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What pressure? A-Rod should produce despite scrutiny
Baseball legend Ozzie Smith joined the Sports Tonight gang to discuss the happenings of the first couple of days of the 2001 season and to look ahead to the rest of the year. Fred Hickman: How much pressure is Alex Rodriguez under with his big contract? How is he going to handle that pressure? Ozzie Smith: I think he'll handle it well. I've had a chance to sit down and talk with him, and he is very grounded. I think that he is one of those special talents in the game today. I think he is going to thrive on the pressure and the only thing is, I don't know where people like he and Derek Jeter can go. They've had so much success so early on in their careers that it's going to be tough to do anything to satisfy anyone. But when you're the highest-paid player in the sport, that comes with the territory. But I think he's the one player who can deal with it. Hickman: How about Mike Hampton's start in Colorado?
Smith: He looked great. He kept the ball down and got a lot of ground balls. If he is going to be effective in Colorado, then that is what he is going to have to do -- keep the ball down. I think his going to Colorado is one of those things that a lot of pitchers complain about pitching there, but if you do it right -- and keep the ball down in the strike zone -- then you use that ballpark to your advantage. Guys think they can come in there and hit the fly balls and you keep the ball down, then you can win there. Granted, it was just one game, but he did a great job Monday. Hickman: Does Pedro Martinez shoulder too much of the load for the Boston Red Sox? Smith: That's one of the things I talked about with him, the fact that they have to have more people give them quality starts. Everything rides on his shoulders there in Boston. He's such a talent. I watched him when he was a young, wild-throwing kid in Montreal and now he's developed into one of the best pitchers I've had the opportunity to hit against and watch pitch. But here's a guy who has seven or eight different fastballs. That's how much he has learned. He can go out there with a fastball and make it do so many different things. Hickman: Is he the most dominating pitcher you've seen? Smith: Probably as dominant as I've ever seen, now people like J.R. Richard who I also had a chance to face a lot in my career was dominating, but Martinez probably has better control. He's just amazing. Hickman: Speaking of another hard thrower, has Rick Ankiel found the strike zone yet? Smith: I don't think so. Here again, I think he's become a project. He was a kid that they tried to protect last year by only allowing him to pitch at home and then they put him in the biggest game of the year. I thought he was young enough to shake it off, but he's still effected by it. I think what they did in the spring by calling a press conference and saying they were going to talk about this thing once, well, that's an impossibility because the press comes from all across the world and not everyone was going to be there on the first day. So you brought more attention to it. I think the best thing for Rick right now is for him to go down to the minor leagues and work his thing out down there and get some success down there before they bring him back. That's just my opinion. Hickman: We have a question from a caller. Caller: I feel a little sorry for A-Rod, not money-wise, but I think without any pitching in Texas A-Rod is going to take the brunt of it from the fans because they are never going to win a championship. What do you think? Smith: I think A-Rod is prepared for that. Pitching is the problem in Texas. They are going to score a lot of runs. But he is going to bare the brunt of being a $252 million player. But I think he is one of the players who can deal with it. Hickman: Do you think Chuck Knoblauch will help the Yankees in left field? Smith: I think the only problem for Chuck is throwing. I'm not a psychologist, so I can't know what the problem is. He was a Gold Glove second baseman in Minnesota and I've talked to Chuck on several occasions, and when I talked to him, and told him, "when you're practicing, close your eyes and throw it. It can't be any worse." So moving him to the outfield will take a little of the pressure off him and one of the reasons they are working so hard to find a spot for him is because he is such an important part of that lineup at the top of the order. He's still a great offensive player. Kara Henderson: We have a question from another caller. Caller: What does Ozzie think of the White Sox's chances are at beating the Yankees and can Magglio Ordonez be the AL MVP this year. Smith: He certainly does and I think they could be a sleeper in the American League. Their pitching will be their question mark, but if they can stay healthy, they should give the Yankees and everyone else a run for their money. Hickman: We have an email question. Email: Who do you think is going to win the World Series this season? Smith: It's very tough to go against the Yankees. The one thing they did was they kept themselves in a position to win. Going out and getting a pitcher like Mike Mussina , it's just amazing that they can do that. When you can do that, they are always going to be on top. I still think they are the team to beat.
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