Interview with Colorado's Todd Helton
ML: Marty Lurie here with Todd Helton on the Major League Baseball Players Association interview show, and this is brought to us by the Players’ Trust for Children and Volunteers of America, two great organizations. If you have some time, call Volunteers of America. Todd Helton’s our guest today. Todd, the fans ask questions of you, as you’re having another tremendous season. Let’s go right to the questions. Ashley McCormick asks, “How’s your back? I saw you missed a few games before the break in.” She’s concerned about you.TH: I appreciate the concern. It’s sore. I’m having to make some adjustments in my swing to compensate a little bit, but it’s something that if you’re out of baseball season, things like that happen; and you just have to play through them and be careful, and hopefully they get better.
ML: Todd, do you have to have treatment everyday?
TH: Oh, yes. I get to the field early. I do an abundance of exercises to strengthen it. I’m hoping in a week that it’ll go away, and I’ll be able to maybe even hit another home run again.
ML: One thought on back injuries, I know Don Mattingly had one-of course, it cut down on his power quite a bit-is this just muscular for you, or is this something that you’re concerned about?
TH: I’m not really concerned. I was very concerned at first, but the pain has moved around my back so much I really feel it’s muscular now.
ML: Let’s go to Pakistan, as we move around the world. Sakandar, from Pakistan, asks, “I’d like to understand better what happened at the All-Star Game. How is it that a team can run out of pitchers?”
TH: They want to get every pitcher in. It’s an All-Star Game, and it’s basically a reward to the fans and to players, and for the players to come all that way, they want to get them in the game. It’s not like a regular game where they’ve got four extra starting pitchers sitting around that aren’t pitching that day, as in the regular season and they could’ve thrown one of them out there. They also don’t have the 24th or 25th bench guy who really can go out there and throw off the mound and not worry as much that they’ll get hurt. Those aren’t Bob Brimley’s players. Those aren’t Joe Torres’ players, and if he hurts one of those guys and has to call back to the other manager and say, “Hey, I used your pitcher for five innings, and he blew out his arm,” it’s not going to go over too well.
ML: Todd, how important is it to win the game? In the old days-these games are very competitive-the league presidents, which we don’t have anymore, would go in and give a pep talk. How important is it to win the game when you get to the All-Star Game?
TH: If you watched the game, the game was very competitive. It was a great game. We were out there trying to win. I’ve never won an All-Star Game. We still had pep talks before the game, and we got out there and tried to win. We were trying to win the game, but it happens. It’s nobody’s fault. Things like that happen, and it was just an unfortunate situation.
ML: Bubba Trammel told me you were one heck of a pitcher before you got to pro ball.
TH: I could pitch a little bit back in my days. I enjoyed it, but I think my time has passed as far as pitching.
ML: Let’s go to New York now. Andy Blitz of New York asks, “I wanted to see position players pitch at the end of the All-Star Game. Have you ever had to make an emergency pitching appearance? I know you could do it; have you ever had to do it?”
TH: No. They’re not going to let me pitch. I think Jose Canseco screwed that up for everybody when he blew out his arm doing it. Usually you’ll see the backup second baseman go out there if the game’s out of control. But like I said, in the All-Star Game, those aren’t Bob Brimley’s players. He’s got no authority to put a position player out there, and he would’ve gotten in bad, bad trouble if he would have.
ML: Let’s go to a place that you’re familiar with and that’s Knoxville, Tennessee. Burt Limpus of Knoxville asks, “Considering you are a great SEC pitcher-they like the fact that you pitched here-have you ever tried your skills during batting practice? I’d love to see you throw that drop-down sidearm heater to Larry Walker.” Now, he must know you.
TH: Yeah, that guy’s watched me play a little bit. No, I haven’t. Being a pitcher is something you just don’t walk out on the mound and do. You have to really work into it, and there’s a lot of preparation that goes into getting up on a mound and throwing because it puts so much strain on your arm. I’m probably never going to get up there again because everyday I’m getting older, and I break a little bit easier.
ML: Let’s go now to Atlanta. Jay Tucker of Atlanta asks, “What areas do the Rockies need to address to build a contending team, and can you wait around long enough to find out?”
TH: I think I can wait around long enough to find out, but as far as what they need to do, I’m not sure. I just think we need to find a direction and stick with it whatever it may be. I play first base, and I try not to concern myself too much with what player personal moves they need to make because to me, I’m just going to be wasting my own time trying to figure it out.
ML: Matt G and many others ask, “Do you ever wonder if Payton Manning had not come along, if you might be playing in the NFL instead of baseball?” Steve Spurrier may have drafted you.
TH: No. Peyton Manning was not the reason I played baseball and wasn’t the reason I didn’t play football. My dad wanted me to play football. I was good enough to play in the SEC college football, but I’m a baseball player; and I love baseball. I actually get that question a lot, and to me, it’s kind of a silly question just because I do what I love to do; and to me, that’s enough.
ML: Giles Kowahara of Mililani, Hawaii asks, “How much if any did playing football help your baseball skills and vice versa? You played in front of a hundred thousand people in Knoxville, and you come into pro ball.” I think I asked you that question years ago, whether that helped you get ready for baseball.
TH: I’ve answered this question a lot. I think the only reason it helped me in my preparation for games is because you have to prepare so much. I’m really hard on myself, and it helped me realize that the sun’s going to come up tomorrow even if you have a bad day because they take football in Tennessee like it’s do or die. I’ve had my share of bad games. It made me realize that you just do the best you can do, and then you wake up tomorrow and go from there.
ML: Here’s a question I’m sure that you had on your mind as a kid, and 7-year-old Matthew Kroshock asks, “How old were you when you first wanted to be a professional baseball player?”
TH: I was probably about his age, around 7, 8 years old. During the summer during baseball season that’s all I did. If I wasn’t out playing with my brother or my mom in the backyard, I was throwing a tennis ball against the back of the house and catching it with my glove. I never thought I’d actually be one, but I always wanted to be one.
ML: What position did you play as a little leaguer?
TH: First base.
ML: Usually pros are shortstop. You’re left handed, so you were stuck at first.
TH: And I played center field too in high school where you could run a little bit but always a first baseman.
ML: Richard Stevenson, who’s in the Navy-a Navy serviceman stationed in Great Britain asked this one: He went to an Ashville tourist game last year and found out you were considered the best thing that ever happened to the team. Do you have any fond memories or anecdotes about your time in Ashville that you can share with him?
TH: That’s the summer that I call the summer of 4 to 3, which means every ball I hit was to the second baseman, and he threw it to the first baseman, and got me out. It’s not a fond memory for me because I did so bad. The travel was terrible, and it was my first professional experience; and it wasn’t a good one. I was happy to get that put behind me as soon as possible. We actually had a good team that year when I was there, and we went to the playoffs; but no, I don’t have fond memories of it.
ML: Todd, did you have trouble adjusting from the metal bat to the wooden bat?
TH: No. None at all. It’s a bat. I grab it, and I swing it. I don’t care what it is.
ML: Last question from Bonnie Barme of Newport Beach, California. The Yankee Colorado series, which was maybe one of the more offensive minded series that we’ve seen in baseball this year-for the fans, it was very exciting-“What did you think about playing against the Yankees in Colorado and the fact that so many runs were scored?”
TH: I wonder what happened to that humidor in that series. Yeah, the ball really changed and really jumped that series, and it was very odd. I didn’t like it at all. I also didn’t like the fact that there were more Yankee fans in the stands than Colorado fans. I understand that they have a huge following, and they are the Yankees but that was kind of disappointing in our park. I guess if we won that many championships, we would have that type of following too.
ML: Todd, thanks so much for being on the Players’ Association live interview show. You’re one of the good ones.
TH: Thank you.
92 comments
im a senior at california high school, i was wondering if pitching sidearm is really bad for my back. It seems to be hearting often.
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