Ventura
Monday, September 17, 2012
POSSE: It seems like your team has been pretty balanced this year, winning games with offense and on the mound...
RV: “You’ve got to have pitching, and our pitching coach, Don Cooper, has done a great job. Peavy and Chris Sale both made the All-Star team. We’ve played a lot of close games, and that’s because of our pitching. Hitting is going to come and go, but you’re going to have to have pitching to really survive and compete at this level, and our guys are doing a great job.”
POSSE: The Sox were in first place at the All- Star break, then hit a bit of a slump. The team has now rebounded and is back in front by a couple games on Detroit. How were you able to respond to that adversity?
RV: “That happens in baseball every year. If you’re in a tight race, it can swing back and forth weekly. It’s one of those things that you really have to put out of your mind and just play your game. That’s one of the things that I really like about this team. They put yesterday behind them and just play for today. That’s really the only way you can play this game, because there’s just so much that wears on you negatively day to day. The only thing you can do is remain positive and try and win that game that day. It’s been a lot of fun to be around guys that can do that.”
“A lot of people look at outcomes, but the only thing I can really ask a guy for is effort. If the work and the effort are there, it doesn’t always go your way and the guy doesn’t always make the play. But if the intent and the effort is all there, that’s really all I can ask of them.”
POSSE: It doesn’t seem like that long ago (2004) when you hung up the spikes? Does that make it easier to relate to your players?
RV: “I remember more of my difficult times as a player. I think that helps a lot more than thinking how easy the game is. I look at it how difficult the game can be, because I did struggle. I certainly remember my struggles more than my successes.”
POSSE: How often do you pick up a bat or a glove and do some instruction … or are you mostly focused on your players’ mindset?
RV: “I have one rule: never give an example. Never demonstrate. So I make sure I keep everything out of my hands.”
POSSE: What has been your biggest adjustment to being a manager on this level?
RV: “It’s not necessarily the baseball part of it, but you’re doing different things that you never did as a player. Sending guys down. Releasing guys. Maybe sitting a guy down that’s tired. Those are things that you really don’t have to concern yourself with as a player. Sometimes there can be delicate situations that you have to be able to handle and still keep everybody on the same page.”
POSSE: First, congratulations! You and the Sox have been on quite a ride so far, competing at the top of the division in your first year as manager despite a lot of preseason predictions that had you in the cellar. Could you have envisioned this sort of a season right out of the gate?
RV: “Early in the year, even in spring training, there was never talk of a losing feeling going into the season. We played some tough teams our first few games — Texas and Detroit — teams we were supposed to get beat up by, and we held our own. I think that was a sign right there that it wasn’t necessarily going to be what people were predicting. Once you get that out of your head and you’re just playing the game, I think a lot of positive things can happen. The guys are playing great.”
POSSE: Has the negative press been a motivating factor to try and prove the doubters wrong?
RV: “I think that goes for anything, not just baseball. When people doubt you, it’s always nice to be able to band together. It is a motivating factor. It’s been an underlying thing that our guys are proud of, you know. People write you off and say that you’re going to have a horrible year, and you play as a team and you’re able to stay in the hunt. And I think that’s an enjoyable part of what this season’s all about.”
POSSE: What has been the most rewarding thing so far?
RV: “It’s been fun just seeing guys have bounceback seasons. Guys like Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy and Alex Rios are really a big part of everything that’s happened, because I think when people write you off and you’re able to kind of rebound a little bit, there’s a motivating factor there. People don’t always give you credit for having that fortitude to be able to bounce back.”
POSSE: Are you guys scanning the standings to see where you’re at in the divisional or wild card race?
RV: “I don’t think you get into that until really the middle of September. Guys will start looking at the scoreboard to see kind of where you’re at. Right now, we’re just worried about what we’re doing and trying to win our games. That’s really all you can control. You can see what happens … one week you’re up three games, and then you’re down two games. There’s no sense worrying about it now when you still have a lot of the season left. We’re going to end up wherever we end up, but how we play is important to me.”
POSSE: As a player, you were always known as a “clubhouse” guy — someone who got along well with teammates and maybe was a calming influence in the dugout. How has that approach carried over to your first season as manager?
RV: “You come in with your idea of how you want to play the game. I think the team concept, what you envision as the right way to play, is really the foundation you start from … what the expectations are for guys, not necessarily in the wins and losses, but the style of play that you like to see and what guys are accountable for in their job. From there it’s really up to them. For me, I like to have the guys basically go out and play. I don’t want them to feel like I am controlling anything. It’s more of what the expectations are. They’re the ones that play. We’re all in it together, but they have to have the freedom to play and hopefully not have to think about what I’m doing.
POSSE: Your hiring sort of came out of the blue. Are you the first to make the leap from volunteer youth coach to MLB manager?
RV: “I would think so … but people forget I actually played 16 years. So I was around it enough that I think I have a pretty good feel for what’s going on and what needs to be done. It’s not like I was taken out of coaching tennis in high school and now doing this.”
POSSE: What was your reaction when White Sox management came calling last fall about the job?
RV: “At that time I was coaching in the minor leagues with them on occasion. I was what you would call a roving instructor. I had a pretty good thing going, as far as basically doing what I wanted to do at any time. This is a full-time, 24/7 job, so it was more about if it fit in family-wise. I was very interested in the job once they asked me to do it, but everybody has to be in for it to work. My wife and kids were all for it, and it’s been a pretty exciting run so far.”
POSSE: You played for a number of wellrespected managers during your playing career (including Gene Lamont, Bobby Valentine, Joe Torre and Jim Tracy, to name a few) ... Who would you say influenced you the most in your managerial style? Are you conscious of that as you’re developing your own style?
RV: “I’ve been pretty fortunate to be around some great people, so I think I take things I learned from all those guys. In my later years, I played for Jim Tracy and people I have a lot of respect for. I’d ask questions and just listen to their experiences. They have a lot more time doing this, so I don’t at any point think I know it all, but you do draw off of what you’ve learned or who you’ve been around.”
POSSE: How about playing for Gary Ward at OSU?
RV: “There was always a team concept to what he brought. There was a work ethic that we had. It was about every day. It wasn’t just that we were playing baseball, but who you represented and what was expected. I think sometimes that can be hard to get at this level, but it’s stuff I believe in because it’s stuff I learned under him.”
POSSE: On a scale from 1 to 10, how much fun are you having this season?
RV: “It’s a 10. It’s fun. I’m at a place I really enjoy being at, and Chicago is a great town. It’s the best summer city in the United States. It’s been great.”
POSSE: You’ve set the bar pretty high as a rookie manager. Did you peak too soon?
RV: (Laughing) “I hope not.”
