 349 of 430 Hall of Fame ballots, getting him over the 75% required for enshrinement.

We talked a little bit about his place among baseball immortals. I asked Rollie about his engagement two weeks ago to see his peers Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice take their place in Cooperstown.

“I’ve been back every year since 1992 when I went in. I have been there a few times before that, they used to have the Hall of Fame game, and I played once with the A’s and one game with the Padres.

Then I was there in 1964 when I was named the American Legion Baseball Player of the Year, I received my award at Doubleday Field in 1964, that’s the first time I was there.”

When I asked why Rollie returns with such frequency, he answered me as if there was no other option.

“I think it’s important because when I went in there was a lot of guys there.” He said. “They supported my induction into the Hall of Fame and my career. I felt that I should be there for the new guys coming in,” Rollie continued.

He also let me in on a little secret; “it’s nice seeing the guys go through what you have to go through to get in.”

The first trip to Cooperstown is the hardest.

“That weekend is a hectic weekend, getting ready for your speech, taking care of all your family members making sure everything is done right, people wanting you to sign autographs going to the dinners, going to the parties. The easiest time is the following year.”

“The hardest thing in the world to get through is the speech,” said Rollie, and remember this is a guy with 3 World Series rings and 341 career saves.

As for his description of this year’s inductees, “Rickey Henderson was a pain in the butt. You don’t want to walk him; it’s like walking a triple. I had a real slow motion to the plate, so I knew if he got on base within two or three pitches he was going to be standing on third.”

On Jim Rice, “The two scariest things in the world are standing on the mound at Fenway Park looking over your right shoulder and seeing the wall there, and the second scariest is looking in and seeing Jim Rice. Those were the two scariest things about Boston when I played.”

Ironically enough for the nightmare was that the wall was a disputable 310 feet away.

Fenway was not Rollie’s least favorite place to pitch. Counted among his least favorites were the domed stadiums.

“I didn’t like The Astrodome, or any of the Astro-Turf fields. Probably my worst ballpark was The Met in Minnesota, I hated that place, I was so glad when they tore that place down, you have no idea. My first big league start at the Met I threw a five hit shut out, and my lifetime record at The Met is one win and 11 losses.”

Fingers went on to recount a move this his manager used to save him the horrors of The Met on one occasion.

“It was really bad, nothing went right for me at that ball park. Actually Alvin Dark with the Oakland A’s, we had a double-header and he didn’t even want me in uniform, he put me in street clothes in the stands for a double header and this is when I was the closer.

“Crazy stuff would happen there, and I’d always end up having a bad game. So he just decided, what the heck I might as well throw you in the stands so I won’t be tempted to use you.”

Rollie Fingers was part of multiple transactions in his career. He was a free agent, he was traded, and he was even sold once by Charlie Finley to the Boston Red Sox.

As it turns out, Joe Rudi and Rollie, after being sold to the Red Sox for a million dollars apiece, were promptly returned after the commissioner’s office ruled that the transaction would not stand.

Luckily for Rudi and Fingers, the Red Sox were the visiting club and they simply packed their bags and walked through the bowels of the Oakland County Coliseum to set up shop in the visitor’s clubhouse.

After three days, Bowie Kuhn, Major League Baseball’s fifth commissioner, told Charlie Finley he couldn’t do that, although Rollie does believe “if Joe or I had gotten into that game, there wouldn’t have been anything they could have done. I warmed up but never got in the game.”

Rollie then signed with the Padres, where he spent four seasons before he was shipped to St. Louis in the off-season, where he ironically once again spent three days, matching his stay with the Red Sox. The Cardinals then moved him out to play with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Speaking of the team that would be Harvey’s Wallbanger’s, “Paul Molitor was about a three or four year man up, Robin Yount was a six or seven year guy…I was happy to be going to Milwaukee, I was just happy to be wearing the same uniform as those guys.

“The line up we had there was unbelievable: Ted Simmons, Molitor, Yount, Cooper, Ben Oglivie, Gorman Thomas, I mean I wouldn’t want to face that line up, I was just happy to have a Milwaukee uniform on that year.”

Rollie and I had a little fun as I mentioned former Major Leaguer and Fingers’ teammate, 1982 Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich.

Following Pete’s playing career, he’s probably best known as “The Biggest Indian Killer of them All” Clu Heywood according to Harry Doyle (played by longtime Brewers announcer and Major League Catcher Bob Uecker).

So I asked Rollie, “Who would play Rollie Fingers?”

“Oh golly, I have no idea who would play Rollie Fingers, you’d have to be able to grow a handle bar mustache, who that person would be I have no idea, or whether in the future they’d put me in a movie.”

But a guy that looks like me and can grow a handle bar mustache is the way they’d have to go I guess, like the movie 61, they cast those two guys who looked pretty much like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris…I don’t think about that stuff.”

You hear the words dynasty thrown around; when you won the first World Series in Oakland did you know you had something special?

Rollie is much like the other major leaguers I’ve talked to, when they talk about things they are incredibly focused in the moment and recall it as such.

“At the time you don’t. After we won the first year it was the first time we’d ever won and sure you want to win two and we knew we had a pretty good team. We played together, we all played together in the minors because it was before free agency and we basically had the same line up for eight years at the time we played in Oakland.

