PDA

View Full Version : Great write up on former Sinton pitcher Mike Adams



pirate4state
03-10-2005, 11:15 AM
Adams hopes for chance to close
Lanky Texan aims to anchor back end of bullpen
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

Mike Adams was second on the Brewers with a 3.40 ERA in the 2004 season. (Scott Paulus/Brewers) http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2004/05/19/t3WgXHwO.jpg


PHOENIX -- Mike Adams, the Brewers' low-key reliever, tries to carry himself like his idols, fellow Texans Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.

One Texas-sized difference: Ryan and Clemens are built like linebackers, and they seemingly carry more bulk in one leg than Adams does in his whole body.

"I've seen broomsticks with that build," Brewers manager Ned Yost said when he got his first look at Adams last spring.

Fast forward one year and the tall, skinny Adams is facing some beefy responsibilities: Build on his breakout rookie season. Erase concerns about his slight build and durability. Step in for All-Star Dan Kolb, who was traded to the Braves in December.

Most important, Adams has to close out precious wins this season for the Brewers, a team trying to snap a decade-long string of losing.

Adams is not exactly being handed the job, but Yost and general manager Doug Melvin hint that it is his to lose. The Brewers, who parted with Kolb and the durable Luis Vizcaino last winter, will also take a look at former All-Star closer Ricky Bottalico and possibly at newcomers Justin Lehr or Derrick Turnbow.

He senses the competition. But just like he does on the pitcher's mound, Adams is trying to maintain his cool.

"I'm probably one of the more laid-back people you'll meet," said the 26-year-old Adams. "Off the field I'm super laid-back. I'm not a Sheets-type."

That was meant as a compliment. Sheets borders on hyperactivity and spends his off days strutting around the clubhouse with the brio of a 13-year-old. Adams is Sheets' laid-back, late-inning foil.

"Even some of my friends back home are like, 'Man, you never get off the edge about anything.'" Adams said. "That's the way I am. A lot of things can go wrong in life, but what can you do about it? Nothing."

That's not to say Adams is unemotional. He was excited to see his beloved Dallas Cowboys sign former Green Bay Packers All-Pro guard Marco Rivera (Adams actually met Rivera in December during the Brewers' Winter Tour). He was excited to marry his longtime girlfriend, Shelly, on Jan. 14.

Most of all, Adams is excited about being a Major League closer in just his second season.

"Not many people get an opportunity like this," Adams said. "I know that."

Adams tries his best to keep an even keel. It's an approach Adams took in 2001 when he went undrafted out of tiny Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The Brewers signed him that season and he began a fast track to the Majors, where he landed for the first time in May 2004.

In 46 games as a rookie, Adams went 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA, second among Brewers relievers to Kolb's 2.97. As he prepares to step into the world of closers, which has featured characters like Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams and John Rocker, Adams intends to keep that trademark cool.

"If something goes wrong, you can't get all nuts and make a big scene," he said. "What good is that going to do? I think it makes it worse."

In other words, the water coolers and bat racks in the Miller Park dugout have no cause for concern.

"A lot of that is for show," Adams said. "Some closers want to go out and personify a certain image. To me, a good closer is somebody who can stay cool and not show that emotion. Yeah, you're going to show excitement, but when things go wrong, you don't want to show people that you're pouting."

[b]That "cool under pressure" persona is part of what drew Adams to the fiery Clemens and perdurable Ryan, who was born in Refugio, Texas, just 20 miles up U.S. Highway 77 from Adams' boyhood home in Sinton. :D

"To me, those are the two guys that I looked up to as far as pitchers," Adams said. "They had a quiet confidence about them. They didn't go out and brag or boast or make a scene. They did their job. That's the kind of guy I really respect."

It's the kind of persona Kolb emitted as he racked up a Brewers-record 39 saves last season while becoming the Brewers' first All-Star closer since Bob Wickman in 2000. It's the kind of guy Adams wants to be.

But it's also a learning process. Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux preaches confidence to his staff. Even if you make the wrong decision, Maddux says, make it with conviction.

"He really harps on, 'Go with your first instinct,'" Adams said. "I get burned by that and it's something I need to work on."

Example: Russell Branyan, the first hitter Adams faced in a game situation this year, crushed a down-the-middle fastball in the Brewers' first intrasquad game.

"I didn't want to throw a fastball," said Adams, whose best pitch is a slider that he can throw with varying velocities. "But the catcher threw down 'fastball' and I went with it. When he hit it, that was the first thing that came into my mind: 'You weren't 100 percent sure about it.' I almost didn't want to tell Mike."

But Maddux, of course, found out. He approached Adams the next day.

"I waved him off and just said, 'I know. I know,'" Adams said. "That was a lesson learned right there. I'd rather make it there in an intrasquad game than somewhere where it really affects my progress.

"Maddux makes a big deal that the mental part of the game will take over if you just believe in it. If you make up your mind, you can do a lot. Good things will usually happen.

"It's one of the biggest things as a closer. One pitch can kill you. One decision can kill you. You can make the wrong decision, but at least be confident with the decision you make, or you're going to hurt the whole team. That's the biggest thing I've learned from Mike."

Maddux will be in on one of the Brewers' toughest decisions this spring: Who is the closer? Bottalico pitched a 1-2-3 inning against the Royals in his Brewers debut, and he carries an impressive resume that includes 114 Major League saves. Lehr has the stuff -- if not the experience -- to close, and the hard-throwing Turnbow has raised some eyebrows this spring.

"Everybody is in the mix right now," Yost said. "Somebody could even jump up that I don't know about. Somebody could jump up and run with it and never look back, like Danny did."

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


Here is the link (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050308&content_id=961350&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb) to the story.

We are all very proud of Mike and his accomplishments and wish him the best of luck this season! :thumbsup:

Phil C
03-10-2005, 11:41 AM
Way to go Mike! Good Luck!

pirate44
03-10-2005, 11:45 AM
great.:clap: :clap:
i see good things ahead for Mike. My brother has his 1st year baseball card and needs to get Mike's John Hancock on it quick:D

Maroon87
03-10-2005, 11:54 AM
Always nice to see a Javelina succeed. Good luck to him!

Vrabird
03-10-2005, 01:35 PM
Very good to see him succeed in the big leagues. I played ball with his dad and his parents live down the street from my parents. Was able to meet Mike and get his autograph on a ball and several cards. A real polite gentleman. Good luck this year and do the town of Sinton proud.

SintonFan
03-10-2005, 01:42 PM
Great story.
Good luck Mike!:clap: