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03-15-2004, 03:12 PM
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From Wags to riches
Phillies' new closer can bring the heat off the mound, too
Posted: Monday March 15, 2004 12:30PM; Updated: Monday March 15, 2004 12:30PM
Q & A Billy Wagner
There may not be an All-Star in baseball more humble than Billy Wagner. In fact, call him an All-Star and he's liable to laugh in your face.
Yet Wagner is a three-time All-Star, and his credentials go way beyond just saves. Yes, he is ninth among active relievers in all-time saves with 225. But Wagner also has the best strikeouts per nine innings in the majors since his debut in 1995 (12.38, ahead of Randy Johnson, with 12.18), and his baserunners per nine (9.67) ranks him third behind Trevor Hoffman and Pedro Martinez (min. 500 IP).
Wagner, 32, finished 67 games last season (tying Keith Foulke and Eric Gagne for the major league lead) and picked up 44 saves for the Astros. But after nine years in Houston, the self-deprecating lefty with the 100 mph heater was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Wagner took some time out to talk with SI.com's John Donovan recently while at the Phillies' spring training camp in Clearwater, Fla.
SI.com: After nine years in Houston, you're in a new town. Have a place to stay yet?
BW: I do. I just don't know where it's at.
SI.com: You've had some dealings with the Philly fans in the offseason. What's your take on them so far?
BW: They're excited. I can tell that. They've really took to me with open arms. But it's early. Everybody now seems very happy for me to be here. But we'll see in July and August how that goes.
SI.com: So you're expecting some problems?
BW: I'm sure they'll get on me. I would expect nothing less.
SI.com: I asked this of your new teammate, Jim Thome, last year. Are you a big cheesesteak fan?
BW: I've had them before. When we go to Philly, that's our big thing, to have them brought in from wherever. I'm simple. I like meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise.
SI.com: Thome said you have to squeeze the grease out of them.
BW: [With a face] No. You gotta keep that in there.
SI.com: OK, let's start with some quick hitters: A guy who hits you.
BW: Javy Lopez. He kills me. [Lopez is 6-for-10 lifetime, with a home run.] He's killed me every time. Doesn't matter. Bad year, good year. He hits me.
SI.com: Well, at least he's in the other league this year.
BW: Yeah, but we still play them. Interleague.
SI.com: Your thoughts on the steroid issue?
BW: I'm flattered. Because I don't have to take them. And that means everybody who does has to get juiced up to play on my level.
SI.com: What do you think about baseball's crackdown on personal trainers and tagalongs in the clubhouse?
BW: I don't think it's right [to have them in the clubhouse]. The team provides you with training services and the equipment. I don't think they should be brought into the clubhouse. You already have somebody there.
SI.com: What about the drop in salaries among the star free agents the past couple of offseasons?
BW: That's probably above me. I mean, where do you draw the line from $11 million to $8 million? When's enough enough? I mean, the owners are never going to stop complaining. The players are never going to stop complaining. I mean, that issue you can beat to death and it will never change.
SI.com: A salary cut doesn't seem to bother you.
BW: Shoot. I never thought I'd make this. I'm making $8 million. I'm not worth that. There's nobody worth that.
SI.com: Not a lot of ballplayers would be so forward in admitting that.
BW: That's the difference between me and them. I love the game. I don't need the publicity. I'm good at this, I'm good at baseball. I'm not good at anything else. That's why I don't take it for granted. I enjoy playing the game, but I hate the politics of the game. If they could leave you alone and let you play the game ...
SI.com: But you don't help. You're not a guy who keeps his opinions to himself.
BW: No, I love the media, because they allow you to stir things up. That's just always been a part of the game. When Maris was going for the home run record ... I love that. Everything inside of the game is great. But it's the politics, squabbling over which billionaire can't afford to pay a guy. That's the stuff -- players saying they're worth more. I think that gets a little old. I look at my dad, he makes $49,000 a year, and he's working twice as hard as I am. It's a little humbling.
SI.com: What's your dad do?
BW: He's a supervisor at a brick company. That's what he does. Since he was 19. It's humbling.