“Winning three in a row, it was great; you don’t think about how great it was then, you know I’d like to have kept winning. That’s what it’s all about, we had a chance in ’75 but we got beat in the playoffs by the Red Sox, I think if we’d have had Catfish Hunter that year, that was the year we lost Catfish Hunter…we had a chance to be a dynasty there if Charlie Finley kept us together.

“He wasn’t about to do that, he didn’t want to pay the salaries, so when Free Agency hit, he lost all of us, he could’ve kept that team together if he’d have just paid us.”

I asked him specifically about the fans in his career, and the fans in Milwaukee, “Milwaukee is a great baseball town…they’ll open their arms up to you.”

“I enjoyed playing there, I enjoyed the fans, I did a lot of charity when they had stuff going on at the ballpark it was fun…I had a lot of fun because I was getting guys out and we were doing good.”

We talked a lot about Rollie’s contemporaries so I decided to ask, if there was anyone now that he enjoys watching pitch.

I asked is there anyone that if you know that they are pitching you’ll throw the game on?

“There’s a few players, I don’t mind watching a good pitched ball game, Randy Johnson, Halladay in Toronto, that’s the way I was when Greg Maddux was pitching, I would sit and watch him, because he knew what he was doing. He wasn’t over powering; he moved the ball around, hit spots. That’s pitching.

“I don’t watch ball games on TV anymore cause I hate to see a pitcher go zero balls and two strikes and lay one right down the middle and the guy hits it out of the ballpark.

“What’s he thinking about? That’s not pitching to me; that is throwing. I get too upset watching those types of games, so I don’t watch them anymore.”

He continued, “I don’t go to games anymore, but if I know a certain guy is pitching, Beckett with Boston, I’ll watch him pitch, or Santana, he’s got a pretty good idea.”

I asked what the best innovation or change in the game has been since Rollie left the game, and all he came up with was, “guys are making money,” he laughed.

As far as detriments to the game, he listed harder balls, harder bats, smaller ballparks, home runs are up, umpires have taken away the inside part of the plate from pitchers and the way pitching staffs are used.

Rollie clearly pitched in a different era, but he makes a lot of interesting and valid points about pitchers use and their health in recent years.

Most major league teams carry 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster, when Rollie pitched, “you’d break training camp with 8 or sometimes 9 pitchers.”

Because of that we talked strategy and how the game has changed, he talked about the difference in the way that bullpens are handled across major league baseball.

“Guys in the bullpen should go longer distances instead of being a one-inning pitcher.”

I asked him if it is frustrating to watch a guy get pulled after one inning or in sometimes one batter.

Rollie definitely had some strong opinions in this area, “The biggest problem I have with the way bullpens are run is a set up guy will come in, in the eighth inning and strike out the side in a 4 to 1 ball game and then he is taken out and the closer will come in to finish the game.

“Why don’t you let the guy that just struck out the side go back out and start the ninth inning? You still have your $10 million dollar man in the bullpen to get out of jams. Give that guy an opportunity to get a save. He did his job in the eighth and give your closer a day off.

“If he struck out the side he probably has his good stuff that day…I see ball games that are 2-1 ball games and I look at the box score and there was 12 pitchers used.”

He continued, “I needed a lot of work to stay sharp, I don’t think I could’ve done what they are doing today.”

Name

Avg. Inn/Year

Career High Innings

Season Plus 100 Inn

Mariano Rivera

80

107

1

Trevor Hoffman

72

90

0

Rollie Fingers

118

148

11

We talked about another of Rollie’s peers in Nolan Ryan. We didn’t talk about Ryan’s Hall of Fame credentials, but the success that he had thus far in rejuvenating the Texas Rangers pitching staff this year.

I asked Rollie if that was the way to go, if we’d see starters going deeper into games and potentially less pitching injuries?

“I pitched for the Oakland A’s for 8 years, we’d complete 45 or 50 ball games a year with Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, and Kenny Holtzman. In the 8 years I was there I don’t remember any of these guys being on the disabled list. 8 years in a row, I never remember them going on a 2 week DL or 1 month DL.”

“They were out there doing their 40 starts a year; they pitched 275 to 300 innings each year, Catfish Hunter would complete 20 ball games himself, and you just don’t see that anymore.”

“Why these guys are getting hurt, I don’t know, I think if they got stronger and pitched more they would have less injuries.”

“I was down in Texas talking to Nolan and he said yeah that’s what we want to do, we want to see if we can get our starting pitchers into the seventh and eighth inning and if they are still going good, get a complete game. I don’t see any problem with that at all, I think you’re going to get fewer injuries.”

In 1975 Catfish Hunter had 30 complete games in his 39 starts!

One of the more intriguing points he made was about pitch counts. Rollie’s thoughts on pitch counts really showed the difference between baseball now and 25-30 years ago.

He began when I asked him about tie games where people are taken out.

“Even if it’s a tie, let them throw their 130 and 140 pitches. They are strong enough and capable of doing it, but you have to get used to it. These guys go out now, five innings that’s a quality start, and 100 pitches.”

“I’d like to know who the animal was that came up with this 100-pitch rule. I guarantee you he wasn’t a pitcher, I’m sure he was a doctor that doesn’t know anything about pitching. That’s my guess, because 100 pitches is nothing.”

To put it in perspective in a conversation Rollie had with fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax he asked, “What’s the most pitches you’ve ever thrown in a game?” Sandy’s response was 230.

We talked about a game that pitted Juan Marichal vs. Warren Spahn, the Hall of Famers combined to each go 16 innings and throw over 200 pitches a piece.

