00:00Jack Leiter here with the KNC Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
00:03You're a new manager. Y'all are competing for thickest eyes on the team.
00:08Have you had a conversation about this with him yet?
00:10No, no, we have not.
00:13But, I mean, he might have me beat. He might have me beat.
00:16When I just saw him walk through and I was like, I feel like I need to do chess day
00:19right now.
00:20Because that dude is just that.
00:21Yeah, yeah, I think having a guy like that at the helm motivates the guys to get in the weight
00:27room a little more probably.
00:28Because you can't be, like, out yoked by your skip, right?
00:31Yeah, that's unacceptable.
00:33Now, a year ago, this man right here said he was going to do a painting for you.
00:38And yet he shows up here with no painting.
00:40Are you disappointed in him?
00:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:44I mean, especially after making the promises like that, showing up empty-handed is disappointing.
00:49Last week, he goes, oh, crap, I need to make a painting for Jack.
00:53So he remembered a week out, but yet.
00:56No painting.
00:57I have a history of stealing paintings, and my son did a really awesome painting.
01:02Would you accept that if I was able to steal it or convince him to give it to you?
01:06Yeah, I think that would be acceptable.
01:08Okay, yeah.
01:08Now, you guys do a lot of interviews in spring training.
01:12Do you think it would be a funny bit at all if somebody interviewed you,
01:15and I was able to memorize all their exact questions and then ask them in the exact same order to
01:20you?
01:22Yeah, yeah, that would be good.
01:24That would be good.
01:25I'm curious if I would even recognize him.
01:28I can see that.
01:30What's the, maybe even going back like two years ago, what's the difference in what you can and can't work
01:35on when you're like feeling comfortable in the rotation as opposed to,
01:39hey, man, I've got to fight to make the team, or do you ever have that mindset?
01:44No.
01:44I would say you never want to be content in any way in this game, and you always want to
01:49push forward and keep getting better and working on the things you need to do each and every day.
01:54So I wouldn't say so.
01:55What do you feel like, specifically, maybe in this offseason or in this spring training, you are focused in on
02:00that you think will help make you a better pitcher?
02:04I think just becoming more unpredictable, doing a better job, throwing any pitch in any count.
02:09I think that's the name of the game at this level, and it's something that I can continue to improve
02:15on.
02:15So how important is then, I guess, the scouting report on you for you to study?
02:19You know, everyone talks about the scouting reports for the batters.
02:22What about the scouting report for you, how important is it to know that so you can incorporate that unpredictability?
02:28Definitely important.
02:29Definitely important to know what the hitters are looking for in certain counts and try to do the opposite, essentially.
02:36One of the things we kind of discussed as we were watching you was you looked like you had high
02:41energy very early in the games.
02:42Like you were just, because the game's exciting, and you're here, and so it's a fun thing.
02:46Is there a mindset of controlling that and having the same mindset the whole game?
02:53What do you feel about that?
02:54Yeah, I think so.
02:55Obviously, this is what I love to do, so I'm excited about it.
02:59But you have to control that and manage that adrenaline a lot of times.
03:05It can be easier said than done, but it's important.
03:07But that's what I mean, we go back and look at your dad, too.
03:10He was an uber-competitive guy, and so does that kind of, like, is that that same, you kind of
03:15have that same nature that he has?
03:17Yeah, I think so.
03:18I think anyone in our family would say that we're very competitive people.
03:23Okay, so like Thanksgiving's pretty, you have games that you play and stuff?
03:27Oh, yeah.
03:27Yeah, anything.
03:28Anything gets competitive.
03:30Are you, do you fall on the competitive spectrum of you hate to lose more than maybe you love to
03:35win at times?
03:36Definitely.
03:37Definitely defines me, for sure.
03:39Is that a tough balance?
03:41Because I'm sure it's driven you to get where you are, but at the same point, are you ever like,
03:45I need to take a second to enjoy this?
03:47Yeah, yeah.
03:49It's important to step back and reflect and appreciate the progress that you've made,
03:56but then it's kind of get back to work and get back into the process mindset.
04:01So have you taken that moment in the offseason or whenever to be like, hey, good job?
04:05Beginning of the offseason is a big time for that.
04:07After a long season, you kind of step back, reflect.
04:09You're not quite working out or throwing yet.
04:12You reflect on what you did well, and then you kind of game plan the offseason and what you can
04:16work on.
04:17The co-host says that nobody will ever go 162-0.
04:20Do you agree?
04:21He says it's not possible.
04:23I mean, you never know.
04:24You never know until that first loss happens.
04:28I got a co-sign from Bruce Bochy last year about that.
04:30He goes, yeah, that doesn't feel likely.
04:32But every year, opening day, everyone will be like, this is the most important day of the season.
04:36I'm like, I agree.
04:38And they're like, if you lose, who might be done for?
04:40And I'm like, no, no to all of that.
04:42What are the, with this group, what are the capabilities?
04:46What do you foresee?
04:47What's your vision of this thing?
04:48I mean, I think it's, first of all, a good group of guys, guys who want to win, guys who
04:55get along really well in the clubhouse, which I think is really important.
04:59And I think we'll rally around each other through the highs and lows, which are inevitable in 162.
05:04But I think we can go a long way if we put it together.
05:09And I'm really excited to see that.
05:11Clubhouse etiquette question.
05:13And then I got one more baseball one.
05:15If I see somebody struggling in the crossword or Sudoku and I think I can help them out, should I
05:20volunteer or no?
05:21No, I usually offer to, especially to Josh Smith.
05:26He does it every day.
05:27And every day he says no.
05:28He doesn't want help.
05:29So I think probably just they want to figure it out on themselves.
05:33And then baseball and pitching wise, everyone's goal is to like, hey, I consistently want to like get into the
05:38seventh and further get through that third time in the lineup.
05:41How big of a hill is that?
05:43And how important is it to you to be like, hey, I'm the guy that can do that?
05:47Yeah, it's important.
05:48It's important.
05:50And obviously, you want to ease up the work on the bullpen guys.
05:55And as a starting pitcher, you want to help the team win.
06:00And going deep into the game gives you the best shot of doing that.
06:03So as a competitor, you want to go deep into games.
06:07And you don't want the manager to take the ball from you.
06:10But you have to earn that right.
06:12And then you love turning it over to those guys that are fresh, though, and letting them go rip it.
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