Democrat and Chronicle Article: Redding wants to learn from Clemens

If what I've been hearing this past season is true, that Redding just needs to work on the mental part of the game, this is great news. If Redding could break out next season, we might have the best starting rotation in the MLB.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/columns/0205JF366DK_sports.shtml

Redding welcomes Clemens


Astros pitcher faces a fresh learning curve


By Scott Pitoniak
Democrat and Chronicle columnist

(February 5, 2004) — Tim Redding didn’t know how to take the news. A part of him clearly was thrilled about the signing of future Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens. But another part of him worried that the Rocket’s arrival in Houston meant Redding soon would be going, going, gone, jettisoned from the Astros’ rotation like a Sammy Sosa dinger disappearing from Wrigley.

“It was one of those good news, bad news things at first,” said Redding, the former Churchville-Chili/Monroe Community College ace who learned of the Clemens’ signing during a mid-January golf vacation in the Bahamas.

“What young pitcher wouldn’t want to be on the same staff as a superstar you grew up admiring? But there was a selfish part of me that worried that his addition would greatly reduce my odds of earning a spot in the Astros’ rotation. I thought they might move me to the bullpen or trade me.”

As it turned out, Redding’s fears about being Roger and out proved pointless. When he heads to spring training in Kissimmee, Fla., next week, it will be as Clemens’ teammate and as the Astros designated fifth starter. In other words, this became a good-news, good-news scenario. Redding will have the best of both worlds.

He can’t wait to pick Clemens’ brain like he did last June when his Astros played an interleague series at Yankee Stadium against the Rocket’s previous club. He is sure to corner the baseball great briefly tonight at the Riverside Convention Center before Clemens delivers the keynote speech at the Rochester Press-Radio Club’s 55th Day of Champions children’s charity banquet.

“He was very generous with his time with me last summer,” recalled Redding, who went 10-14 with a respectable 3.68 earned run average in his first full big-league season. “I had just finished throwing in the bullpen before a game, and I got up the courage to introduce myself to him.

“He was great. He told me he had talked to my pitching coach (Burt Hooten) and had heard a lot of good things about me. He was very easy to talk to.

“He’s a right-handed power pitcher, just like I am, so he’ll be able to give me a lot of advice based on things he’s been through in his 19 seasons in the big leagues. It will be like having a second pitching coach.”

Redding, who turns 26 next Thursday, believes 2003 was his breakthrough season. He would have had a much better won-lost record had he received stronger run support (the Astros averaged just 3.8 runs per game in his 33 starts).

“That was one of the things Roger told me last June,” Redding said. “He said you can’t control that stuff, but you can try to control the things you do on the mound as long as you adopt a take-no-prisoners’ attitude.”

Redding grew up a New York Yankees fan, so it will be a dream come true to work with two former Bronx Bomber hurlers -
Clemens and Andy Pettitte.

“The fact we are getting a 20-game winner (Pettitte) and a 17-game winner (Clemens) is huge, but they bring a lot more than just wins to our rotation,” Redding said. “They bring big-game experience. They know what it takes to win it all.”

If the season were to begin today, the Astros rotation would feature Clemens, Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller and Redding. The Rochester native is grateful to be in the mix, but he isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It tells me that the Astros have confidence in me, but I realize nothing’s a given,” he said. “I know Jeriome (Robertson) and some of the other guys are probably PO’d. They’ll be busting their tails and waiting for me to falter. I’d feel the same way they do if I were them. That’s why I can’t let up at all. The Astros have given me something, but it’s up to me to keep it.”

That means he’ll adopt some of the Navy SEALS’ training routines that Clemens has practiced for much of his career. It also means, he’ll be hanging on the Rocket’s every word.

“I’m going to be like a sponge the minute I show up at spring training,” he said. “My teammates probably will fine me in Kangaroo Court for being a cling-on, but I don’t care. I’d be foolish not to try to learn from the master.”