We talked about 1976 Hall of Fame inductee Robin Roberts who completed 28 straight games, a feat that would be unthinkable with today’s managers.

“If you have good mechanics and you are strong and you know what you’re doing out there you can do it. Manager’s won’t let starting pitchers do that because they are afraid someone is going to get hurt, they’re going to have to answer the questions. They are going to get second-guessed.”

“You have a lot of money sitting there and you don’t want it on the DL, but the thing is more starting pitchers are going on the DL than are not.”

We talked about Halladay’s last start before the trade deadline; Doc had a stat line of 1 earned run, 9 innings and got a no decision after 115 pitches.

“He’s old school, pitchers go out there thinking they’ve got to just go 5 or 6, he’s thinking about going 9. He’s thinking 9 more than any pitcher in baseball today. He’s big enough and strong enough he could go 140 pitches.”

“If Nolan Ryan had been on a 100 pitch count he’d have never got a decision, he threw that many by the fifth inning. You could watch Nolan throw 170 pitches, strike out 14, and walk 10 in a complete game.”

“But he was strong and could do it. Tom Seaver was another guy, he’d throw a lot of pitches, but he was strong and had great mechanics.”

Rollie is a wealth of pitching knowledge about the history of the game and Rollie’s Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Baseball Stories and Stats, Lists and Lore expands on that.

The book covers everything from the best hitting pitcher, to the Milwaukee Sausage Races and it’s on field list of imitators, to Hall of Fame and not so Hall of Fame profiles and the Kenny Lofton curse (you’ll have to read that one yourself).

In Rollie’s Follies, Fingers and Ritter managed to put together a baseball book that I am not sure it starts or ends more debates but it allows fans of America’s past time to do what they love best.

Wow, their friends with the most obscure, interesting and odd facts and stories about the grand old game.

Rollies Follies is co-authoured by Rollie Fingers and Yellowstone Ritter, it is published by Clerisy Press, available at www.clerisypress.com

David is a fellow Bleacher Creature, you can find his work there by following this link. He has also written for RBI Magazine and a few other places as well.

I recently had the privilege of asking Dodger great, Steve Garvey (1B) a few questions. I was put in contact with Mr. Garvey by Athlete Promotions.

Athlete Promotions manages the website, corporate appearances, speaking engagements and endorsement deals for 10 time All-Star, Steve Garvey. To see who else Athlete Promotions represents please visit their website: www.AthletePromotions.com.

Peter Schiller: What has been your most satisfying accomplishment since you stopped playing in 1987?

Steve Garvey: Raising three children (Ryan16, Olivia 15 and Sean 10). Also continuing to help others through charity and foundation work.

PS: What first basemen do you most enjoy watching in the game today?

SG: Albert Pujols in the NL and Mark Teixeira in the AL

PS: Who were your favorite & least favorite pitchers to face? Why?

SG: My favorite pitchers were all lefties and least favorite was knuckleballer Phil Niekro

PS: What, outside of baseball activity, gives you the most joy in life?

SG: Without a doubt, my family

I would like to thank Steve Garvey for his time and answers as well as Ryan at Athlete Promotions for making this interview possible.

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE! I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com.

If any of you have ever played sports as a kid, I’m sure you all have experienced being in a slump. But what did you do to get out of it? Some may have thought about wearing the same underwear to every game until the slump was broken. Others might not have washed their socks, tweaked their stance (in baseball/softball) or mechanics in order to pull out of it. One might try almost anything to bust out of a slump. Why some of your friends might have even suggested you try what worked for them the last time they were in a slump!

This brings us to today’s interview with one of the co-founders of SlumpBuster Energy Drinks. These guys have basically said, if you’re in a slump and need a little added energy to help you break out of that slump, try a SlumpBuster Energy Drink. It’ll do the trick! After all, what usually follows a slump? The player usually tries so hard to break it that they exhaust themselves in the proccess. They wind up being tired more often than they use to before the slump because of it.

To find out a little more about the company, please read the SlumpBuster Story as it is found on their website:

Here’s how it started…

With Major League Baseball attendance hitting an all-time high in 2007 at 79.4 million, two former baseball players came up with the SlumpBuster concept, which will for the first time link the growing popularity of energy drinks and mainstream sports. While one of the largest selling energy drinks has seen success aligning its brand with extreme sports, the industry lacks an energy drink that is geared towards the athletes and fans of major spectator sports. SlumpBuster specifically caters to the vast number of amateur baseball players, softball players, and fans world wide who currently purchase a significant portion of energy drinks.

A Grass Rooots Approach

In addition to being offered through strategic distribution channels, SlumpBuster also seeks to be marketed at the community level. For example, SlumpBuster is the official energy drink of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where the beverage will be offered exclusively to attendees at the Epicenter stadium. To compliment these grass roots campaigns, the SlumpBuster Business Development Department sends its own distribution team to individual accounts within a specified radius of each venue.

So, without further ado, here’s the interview…

Baseball Reflections (BR): Jeff, who is your partner and how far did each of you go in your baseball careers?

Jeff Brannon (JB): There are 4 owners and each of us have played sports at a high level. One was a top ranked junior golfer, one played on a national champtionship high school baseball team…another was a pitcher on a Division 1 college baseball team and another played AA ball in the Braves organization.

One thing we all have in common is that we’ve all been in slumps and realize the value of a SlumpBuster.

BR: Besides Boston Red Sox 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis, who has his own signature series, who else has taken up the SlumpBuster cause? Any other MLB players? Anything in the works that you can talk about?

JB: Youk’s the man, right now. We have discussed other opportunities, but nothing has developed as of yet. At this point we are focusing on the northeast region as that’s where fans live and die the most with their team. The New England region and New York is where everybody is taking down a SlumpBuster to help their team.

BR: Why did you & your partner concentrate on catering to amateur baseball players & softball players (in addition to fans world wide who currently purchase a significant portion of energy drinks)?

JB: The term SlumpBuster is so well recognized by ballplayers that it was a natural target for us. Sports fans , in general, were target 1A because people will do whatever it takes to turn their teams luck around.

BR: How did you guys get into the energy drink business? Did one of you have any previous experience in energy drinks aside from consumption?

JB: None of us had any experience in consumer products at all. We decided that SlumpBuster was the perfect name for an energy drink and jumped in with both feet.

We all have banking backgrounds, so we were definitely all ears when we started the research process.

BR: Can you tell us the process of coming up with your own unique brand of energy drinks? Was it difficult to get started?

JB: It was a learning experience, but I wouldn’t say it was difficult per se. We started with the design and then went on to the formula. The process took about 6 months from the first design meeting to when the 1st batch of Geena hit the floor.

BR: How did you begin to work with Garrett Berger at iFungo who holds distribution rights to Youks signature series with Walgreens?

JB: I just contacted Garrett one day regarding carrying us online and he agreed. We actually have a larger Northeast distributor that services our Walgreens account and have also branched into about 200 other independent stores in New York.

BR: Has Kevin Youkilis or his people objected to the name of the drink since he signed up before he knew what it was going to be called or is that report not based in reality?

JB: A lot of people have made a big deal about the name, but there are many connotations with the term SlumpBuster and we adhere to the mainstream definition, which suits an energy drink perfectly. Youk was excited about the name of the drink and was surprised to hear all of the other definitions..as were we.

Do you think that Youk’s advisors would allow him to be a part of a product that wasn’t even named yet? Those reports are completely false.

BR: Are the any plans for other flavors?

JB: Due to the success of our current products,we are sticking with our core for now, but other flavors are always an option.

BR: What can you tell our readers about the Youkilis deal and how purchasing Youks signature energy drink can help Youks kids?

JB: With each purchase of Youk’s Signature, we donate a portion of the proceeds to Youk’s Kids. Last year in our 1st year we donated $5,000.

Editor’s note: Please visit Kevin Youkilis’ Hits for Kids. To Donate your time or money to Youks Kids go here!

BR: What flavor is Youks Signature?

JB: Youk’s Signature is a raspberry lemonade blend. The flavor is similar to the Geena product, but has 0 calories and 0 carbs. The taste of both products have received rave reviews.

Editor’s note (per Jeff): They are both a raspberry lemonade blend, but one has sugar and one doesn’t…(kind of like a diet and regular).

So there you have it, an inside look behind the energy drink SlumpBuster.

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

Much was made when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s “Iron Man” streak September 6, 1995. To this day…many say he “saved baseball”.

For the next three years, he did what he did 2632 games prior…he went to work. Last Saturday (September 19) marked the 11th anniversary of Ripken playing the last game of his historic games played streak.

Outside of Ripken himself, only four other players played in both games: Rafael Palmeiro, Brady Anderson and Chris Hoiles for the Orioles…Chili Davis suited up for the opposition (the Angels in the first game and the Yankees in the second).

I had the chance recently to talk with Hoiles, a 2006 inductee to the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

HOVG: So, what was it like taking the field as the starting catcher for both game 2131 and 2632 of Ripken’s streak?

HOILES: It was a once in a lifetime thing. Being the starting catcher for those two dates was unbelievable. Everything leading up to that date, you knew it was something special. Watching Cal play during my time there for ten years, you appreciate him for his desire to play and his dedication to the sport to be able to do this.

HOVG: In Ripken’s run to surpassing Gehrig’s record…he delivered at the plate as well. He could have mailed it in, but he went deep three consecutive nights. Was he that amped up or did he just get good pitches to hit?

HOILES: I think it was a matter of both, being amped up and getting good pitches. That’s the way he approached each and every game. He prepared himself for those games, just like he did for any other games.

HOVG: When you joined the Orioles full-time in 1991, Ripken was already well on his way to a Hall of Fame career…but so were some other teammates of yours. Let me throw some names your way and you let me know what your thoughts are of them. I’m a HUGE Baines guy, so, first off…Harold Baines. Hall of Famer?

HOILES: Harold Baines, I feel should be in the Hall of Fame. His numbers compare or are better than a lot of guys that are already in. Being able to do what he did at the DH position, speaks for itself. Very hard thing to do and he excelled at it.

HOVG: After Jorge Posada’s 183 games behind the dish…you caught Mike Mussina more than anyone else out there at 175. What are your thoughts on “Moose” as a pitcher and a potential Hall of Famer?

HOILES: I enjoyed catching “Moose” as long as I did. He is a guy that just knew how to pitch, and later in his career he showed that by having to adjust to what he couldn’t do when he was younger. He won 20 games in his last year! He had an arsenal of pitches that he could throw at any time and throw them for strikes. I think he should be a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame.

