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Tribe pitcher confident that 2008 season will be another productive one
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Mar 10, 2008
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: He is 37 years old; the velocity of his fastball long ago topped out at 88 mph, and his doubters are legion.
Yet last year Paul Byrd lived through one of the two or three most productive seasons of his career, posting a 15-8 record, 4.59 ERA and beating the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. Come to think of it, maybe 2007 was Byrd's best.
But ask him if he can repeat or exceed those achievements this year and he says, ''Absolutely.''
What makes him think so?
''I can't beat Jake Westbrook in the sprints,'' Byrd said. ''But I'm smarter; I'm sneakier. You have to compensate.''
There is a grain of truth in Byrd's tongue-in-cheek response. He's been compensating for years, demonstrating repeatedly that a pitcher doesn't have to possess the arm of Johan Santana or Roger Clemens to win in the big leagues.
''I'm not predictable,'' Byrd said. ''My first pitch to a hitter isn't always a fastball away. On 3-and-1 counts, I don't always throw a fastball. My first pitch might be right down the middle.
''I try to attack. I can't afford to get behind in the count. I don't have one devastating pitch.''
Byrd isn't being humble, he's being honest. Moreover, he isn't demeaning himself. His ability isn't limited to fooling hitters into thinking a pitch will be up when he plans to throw it down or that it will be a curveball when he is thinking fastball.
''I try to come up with new pitches or variations on old ones,'' he said. ''Last year, I came up with the split. It's up in the air whether I'll throw it again. But this year, I'm throwing my change-up a little different.''
Location is vital to Byrd's success. Asked if he can usually throw a pitch within a few inches of his target, he said, ''That's what I have going for me.''
The fact that Byrd doesn't throw hard isn't necessarily a handicap. Hitters are geared to time 90-93 mph fastballs. That gives the edge to pitchers who throw 96. But pitchers who throw 86 with movement also can be effective.
''You still have to have life on the ball,'' Byrd said. ''If you don't and you throw 85, the pitch is very hittable. But when I went up to the plate against Greg Maddux (in the National League), it was like the ball just disappeared. He has impressive late movement.''
Byrd doesn't know how long he wants to keep pitching. The decision isn't entirely up to him.
''I take it year by year,'' he said. ''It's a family vote. I try to live in the moment and just worry about today.''
Fourteen years ago, Byrd didn't think he would ever have the luxury of deciding whether he wanted to continue playing major-league baseball. He was pitching in the Indians' farm system in 1994. He wasn't exactly dazzling his bosses; he already had suffered through arm problems, and this was at Double-A Canton-Akron.
''My wife wanted me to quit,'' Byrd said. ''I was sitting in limbo for a while (before being promoted to Triple-A). I didn't throw hard, and I wasn't a huge prospect. We could see the writing on the wall. I loved playing baseball, but I didn't necessarily want to be 30 and playing in Double-A.''
Enter Johnny Goryl, who currently holds the title of adviser in player development with the Tribe. He has been with the organization for decades and a baseball professional for half a century.
''Johnny sat me down in a hotel room and said, 'You're too young to quit. Give it a little more time.' I never forgot that talk. Every time I see Johnny, I get a smile on my face. Thanks in part to him, I've been able to do what I love.''
The Indians traded Byrd to the New York Mets after the 1994 season, and he made his big-league debut with the Mets in 1995. Since then, he has pitched for the Atlanta Braves (twice), Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels, in addition to the Tribe.
It hasn't been all strawberries and cream. Byrd went on the disabled list in '96 with a bulging disc and tore his labrum in 2000. He spent most of 2003 and part of 2004 rehabbing after elbow reconstruction surgery and was forced to alter his style of pitching.
Has it been worth it? Sure. But even big-league players have to pay a price. Until recently, Byrd's wife, Kym, put away her psychology degree, waiting for a time when she could use it to begin a career. Moreover, Byrd spends more time on the road than most fathers. More time than he would like.
When he was leaving for spring training, his 5-year-old son, Grayson, asked him a question he hadn't anticipated.
''It was the saddest thing,'' Byrd said. ''Grayson asked me, 'Does your other family have as many good toys as us?' I told him I was going to play baseball, that there was no other family. I was staying in a hotel by myself. Then I said I would miss him, and he got the biggest smile on his face.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: He is 37 years old; the velocity of his fastball long ago topped out at 88 mph, and his doubters are legion.
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