SI.com: You were a little upset about leaving Houston, and you ripped into the organization on more than one occasion. Regrets?
BW: To me, it's about winning, and when an owner says he wants to be a champion, and he keeps taking players away and not really adding, but you're coming in and saying we've got the best team, I don't go for that. That's like, say, I blow nine saves in a row, and you keep saying I'm the best closer. That's not right. I believe in being up front with somebody, but I'm not going to say anything just to appease the fans if it's not right. If it's not truthful to them. When I stink, the fans let me know. So why shouldn't we be just as up front with them as they are with us?
SI.com: Do you think your outspokenness had anything to do with the trade?
BW: Oh, I think so. I think at first it was a financial thing. But that just gave them another out. I've said all along, I think [the Astros'] Gerry Hunsicker is one of the best general managers in the game. I can't believe he's still there. He could have probably won five or six World Series with somebody else.
SI.com: They let you go, supposedly, for financial reasons, then signed a couple of big-name pitchers. How did you handle that?
BW: They got [Andy] Pettitte and they got [Roger] Clemens because they live there. How do you tell the fans that you're not going to pay a guy who lives there and wants to play there? And you're paying Clemens $5 million. Even now, he could probably make more. So I think that's fantastic. I'm happy for them. The guys on the team are fantastic. They're the best teammates I've ever seen or heard about.
SI.com: Who's the best reliever out there?
BW: Gagne, Smoltz. Mariano. Nen. Hoffman. To me, there's the elite. Then you've got the other guys who are good. You can't compare Gagne to Smoltz. And you can't compare those two to Mariano. They've all been successful is their own special ways. Year in and year out.
SI.com: What does your arm feel like after a typical outing?
BW: It feels fine. It feels good. Only time it feels bad is if I pitch a bad game, with bad mechanics. I ice it down every time I pitch in a real game. Not after a bullpen.
SI.com: When was the first time you hit 100 mph on a radar gun?
BW: I have no idea.
SI.com: Really? I'd think that be a pretty cool moment.
BW: It is if you're throwing strikes and getting people out. To me, that's more impressive. Going out there and just throwing 100 and you're all over the place, and you're farting and grunting just to get it up there, that's nothing.
SI.com: You're a heck of a lot less impressed about that than guys who have to face 100 mph fastballs.
BW: I am impressed, but I'm impressed when you're throwing strikes. I'm not impressed to go up there and see a number. To me, if it comes down to 100 mph or saves, I'd rather have saves.
SI.com: Your old teammate, Roy Oswalt, backed up your story that you're always nervous when you pitch, even with your fastball.
BW: Everybody knows the harder you throw the straighter it is. So when you're up there and you have one pitch, and it's hard, and it's not on, it's not as easy as it looks.
SI.com: Oswalt said you never get credit for your control.
BW: I think a lot of the credit goes to [Astros catcher] Brad Ausmus for that. He made me look fantastic. I think Larry [Bowa, the Phillies' manager] said something: 'I love how you're 1-2-3.' Yeah, but to get that 1-2-3 it's a line drive to the third baseman, there's a bullet to the first baseman and a guy made a great running catch in the outfield. So, to me, it's a team effort. I've been very fortunate to have the defense that I've had.
SI.com: You're not the biggest guy [he's 5-foot-10], and you don't have that scary, crazy-eyed demeanor that a lot of closers seem to have. What's your shtick?
BW: [Laughing] I think guys that come up with nicknames, that's the funniest thing I've ever seen. I've never asked a team to play a song for me, I've never asked them to put my names up in lights. I've just never seen that. I was a big fan of Mickey Mantle. I was a big fan of guys like Dale Murphy. Guys that just played the game, played it for what it was. They didn't play it for the money; they didn't play it for the fame. But when you're good, that comes with it. I've never, ever had to worry about making a lot of money or having my name out there with the best. You kind of take care of one with the other.
SI.com: But you have a scary-looking goatee going on there.
BW: I've been trying to grow a goatee forever. It's terrible. My kids hate it. I'm just not into that.
SI.com: Ever show anyone up?
