Q&A with Chuck James & Random Talk

Leah | December 19, 2007 | 2:58 pm

First off, I saw this tidbit on MLBTR and thought it was worth mentioning.

The Braves and Rockies were among the teams that showed late interest in Haren, but neither club stood a chance of matching the Diamondbacks’ offer.

It makes me wonder why we were interested in Haren late in the game when we were supposedly not looking for anymore starting pitching with all the “surplus” we currently have going into Spring Training. Naturally, we’d have broke the farm bank with this trade, but acquiring Haren would have been a luxury since we don’t really ‘need’ anymore pitching for the rotation.

MLBTR seems to think that it might have been to get the Mets to up their offer and trade Reyes, which I doubt will happen. MLBTR seems to also think we might try to go after Bedard now that Haren is off the market. I don’t really see us doing that for many reasons, but you never know. Having either of those ace pitchers would solidify our rotation x10 or more, but at the cost of getting them would be way too much to give up or at least in my opinion. Having either would be a great luxury, but a luxury we currently don’t need.

If the four or more guys vying for the last few spots don’t prove to be worth anything after a certain amount of time, then we might consider pursuing another starting pitcher. I think we should at least give these guys the benefit of the doubt for a little while until they prove they’re not good enough first. Again, that’s just my opinion.

Mark Teixeira underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in November, but is expected to be ready to start working out in January in preparation for Spring Training, which pitchers and catchers are to report to February 14, while position players are to report February 19.

Also, since there’s not much else going on, here is an interview that was in the December issue of ChopTalk, and I found it to be an interesting read. The interview was typed up for the official site, so I thought I’d post it here. When Chuck was struggling last year, they didn’t really delve into what was wrong with him too much. He talks about that injury and his usual off season.

ChopTalk: After a great rookie year (11-4, 3.78 ERA), you hovered around .500 for most of this season, finishing at 11-10. Do you consider 2007 a disappointment?

Chuck James: It was definitely a disappointment. I feel like I could have been much better, much more competitive. The problems that I had with my shoulder are over now, and I can start to look to next season.

CT: How’s your shoulder feeling?

James: Much better. At the end of the season, they found a small tear in my rotator cuff, which really surprised me. I always thought that if you did something like tearing your rotator cuff, there’d be all kinds of pain. It was sore, but it wasn’t as bad as I would have expected.

CT: Are you going to have surgery on it?

James: No, there’s no surgery necessary. It’s almost healed. It takes four to six weeks to heal, and then I’ll go into rehab for it.

CT: How soon will you start pitching again?

James: That’s up to the trainers. I don’t usually pick up a ball before New Year’s Day anyway. And in the Majors, you’ve got even more leeway. With our early throwing program at Turner Field, you’ve got plenty of time to get ready for Spring Training.

CT: What was the most frustrating aspect of 2007?

James: Pretty much everything. The injuries, mostly. When I’d have a problem with my shoulder or my neck, it would change my delivery, and then I’d have to figure out what I was doing wrong and how to get back to pitching right. Every time I’d correct one problem, something else would go wrong.

CT: On the positive side, though, what was your best game of the year?

James: Probably that last game against Florida (seven innings of two-hit ball in a 5-1 win on Sept. 19). I had good games against Pittsburgh, too (13 innings, three hits over two games). Those were the games where every pitch was exploding the way it should.

CT: What do you consider your strongest pitch, and which do you want to work on?

James: Depends on the day. The change-up’s probably my best. The slider’s the one that needs work.

CT: You gave up a fair number of first-inning runs. How will you be approaching games differently next year right from the start?

James: I’m pretty much going to forget about this year, or treat it as a learning experience. Once I can get healthy, I know I can pitch a lot better than I showed at times last year. But I don’t want to overanalyze too much. When you start picking apart every little piece of your delivery, no good can come of that.

CT: You’re fast becoming one of the veterans of the pitching staff. What will you tell a guy like Jair Jurrjens (acquired from Detroit in the Edgar Renteria deal), coming into the Atlanta clubhouse for the first time?

James: The best way to come in is to remember that this is the same game, so have fun playing it. You never know how long you’re going to be here, so you need to enjoy it. Having fun here is so important. Yeah, there are better hitters and better pitchers than in the Minors, but you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have the talent. You know how to play the game, so it’s a matter of learning how to deal with everything else that comes with being in the Majors.

CT: By “everything else,” do you mean the media, the publicity?

James: Yeah. In the Minors, you might get one guy from one newspaper asking you questions. It’s not that big of a deal. Here, you’ve got media all over the place. And in the Minors, you might be playing in front of 6,000 fans, if you’re lucky. Here, you can walk out and be in front of 50,000. That’s a fun experience, though. You’ve got to remember that.

CT: What did you learn from this year’s pennant drive?

James: I learned a lot. This was definitely a good learning year for me. I’ve never had so many struggles in my career, never had to fight to throw as many strong innings. I learned that I definitely need to increase my longevity. I was throwing so much, before games and between starts. Over the course of the year, that began to wear and tear on me. Next year, I’m going to throw a little less so that I’ll have a little more once we get to the end of the season.

CT: This Spring Training will be a little different for you since you’re already expected to be a member of the rotation, won’t it?

James: Well, you never know. I didn’t have a strong year. I’ve still got [Minor League] options left. I’ll go into Spring Training expecting to compete for a job. If I start taking it for granted, I’m a lot more likely to lose it.

CT: How did you feel seeing a young team like the Rockies reach the World Series?

James: I was pulling for the Rockies. I watched every game. But they just showed how so much has to go right for you to reach the postseason, and even then there’s no guarantee. They won 21 of 22, and then couldn’t do anything against Boston.

CT: How often do you see your teammates in the off season?

James: Not really that much. You’d think we’d hang out more, but we really don’t. I’ll go hunting with [former Brave and current Tiger] Macay McBride, and I’m going out to Chipper’s ranch in January, but other than that, I’ll be around here. I get down to Auburn to see some college friends, but mostly I’ll be here [in Atlanta].

CT: Are you going to be asking Lowe’s for a raise to do window installations this off season?

James: You know, I think I’ll take this off season off from that. [Laughs.] Lifting up those heavy windows probably wouldn’t do my shoulder much good.

- Interview here.

Categories
interviews, off season, tidbits
Tags
Comments rss
Comments rss
Trackback
Trackback

« Braves Mailbag: 12/17 & Other Stuff Where We Stand: Introduction »

Viewing 14 Comments

 

Trackbacks

(Trackback URL)

close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus