10 Questions

Jordan on L.A., base-brawl and cold-hearted business

Brian Jordan is grateful for an offseason without rehab after staying healthy throughout the 2001 season. AP

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Brian Jordan is one of baseball's nice guys, a family man active in the community and a teammate everyone loves to have around. Still, he's run up against the hard side of baseball lately. He was traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason -- a move that shocked and angered him -- and early in spring training got into a little snipe with New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine. Jordan accused Valentine of having one of his pitchers plunk him in an exhibition game. Jordan sat down with CNNSI.com's John Donovan for this edition of 10 Questions.

Q: Comfortable yet?

BJ: Yes I am. I'm getting there, anyway. I'm getting there. I can't wait to get there and really get a feel for L.A.

Q: : Have any idea of what it will be like to live there?

BJ: I've played there. But I have no idea. I know it's expensive. I'm trying to find a place right now. But it's a whole new world out there. I've always been a man that's a soap opera man. I had my debut on the Young and the Restless. Hey, I might just get in the movies. They got all those stars out there, you never know who you might run into. You never know.

Q: Will it be hard for you not to look in the paper and see how Gary Sheffield, the man who the Braves traded you for, is doing? Fans will compare the two of you.

BJ: That won't happen. That's fans. As a player, we don't care. Business is business. I'm just doing what I can to make this team better. Plus, he's a home run hitter. As far as production, I think we're almost the same.

Q: What's the more cold-hearted business, football [Jordan used to play for the Atlanta Falcons] or baseball?

BJ: They're both businesses. Whether it's football, baseball or basketball, it's a cold-hearted world sometimes. It's business. You have to accept that, deal with it and move on. This was my first experience with being traded. The first is always hard, especially when it's unexpected and the way it happened. You didn’t see it coming and BOOM!, it blows up in your face. It's a big change. That's the bottom line. The fortunate thing is, it happened in the offseason.

Q: How has your family adjusted?

BJ: That's the toughest part. They haven't adjusted, and probably won't until the kids get out of school [they're still in Atlanta]. But my daughter, she's excited. She's 10. So, she's excited about being in L.A. and Hollywood and all that.

Q: What's the deal with you, Mr. Nice Guy, in spring training? Last year, a tussle with pitcher Kevin Brown [they're now teammates] and this year, the thing with Valentine.

BJ: It wasn't even a thing with Valentine. [CNNSI.com: You called him out!] I didn't call him out. Baseball is baseball. I just called it the way baseball is. [Mets catcher Mike] Piazza got hit. So the first batter after that [which was Jordan] … [Mets pitcher Mark] Guthrie is a guy that never throws in at a player. He's one of those classy guys who stays away off the plate. He's not one to throw at you. So I knew it had to come from [Valentine]. Even when I ran by, a pitcher that knows he has a job to do wouldn’t say "Sorry about that B.J., you understand." I understood. He had to do what he had to do. I gave him all the praise in the world for not just drilling me. He coulda just drilled me in the ribcage.

Q: It's sometimes tough to tell if it's on purpose, isn't it?

BJ: No. I always know. A lot depends on the pitcher, too. If you have a guy that's a hard thrower and likes to come in and you get drilled, hey it might have been an accident. But somebody else, you know it's probably intentional.

Q: You have that reputation of being such a good guy. Would you rather be a good guy who has a good year, or a bad guy who has a great year?

BJ: I'd rather be a good guy who has a good year. That's me, that's my make. I play hard, and I think good things happen when you play hard. So far so good. I've been putting up some good numbers.

Q: You expect a big year? I guess everyone does in spring training.

BJ: There's a difference for me. Year after year, I'm rehabbing. This offseason I was healthy. I haven’t had an offseason where I could get strong for the long haul. I'm just looking forward to it. I feel stronger this year and my power numbers are going to pick up and I'm going to produce more.

Q: Do you know when you're playing the Braves?

BJ: Yeah. May. I know 'cause I can sleep in my bed and get home to see my family.

 

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