BW: The funniest thing, Billy Koch, when he was with Oakland, interleague, he strikes out three guys and it was impressive. And then he looks in our dugout and does this [drawing his finger across his throat]. The next day, he sends me a ball over and wants me to sign it. So I go, OK. 'To Billy. Watch whose throat you cut. Billy Wagner.' You know, I'm not going to get overexcited when I strike somebody out. When I'm facing Barry Bonds, if he hits a 900-foot bomb, I'm gonna be upset that I gave it up, but I'm not going to say anything. And if I strike him out, I'm not going to say anything. It's not a big deal, because that's what I'm paid to do. That's what he's paid to do. Some people want to see people getting shown up, they want to see people make a fool out of themselves. My granddaddy said always act like you've done it before. And if I strike a guy out, it's not the first time. And it won't be the last one.
SI.com: You and Koch all right?
BW: Yeah. I wasn't trying to start anything. I was just trying to give him some friendly advice. You don't need to [aggravate] the hitters. They're already going to kick your ass. I mean, you're already going to be on SportsCenter. If you go out there and strike out -- say, Thome -- and you show him up, well the next time he hits that ball a thousand feet, he's going to walk around the bases. And that's not fun.
SI.com: All right, Billy, last one. You're a longtime bullpen resident. Best story of your time out there?
BW: 1997, my first full year, we were in L.A., and this guy keeps coming up to the fence and asking for a ball. 'No, no, no.' And he keeps saying, 'C'mon, give me a ball.' He's got long hair, kind of hippie-looking guy, shorts, flip flops, sunglasses on. Got a kid next to him. He looks rough. So our BP catcher says, 'Give me your clothes and I'll give you the ball.' Without hesitation, the guy strips down, stark naked. I mean bare. Everything. Throws his clothes into the bullpen. The guy was jumping around and dancing and stuff. Takes about five minutes for the police to come. We find out later that the kid who was with the guy didn't even know him. He was just standing there. And the guys said it was his nephew. All he wanted was a ball. That was it.
SI.com: Did he get his ball?
BW: Oh, yeah. We tossed him out one.
From Wags to riches
Phillies' new closer can bring the heat off the mound, too
Posted: Monday March 15, 2004 12:30PM; Updated: Monday March 15, 2004 12:30PM
Q & A Billy Wagner
There may not be an All-Star in baseball more humble than Billy Wagner. In fact, call him an All-Star and he's liable to laugh in your face.
Yet Wagner is a three-time All-Star, and his credentials go way beyond just saves. Yes, he is ninth among active relievers in all-time saves with 225. But Wagner also has the best strikeouts per nine innings in the majors since his debut in 1995 (12.38, ahead of Randy Johnson, with 12.18), and his baserunners per nine (9.67) ranks him third behind Trevor Hoffman and Pedro Martinez (min. 500 IP).
Wagner, 32, finished 67 games last season (tying Keith Foulke and Eric Gagne for the major league lead) and picked up 44 saves for the Astros. But after nine years in Houston, the self-deprecating lefty with the 100 mph heater was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Wagner took some time out to talk with SI.com's John Donovan recently while at the Phillies' spring training camp in Clearwater, Fla.
SI.com: After nine years in Houston, you're in a new town. Have a place to stay yet?
BW: I do. I just don't know where it's at.
SI.com: You've had some dealings with the Philly fans in the offseason. What's your take on them so far?
BW: They're excited. I can tell that. They've really took to me with open arms. But it's early. Everybody now seems very happy for me to be here. But we'll see in July and August how that goes.
SI.com: So you're expecting some problems?
BW: I'm sure they'll get on me. I would expect nothing less.
SI.com: I asked this of your new teammate, Jim Thome, last year. Are you a big cheesesteak fan?
BW: I've had them before. When we go to Philly, that's our big thing, to have them brought in from wherever. I'm simple. I like meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise.
SI.com: Thome said you have to squeeze the grease out of them.
BW: [With a face] No. You gotta keep that in there.
SI.com: OK, let's start with some quick hitters: A guy who hits you.