HOVG: Rafael Palmeiro…does he still have a chance at Cooperstown or is his steroid suspension going to lead to him being made an example of?

HOILES: I don’t know about Raffy. He really screwed up through the whole process. I think the numbers would get him in, but I don’t know if he will get in.

HOVG: And since I mentioned Palmeiro…I’ve gotta ask about Brady Anderson. Is a guy like Brady a victim of all the steroid talk because of his 1996 season or is it warranted?

HOILES: Brady was a good hitter. I don’t think we would have been able to do what we did as a team without Brady in the leadoff spot. I don’t know if he did steroids or not, but he had a great year in 96, and I don’t think he ever hit over 20 homers in a season again, but sometimes players just have that one great year and that’s it.

HOVG: You had some success against Randy Johnson. What are your thoughts on the recent 300 game winner?

HOILES: Randy Johnson is a future Hall of Famer. A first ballot inductee I think. He was very intimidating on the mound and had nasty stuff. I don’t know how I had so much success off of him, but I saw the ball very well off of him.

HOVG: Is there a certain at bat that sticks out in your mind?

HOILES: One at bat that sticks out is…one game I got a hit off of him in my first at bat and drove in two guys. The next at bat, first pitch, he drilled me in the back of my front leg. The at bat after that, I hit a long home run to left center field of the old King Dome.

HOVG: And if that wasn’t big enough…you kinda became known for some big ones while with Baltimore. In 1998, you became only the ninth player to hit two grand slams in one game. Walk me through that. It has to be a thrill.

HOILES: Well, the two grand slam game was special to me, because I went from playing every day to part-time with Lenny Webster. I hadn’t played in a few days, and that was my first start in a while. Plus it was in Cleveland, where I have a lot of friends and family come too because of where I grew up. The first one was a 2-0 count split finger from Charles Nagy and the second was a 3-2 fastball from Ron Villone. Very special night, especially after it was all over and I found out that I was only the ninth person to do it. Three of the nine were Orioles and I was the first catcher to do it.

HOVG: Two years prior (May 17, 1996), you ended a pretty crazy game with what some call the “ultimest” grand slam. Full count, two outs, base loaded…down three. What was that like?

HOILES: It was an awesome feeling, knowing that the game was on the line when I came to bat. Nothing like it.

HOVG: On a serious note, you’ve recently resigned from your post as manager of the York Revolution. You led them to the playoffs last season and were the only manager the young franchise ever knew…will we see you again as a manager or coach?

HOILES: I don’t know if you will see me on the field again or not. I enjoyed my time in York and enjoyed the manager’s post, but I just don’t know right now. I enjoy the game and I enjoy helping young men get better, whether at the major league level or the minor leagues.

HOVG: Tell me about your latest venture. What’s keeping you busy?

HOILES: I also have started a new company with my business partner Adam Gladstone called “The Hoiles-Gladstone Group” or HGG. Our website was launched recently and is a great way to keep in touch with us on all our events. We are combining professional athletes from all sports with the sports fan. We have our first event October 21-25, a bow hunting trip to Northeast Pennsylvania including Ben McDonald, Will Clark, Jamie Walker and myself. We are looking to get 16 paying customers to join us. We have a Cajun chef cooking all the meals.

Chris Hoiles was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1986 and made his way to Baltimore via a 1988 trade. He was a career .262 hitter with 151 home runs…his career slugging percentage (.467) is the ninth best in Orioles history.

If anyone is interested in joining the gang on their hunting trip…all the information is available at their website. Hoiles says that if someone is the first one to sign up…he might even be able to throw a discount their way. And if you do end up going on the HGG hunting trip…drop The Hall a line at hallofverygood@yahoo.com.

Shawn also writes for The Hall of Very Good(HOVG). If you liked this article, please follow the link to the HOVG and tell them the Drs. sent you!

Have you ever been playing sports and experienced a feeling that you thought was only seen in the movies that is called being “in the zone”? If you have or even if you’d like to read more about people who have experienced this, please read on. I recently had the pleasure and privelidge of interviewing former MLB player and 1985 World Series star, Buddy Biancalana. In this interview, Buddy talks about his career, the World Series and life after baseball and his co-founding of PMPM Sports.

Baseball Reflections (BR): Looking back at your time in both KC and Houston, which teammates did you see “in the zone” on a regular basis (if anyone)?

Buddy Biancalana (BB): Bret Saberhagen was the one who was most often locked in, and at a very young age. It was a real pleasure playing behind him, because I could count on him to consistently hit his spots. Charlie Leibrandt could access the zone on a pretty regular basis as could George Brett.

BR: During your time in or around the game, who have you seen that is able to stay “in the zone” most consistently?

BB: The trio of great pitchers in Atlanta, Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. All three were able to access deep levels of silence in their minds, which is one of the key components of being in the zone. Smoltz currently is not experiencing this silence, and therefore looks nothing like he did during his successful years. Most players don’t know where to look to find the zone and therefore, fluidity in their of motion.

BR: After over 20 years since you retired, do you now know what prevented you from playing longer? For example, was it your offense or defense or just an overall lack of being “in the zone” like you were in the World Series?

BB: Aside from a chronic back injury which is no longer a problem, I had no idea where to look to repeat my performance in the World Series. The major majority of athletes are focused on the surface level of motion, as I was. Motion forms at a deep level of the mind. By the time the motion comes out, it’s already been formed, and if not formed correctly, one has a very difficult time making essential last split second adjustments.This is why athletes often commit too soon. It’s essential for an athlete to have access to deeper levels of the mind in order to play their best.

