Do you know how famous you are in fantasy circles right now?
I hear it in the bullpen a lot now, that I better not screw up or I’ll kill their fantasy teams. Somebody told me I was owned in 99.7% of leagues, so I guess I need to advertise myself better to the other .3%.
If you save 50 games every year until you’re 43, you’ll have almost reached Trevor Hoffman’s record. What can you tell us about the years you spent with the all-time saves king?
He’s the best there is. Just getting to see how he goes about his business everyday, his daily routine, that really helped me. It would help anyone, any pitcher. I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate, a better mentor. It’s definitely a big pair of shoes to fill, but I’m just glad I got to be around him.
You’ve been pretty outspoken this year. Have you changed, or are people just listening more?
I guess the fantasy guys have heard of me now, so it’s a story if I say something ridiculous. I don’t know, I’m a little crazy, but I don’t think I’ve ever been any different. I don’t take myself so seriously. I’ve always tried to keep one face with everybody, and that goes for my friends, my family, my teammates, the press — everyone close to me knows I’m a playful guy, I like to joke around with people, and I think sometimes when it’s printed out it loses its context.
It’s gotten you into some trouble. Do you really have a problem with, among others, ESPN and the Mets?
(Laughs) I really don’t have a problem with anyone. A lot of it is me just joking around and having fun, and I think people are taking it too seriously because the press and the fans are just getting to know me. I don’t have a Mr. Met voodoo doll at home. But I’m very competitive, and I think it’s natural to want to beat your old team and prove people wrong. The guys on ESPN have been picking us to be dead last — of course I’m not going to like that.
You closed at Triple-A Norfolk for a number of years, and you dominated like Danny Almonte dominated Little League. In 2006 you struck out 56, walked 8, and let up 5 earned runs in 35 innings. Why do you think you didn’t get a real shot with the Mets?
I’m not really sure. I think I ran into some bad luck when they called me up a couple times. I didn’t have a great ERA, but when you’re a reliever one bad inning kills your ERA. (New York) is a pretty high-stress environment — if they don’t win every day, the papers get on them, so they probably can’t be as patient as some other teams. I would’ve loved to make it there, and I think I could’ve helped them the past couple years. But no complaints, they sent me to a team that really wanted me. I love San Diego, I love the Padres, and it’s all worked out great.
Have you ever heard of pitch f/x? Did you know that your fastball is averaging 93.9 MPH this year?
What was I hitting last year?
93.8. And you’ve got more vertical movement this year.
Well that’s good to know. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know what it all means. As long as I’m getting guys out, I don’t care if I’m throwing 75 straight down the middle.
You’ve been throwing your fastball a lot more this year, about 75% of the time, as opposed to 69% last year, and 62% in 2007. Is this a deliberate change?
It’s cold out. It’s hard to hit a 93.9 mile per hour fastball in cold weather. Once it gets warmer I’ll probably throw more breaking balls. But in the cold, guys are just waiting to get something off-speed.
You also have a two-seam fastball and an offspeed pitch which is sometimes called a slider, sometimes a curveball. What exactly is it?
It’s a curveball. I hold it like a curve, at least. Most people think it’s a slider, because it’s harder than a typical curveball, and sometimes it moves more horizontally than 12-to-6. But I’ve always called it a curve.
Do the Padres have a chance this year?
Don’t put anything past us. We’ve got some great players on this team, some guys who have been to the playoffs, some young guys — we expect to win.
You’re a newly-minted millionaire. What’s the coolest thing you’ve bought since you signed your contract?
I got a super-fast remote control Porsche, goes about 50 miles per hour. But I’ve been wasting money on useless toys for years, so now I’m just buying the cool kids’ version.
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