BW: Javy Lopez. He kills me. [Lopez is 6-for-10 lifetime, with a home run.] He's killed me every time. Doesn't matter. Bad year, good year. He hits me.
SI.com: Well, at least he's in the other league this year.
BW: Yeah, but we still play them. Interleague.
SI.com: Your thoughts on the steroid issue?
BW: I'm flattered. Because I don't have to take them. And that means everybody who does has to get juiced up to play on my level.
SI.com: What do you think about baseball's crackdown on personal trainers and tagalongs in the clubhouse?
BW: I don't think it's right [to have them in the clubhouse]. The team provides you with training services and the equipment. I don't think they should be brought into the clubhouse. You already have somebody there.
SI.com: What about the drop in salaries among the star free agents the past couple of offseasons?
BW: That's probably above me. I mean, where do you draw the line from $11 million to $8 million? When's enough enough? I mean, the owners are never going to stop complaining. The players are never going to stop complaining. I mean, that issue you can beat to death and it will never change.
SI.com: A salary cut doesn't seem to bother you.
BW: Shoot. I never thought I'd make this. I'm making $8 million. I'm not worth that. There's nobody worth that.
SI.com: Not a lot of ballplayers would be so forward in admitting that.
BW: That's the difference between me and them. I love the game. I don't need the publicity. I'm good at this, I'm good at baseball. I'm not good at anything else. That's why I don't take it for granted. I enjoy playing the game, but I hate the politics of the game. If they could leave you alone and let you play the game ...
SI.com: But you don't help. You're not a guy who keeps his opinions to himself.
BW: No, I love the media, because they allow you to stir things up. That's just always been a part of the game. When Maris was going for the home run record ... I love that. Everything inside of the game is great. But it's the politics, squabbling over which billionaire can't afford to pay a guy. That's the stuff -- players saying they're worth more. I think that gets a little old. I look at my dad, he makes $49,000 a year, and he's working twice as hard as I am. It's a little humbling.
SI.com: What's your dad do?
BW: He's a supervisor at a brick company. That's what he does. Since he was 19. It's humbling.
SI.com: You were a little upset about leaving Houston, and you ripped into the organization on more than one occasion. Regrets?
BW: To me, it's about winning, and when an owner says he wants to be a champion, and he keeps taking players away and not really adding, but you're coming in and saying we've got the best team, I don't go for that. That's like, say, I blow nine saves in a row, and you keep saying I'm the best closer. That's not right. I believe in being up front with somebody, but I'm not going to say anything just to appease the fans if it's not right. If it's not truthful to them. When I stink, the fans let me know. So why shouldn't we be just as up front with them as they are with us?
SI.com: Do you think your outspokenness had anything to do with the trade?
BW: Oh, I think so. I think at first it was a financial thing. But that just gave them another out. I've said all along, I think [the Astros'] Gerry Hunsicker is one of the best general managers in the game. I can't believe he's still there. He could have probably won five or six World Series with somebody else.
SI.com: They let you go, supposedly, for financial reasons, then signed a couple of big-name pitchers. How did you handle that?
BW: They got [Andy] Pettitte and they got [Roger] Clemens because they live there. How do you tell the fans that you're not going to pay a guy who lives there and wants to play there? And you're paying Clemens $5 million. Even now, he could probably make more. So I think that's fantastic. I'm happy for them. The guys on the team are fantastic. They're the best teammates I've ever seen or heard about.
SI.com: Who's the best reliever out there?
BW: Gagne, Smoltz. Mariano. Nen. Hoffman. To me, there's the elite. Then you've got the other guys who are good. You can't compare Gagne to Smoltz. And you can't compare those two to Mariano. They've all been successful is their own special ways. Year in and year out.
SI.com: What does your arm feel like after a typical outing?
BW: It feels fine. It feels good. Only time it feels bad is if I pitch a bad game, with bad mechanics. I ice it down every time I pitch in a real game. Not after a bullpen.
SI.com: When was the first time you hit 100 mph on a radar gun?
BW: I have no idea.
SI.com: Really? I'd think that be a pretty cool moment.
