Nolan Ryan on 1300AM in Austin 4/13 in 10AM hour

Bucky and Erin to interview Nolan sometime in the 10am hour. You can listen online at http://www.sportsradio1300.com/main.html.

They were originally supposed to talk with him on the 4th, so hopefully things work out this time.

 

on now...

 

Recap:

Talked about the round rock express and working with the pitchers. Some up-n-coming astro pitchers are Buckholz and Nieve who should help the team this year and Jason Hirsch on the Express. Also, Troy Patten, the 19yr old lefty from houston, should come up fast. There are a couple of pitchers in Corpus who could be in Round Rock by the All Star break. Hunter Pence (sp?) is an up-n-coming hitter.

Talked about Pedro and (Roger, Randy, Maddux) and how they are 4 of the top 5 active leaders in hit batsmen. Nolan says they pitch in to both sides of the plate. If you miss, you want to miss in and not over the plate. Their approach and number of innings pitched lead to high number of hit batters.

Nolan's work ethic came from parents. Also, playing with Don Sutton and Tom Seaver who were very competitive. Their goal was to pitch 9 innings every time out. Tom Seaver was a very positive influence, and the greats have a passion for the game.

Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton (27 wins on a 59 win team), Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, etc. dominated during their time.

On his win/loss record, he just tried to stay focused on his task and not worry about the team not making plays or hitting. He had no control after the ball leaves his hand.

Reggie Jackson never changed his approach. Make a mistake and he'd hit it out. George Brett made you work and throw a lot of pitches. Pete Rose would beat you any way he could (bunt, etc.) - a pure competitor.

Josh Beckett should benefit from watching Schilling and have less pressure on his new team compared to his role with the Marlins.

Doc Gooden was premier pitcher at early age in tough environment.

Willy Mays was the most complete player Nolan ever saw - great base runner, great instincts.

On Bagwell/Biggio, it's a shame with Jeff's shoulder. He would have been at the top of the hall of fame ballot with a good shoulder his whole career.

MLB and the NBA are melting pots of international talent. In baseball, it helps that you don't have to have a specific body type to play baseball (kirby puckett, for example).

On JR Richards, he sees him occassionally at MMP. There will be a reunion of the 86 team this summer. JR had a devastating slider and would pitch in - scared the batters.

No real insight into having a team in Central Texas. He doesn't expect anything soon, possibly in the next 10-15 years.

It's nice for texas to have teams in Corpus and Round Rock and ability to watch kids come up through the system.