BR: Between the end of your playing career and the beginning of Perfect Mind Perfect Motion (PMPM) Sports, what did you do?

BB: Most of all, I searched for a systematic way to teach athletes how to access the zone. But, I spent time in commercial real estate, the agent business and coaching in professional baseball. One of my favorite sayings is “those who are searching, are not always lost.” That was very true of me. I knew I was given my zone experience in the World Series for a reason, and the reason was to come up with a way to teach it systematically. My partner, Steven Yellin is the one who has figured it out, and this is what we, along with my son Bryn are teaching. Had I been able to successfully continue my career for many years after the Series, I certainly would not have been searching for what I have found. So thank God, for my back injury and that I could not repeat my World Series performance!

BR: Switching gears towards PMPM Sports, how did you meet co-founder Steven Yellin?

BB: A childhood friend and neighbor of mine introduced us about five years ago. Roughly two years later, Steven taught me his program. I quickly realized he had made a discovery and that he had found the “holy grail.” We formed our company and off we went.

BR: For those who are not familiar with PMPM Sports or who have heard of it for the first time here, can you please explain the PMPM Sports‘ goal and philosophy?

BB: We teach by design what most athletes experience by chance when playing their best. Time slows down, the discriminating intellect shuts down, and the motion becomes fluid and effortless. There are processes in the brain that are occurring when this happens. We, along with some brain researchers have quantified these processes and developed a program to enable them to happen systematically.

BR: What kind of skills and drills do you use in order to accomplish these goals?

BB: We teach proprietary drills and concepts that when done correctly, allow an athlete in any sport to connect at the deepest level of mind-body coordination. There are certain laws of nature, such as water boils at 212 degrees. There are also laws of motion, and by utilizing our drills and concepts correctly, an athlete is able to align with these laws of motion and produce fluid, effortless motion along with perfect timing. An athlete can have great mechanics, but if his timing is not good, his production will not be what it can.

BR: Does PMPM Sports recruit players or do they come to you? Likewise, do you have one training facility or do you use whatever is available where the athlete is located?

BB: Players typically find us through agents or coaches. However, we are in the process of aligning with a sports facility or two, where athletes will come to us. I’m sure we will always travel to some players, but to maintain the family life and build our business model, we need to establish a location.

BR: Which baseball players (past and present) have you worked with? Who of those are you currently or have most recently worked with?

BB: Many names we can’t mention for confidentiality purposes, but to mention a few, we worked with Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year Daryl Jones, Bob Keppel of the Twins, Golfer Lee Janzen and Nick Green of the Red Sox.

BR: Is it still just you and Steven or does PMPM Sports have more instructors? Are any of them former MLB players? If so, who?

BB: My son Bryn is teaching as well.

BR: What is a realistic goal for a baseball player to achieve after working with PMPM Sports?

BB: In our test pilot with five St.Louis Cardinal Minor League hitters, the five players showed an average increase in OPS of 100.8 points. Two seasons ago, four professional hitters combined to hit 317 points higher than their previous season. Lee Janzen has shown very substantial improvement as have many others.

BR: Does PMPM Sports have any sponsors that you’d like to thank that make it easier for PMPM Sports to do what it is that you do?

BB: We are grateful for the athletes and the professional MLB and NBA organizations who have given us the opportunity to share with them this great discovery my partner Steven Yellin has made. We feel this is a significant discovery and will have a strong impact wherever it is taught. We look forward to sharing this knowledge throughout the years to come. Look for our upcoming book, Perfect Mind-Perfect, The Seven Secrets of World Class Athlete’s.”

I would like to thank Buddy for taking the time to answer our questions and to share with our readers what PMPM Sports is all about. For those of you that want to read more articles on this topic or on PMPM Sports in general, please follow the links provided.

I recently interviewed co-founder of Perfect Mind Perfect Motion (PMPM) Sports, Buddy Biancalana and he put me in touch with former PMPM Sports student and current Red Sox INF/RP Nick Green. In this interview, Nick talks about his career, Boston and his experience with PMPM Sports.

For Nick Green’s Major and Minor League Hitting and Fielding Stats, please see the bottom of this post.

Editor’s note: Back on August 27, 2009, Green pitched two complete innings for Boston only allowing 3 walks (no runs, no hits, no strikeouts). Now that’s what I call a super utility player!

When I asked Green if he could describe his experience in Boston so far and explain how it is different than anywhere else he had played, this was his response, “Boston is definitely a lot different than anywhere else I’ve played. It’s a blast to play in front of a sold out crowd every night and know your fans are behind you all the time.”

I then asked him what his approach to hitting was, for example does he research pitchers, guess on pitches due to the situation or did he just go on instinct? “I watch video of pitchers just to make sure I know what pitches they throw and read scouting reports. From there, I just try to react unless the situation dictates something else. I try not to guess, b/c I end up swinging no matter what if i guess right.”

Knowing that Green was a former student at PMPM Sports (see this link for the interview with Buddy Biancalana, co-founder of PMPM Sports), I asked him how he head about PMPM Sports? “I met Buddy at the winter meetings in 2006.” He also told us that he “first worked with Buddy at my home in Atlanta, then flew out to Iowa and worked with Buddy and Steven Yellin.”

I followed up by asking him what aspect(s) of his game did he want PMPM to concentrate on? What area(s) of his game needed help. “I was looking for something to help me maintain some consistency while hitting.” So I asked him to describe his experience with PMPM & explain how it was different from his previous training and how it has helped him. “PMPM helped me realize that mechanics aren’t usually the source of the problem. I used to always try to fix what was wrong by focusing on mechanics and that usually isn’t the problem. Now I know where to look when things aren’t going well.”

Now my interest was piqued so I asked him if he has seen any of his former or current teammates maintain periods of being “in the zone” like you were taught at PMPM? If so, who? “I have seen teammates “in the zone” before. I’ve seen Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis in that state this year. Everything looks like it is in slow motion to them and they are able to maximize their full potential at the same time.”

This lead me to my next question, I wondered if he would (or has) recommend(ed) PMPM Sports to teammates or other MLB players. “I would definitely recommend players to PMPM. But it’s only helpful if the player buys into the program. You have to go with the program 100% and I feel it can be very beneficial!”

Finally, I asked him if PMPM works on all aspects of the game like baserunning or is it focused more on hitting & defense. “I think PMPM can work in different aspects of baseball, but mainly for hitting, pitching and defense. The things PMPM teachs are actually things that can help you calm yourself in stressful situations even off the field!”

I’d like to thank both Buddy Biancalana and especially Nick Green for their time and cooperation in order to complete these interviews given their busy schedules. Remember, for Nick Green’s offensive and defensive stats, keep reading below…

Nick Green’s Major League Batting Stats

Nick Green’s Major League Fielding Stats

Nick Green’s Minor League Batting Stats

Nick Green’s Minor League Fielding Stats

By any measure, Baltimore Orioles rookie catcher Matt Wieters has been outstanding since making his Major League debut for the Orioles on May 29.

While it is easy to notice his 13 RBI in the month of August and .277 batting average since July 1st, what is especially impressive is the strides Wieters is making in his role grooming the young Baltimore pitching staff.

With five rookies having made their first big league start this season and nearly half the starts on the staff coming from first year pitchers, it might seem strange to have a rookie catcher behind the plate. But former major league catcher and current Orioles Broadcaster Buck Martinez thinks having Wieters working with the young pitchers could be a long-term blessing for the Orioles.

“Ideally you might want a veteran presence behind the plate when you have so many young pitchers,” Martinez said, “but because he [Wieters] is such a high profile catcher and projects to be an impact catcher with the bat you kind of let them grow together.

“The pitchers have a lot of confidence in Matt and throw to him with conviction.”

While adjusting to the Major Leagues is a tough task for any rookie, it has been particularly challenging for Wieters because he is being asked not only to become a solid major league hitter, but also to call games for a young pitching staff against hitters that he has never seen before.

“One of the problems in the minor leagues is that there aren’t enough instructors to teach catchers the art of game calling,” Martinez said. “In the minor leagues you don’t groom a catcher. You instruct the catcher to groom the pitchers.”

“Matt never called a pitch at Georgia Tech. Now he is dealing with calling pitches for pitchers he doesn’t know against hitters he doesn’t know and might not see again this year,” Martinez added.

Making things even more complicated for Wieters is that as a switch hitter he is working on two offensive swings while also getting a crash course in the art of calling a major league game behind the plate.

“So he has two swings to worry about, blocking balls, calling pitches for a rookie staff and dealing with the American League hitters,” Martinez said. “It’s quite challenging.”

But, so far, Wieters appears to be up to the challenge. After hitting .247 during his first month in the majors, Wieters has raised his average to .271 and has 16 multi-hit games (including a four-hit game on July 28 against Kansas City).

He also has increased his run production and now has five home runs and 25 RBI in 66 games. He had a career-high four RBI in a recent win over Cleveland.

“Given everything he’s dealing with, Matt has done a marvelous job,” said Martinez.

Certainly, he is giving the Orioles the kind of production they expected when he was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft.

His continued improvement, along with that of the young pitching staff that he is grooming, is a primary reason that there is a sense of optimism in Baltimore even as the Orioles struggle through their 12th straight losing season.

“The only way to beat the Yankees and the Red Sox on a regular basis is to out pitch them and to play good defense. That is the kind of ball club the Orioles are building,” Martinez said.

Without question, Matt Wieters will continue to be an important part of that building process and as he becomes more comfortable in his multitude of roles it is exciting to think that he is just starting to tap his full potential.

Today we’d like to welcome 2008 World Series Champion relief pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies, Chad Durbin. This interview was originally conducted at Baseball Reflections.com and they have agreed to share it with The Dugout Doctors. I contacted Chad to talk about the World Series, his career and to discuss ShowcaseU.com which he co-founded.

Showcase U gives high school student athletes a way to showcase themselves so that they can increase their opportunity to be recruited by college coaches and pro scouts. To read more about ShowcaseU go to their About Us page or just read what Chad has to say about it below (or you can do both). Now, without further ado…the interview!

Peter @ Baseball Reflections: By the way, congratulations on your first major league hit this year! Can you tell us what it was like to accomplish that feat?

Chad Durbin: First Major League hit, man…that one was a long time coming!! I grew up dreaming of my first hit and not my first strikeout…so, it was great!

BR: This may be a dumb question, but which do you prefer starting or pitching in relief?