BW: It is if you're throwing strikes and getting people out. To me, that's more impressive. Going out there and just throwing 100 and you're all over the place, and you're farting and grunting just to get it up there, that's nothing.
SI.com: You're a heck of a lot less impressed about that than guys who have to face 100 mph fastballs.
BW: I am impressed, but I'm impressed when you're throwing strikes. I'm not impressed to go up there and see a number. To me, if it comes down to 100 mph or saves, I'd rather have saves.
SI.com: Your old teammate, Roy Oswalt, backed up your story that you're always nervous when you pitch, even with your fastball.
BW: Everybody knows the harder you throw the straighter it is. So when you're up there and you have one pitch, and it's hard, and it's not on, it's not as easy as it looks.
SI.com: Oswalt said you never get credit for your control.
BW: I think a lot of the credit goes to [Astros catcher] Brad Ausmus for that. He made me look fantastic. I think Larry [Bowa, the Phillies' manager] said something: 'I love how you're 1-2-3.' Yeah, but to get that 1-2-3 it's a line drive to the third baseman, there's a bullet to the first baseman and a guy made a great running catch in the outfield. So, to me, it's a team effort. I've been very fortunate to have the defense that I've had.
SI.com: You're not the biggest guy [he's 5-foot-10], and you don't have that scary, crazy-eyed demeanor that a lot of closers seem to have. What's your shtick?
BW: [Laughing] I think guys that come up with nicknames, that's the funniest thing I've ever seen. I've never asked a team to play a song for me, I've never asked them to put my names up in lights. I've just never seen that. I was a big fan of Mickey Mantle. I was a big fan of guys like Dale Murphy. Guys that just played the game, played it for what it was. They didn't play it for the money; they didn't play it for the fame. But when you're good, that comes with it. I've never, ever had to worry about making a lot of money or having my name out there with the best. You kind of take care of one with the other.
SI.com: But you have a scary-looking goatee going on there.
BW: I've been trying to grow a goatee forever. It's terrible. My kids hate it. I'm just not into that.
SI.com: Ever show anyone up?
BW: The funniest thing, Billy Koch, when he was with Oakland, interleague, he strikes out three guys and it was impressive. And then he looks in our dugout and does this [drawing his finger across his throat]. The next day, he sends me a ball over and wants me to sign it. So I go, OK. 'To Billy. Watch whose throat you cut. Billy Wagner.' You know, I'm not going to get overexcited when I strike somebody out. When I'm facing Barry Bonds, if he hits a 900-foot bomb, I'm gonna be upset that I gave it up, but I'm not going to say anything. And if I strike him out, I'm not going to say anything. It's not a big deal, because that's what I'm paid to do. That's what he's paid to do. Some people want to see people getting shown up, they want to see people make a fool out of themselves. My granddaddy said always act like you've done it before. And if I strike a guy out, it's not the first time. And it won't be the last one.
SI.com: You and Koch all right?
BW: Yeah. I wasn't trying to start anything. I was just trying to give him some friendly advice. You don't need to [aggravate] the hitters. They're already going to kick your ass. I mean, you're already going to be on SportsCenter. If you go out there and strike out -- say, Thome -- and you show him up, well the next time he hits that ball a thousand feet, he's going to walk around the bases. And that's not fun.
SI.com: All right, Billy, last one. You're a longtime bullpen resident. Best story of your time out there?
BW: 1997, my first full year, we were in L.A., and this guy keeps coming up to the fence and asking for a ball. 'No, no, no.' And he keeps saying, 'C'mon, give me a ball.' He's got long hair, kind of hippie-looking guy, shorts, flip flops, sunglasses on. Got a kid next to him. He looks rough. So our BP catcher says, 'Give me your clothes and I'll give you the ball.' Without hesitation, the guy strips down, stark naked. I mean bare. Everything. Throws his clothes into the bullpen. The guy was jumping around and dancing and stuff. Takes about five minutes for the police to come. We find out later that the kid who was with the guy didn't even know him. He was just standing there. And the guys said it was his nephew. All he wanted was a ball. That was it.
SI.com: Did he get his ball?
BW: Oh, yeah. We tossed him out one.