Chad: I prefer succeeding, to be honest. I had some success in Detroit starting, and in the previous year in AAA-Toledo starting. The bottom line, though, is the obvious jump into an important role in the bullpen. So, I’ll do what I’m asked to do…but I enjoy where I am and what I’m doing now, winning.

BR: Would you say that you have finally felt at home in the bullpen now after a year that saw you pitch in 71 games while keeping an ERA of 2.87 with a WHIP of 1.32?

Chad: I definitely agree with you, I’m comfortable in the bullpen knowing how important a bullpen is to accomplishing the ultimate goal—A World Championship.

BR: What would you say you’d attribute your new found success to? Was it working with Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee or bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer or something else altogether?

Chad: I would say the new found success was attributed to feeling like I’m playing an important role and my family was in a good situation having signed a contract before the 2008 season for $900,000. I had great pitching coaches throughout my career, so it’s not to take away from anything they did or didn’t do. Mick and Rich are fantastic and help out on every level they can and it’s very appreciated.

BR: Aside from Philadelphia (for obvious reasons), where did you like playing the most (KC, Cleveland, Arizona or Detroit)?

Chad: Cleveland and Detroit stick out most because of the personal relationships I had with some great guys. Kansas City will always be memorable because it’s where I broke into the Big Leagues.

BR: What adjustments did you have to make after having Tommy John surgery? Did it affect your velocity?

Chad: I made some mechanical adjustments after reconstructive elbow surgery in 2002. The obvious thing about having surgery is that you’ve done something mechanically to expose a weak point in your body. I put a lot of time and effort into looking at the pitchers with longevity and a look of effortlessness. I try to incorporate those aspects of pitching into my own pitching motion today.

BR: What has been the best thing that has come from being a World Series Champ?

Chad: I might not be ready for this question. I think the sense of accomplishment, permanent accomplishment, is amazing…knowing that the World Series Championship can never be taken away. I think I’ll be better equipped to answer this question as my career goes forward.

BR: Who are you most impressed with as a player in the way they handle the pressures with being a major league player both on and off the field?

Chad: The person that sticks out most to me, because of the demanding exposure and venue, is Derek Jeter. It just seems like he never has an off the field incident and anything he says in the media is said with integrity and conviction. And let’s not forget the caliber of baseball he brings to the park every game.

BR: How much longer do you think you will be able to pitch at the major league level?

Chad: I’ll work hard every season and offseason to stay healthy and competitive. I can’t control the variable of time, it will not wait for anyone. So, I try to take notes as to what Jamie Moyer has done, or Kenny Rogers did, or anyone who has had that type of longevity. If I can play one or two more years than I otherwise would have because of their experience, I’ll take it!

BR: Who had the original concept for ShowcaseU; Jake Chapman or yourself? When did you both start talking about this concept and how long was it before the concept became a reality and did the website come after the forming of the company or in conjunction with it?

Chad: Jake Chapman had the original conceptual idea for ShowcaseU.com. Jake mentioned his experience with the recruiting process to me while we were playing minor league baseball together in the Kansas City organization and it was compelling. When Jake retired in 2004, he started kicking the idea of an internet database where college coaches could find players by criteria (such as velocity, GPA, SAT, Batting Average, 60 yard dash, etc.). In 2005, he approached me again with the idea after he’d fine tuned some of the concept. From there, we took the idea to fruition over the next two years. Jake continued to work and I continued to play while we exchanged phone calls and emails to finish our Business Plan and Business Model. The website was always in concept, but the actual beta launch was in late May 2008 and we took the beta tag off the website in August. So, we’re young!

BR: Has the concept of ShowcaseU changed since you first started it?

Chad: The concept of ShowcaseU.com is changing right now. The users, mentors, investors, friends, etc…they all give feedback and our community will drive the site, with our subtle guidance.

BR: How do you see ShowcaseU evolving in the next few years?

Chad: I see ShowcaseU.com evolving into a hub for students and student athletes to Showcase themselves to colleges through video, messaging, verified information, and eventually through live feeds where anyone in the ShowcaseU Community can sign in and experience a virtual “audition” or “tryout.” Every day we have new ideas.

BR: How do you think that the current economic downturn will affect ShowcaseU?

Chad: I’m not going to say that the company is “Recession Proof,” but the aspects of what we do help families find options for their sons and/or daughters to find athletic scholarships. College is expensive and the more options available, the better off a student is moving forward and making those tough decisions. At $99/year, we are very affordable and provide many of the resources in the site for no cost. The site is free for college and high school coaches, as well as summer coaches, facility owners, instructors, and vendors. The cost per student athlete is in place for two reasons. One being the unlimited video uploads, and the second is the verification of statistics and information.

BR: How well would you say that ShowcaseU is going so far?

Chad: I would say that ShowcaseU.com is gaining momentum every day. I’m also ambitious in my vision for the company and think we are about 5-10% of where we want to be in the next 12-24 months.

BR: Do you see yourself coaching, broadcasting or working with ShowcaseU after your playing career is over?

Chad: Good question! I see myself taking a hard look at the options available and making a decision involving my family as the lens through which I view those options.

Thanks Chad, I had a lot of fun on this one! I’m sure Phillies Phans are sure glad to be seeing # 37, Chad Durbin back on the mound in 2009. Good luck with the Phillies this year, Chad. And for all of you student athletes, college coaches and recruiters who read this blog, please check out ShowcaseU if you have NOT already done so!