By Amy McGinnis
On Sunday, March 30, a text message appeared on my phone. “I’m golfing. Call you in 4 hours or so.” Was this real life? Was I seriously receiving a message from Matt Stairs (on his personal cell phone, no less)? It was, in fact, real life; any nervousness I had had about interviewing Mr. Stairs dissipated as soon as I heard his friendly voice say, “Hi! How are ya?” Apparently, I’ve come a long way since August 14, 2011, when I met Cole Hamels and friends and family placed wagers on how quickly I’d be physically removed by security.
In case you’re unfamiliar with his twenty-year-long career, Matt Stairs played for thirteen teams in twelve franchises – more than any other position player has. For those of you keeping track, those thirteen teams are: Expos, Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Padres, and Nationals. Since he’s been a part of so many different clubhouses, I asked Mr. Stairs what he thinks is the key to good chemistry on a team. “You’ve got 25 different personalities in the locker room,” he told me, “and Ryne Sandberg does a good job keeping things positive. Players respect him, and he respects them.” He added that “hootin’ and hollerin'” in he clubhouse keep things upbeat; everyone is encouraged to be himself and have fun.
For the past several years, pitching has been a hot topic in Philadelphia, and I asked Mr. Stairs whom he’d be most intimidated to face as a hitter. “I’m not intimidated by anyone,” he replied, “but it might not be fun to face Cliff Lee. He can come at you with whatever he wants – cutter, changeup – whatever he wants.” Stairs told me that he also likes righty A.J. Burnett and reliever LHP Mario Hollands.
When the conversation turned to offense, I couldn’t help but bring up his 8th inning, off-the-bench home run during Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS. While he modestly referred to his moonshot as “a timely change of momentum,” he was quick to admit that he enjoyed seeing the crestfallen faces of thousands of heartbroken Dodgers fans. Phillies, of course, won Game 4 with a 7-5 final score, thanks to that pivotal moment in the top of the 8th inning. Stairs holds the all-time record for most pinch hit home runs with 23; however, it’s safe to say that owning Jonathan Broxton in Dodgers Stadium in 2008 stands out for all of us.
Surely, we can all agree that it’s difficult to make full-season predictions based on Spring Training; however, the Phils’ offense in the Grapefruit League looked remarkably anemic. Should we be concerned about production from the lineup this season? It’s too early to tell, but Mr. Stairs told me that he expects solid offense from Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, and Jimmy Rollins. “Jimmy Rollins?“ I asked, probably with too much surprise in my voice. “Yes,” said Mr. Stairs with confidence. “Jimmy Rollins.”
Rollins answered with home run #200 – a Grand Slam – on Opening Day. I think Matt Stairs should make predictions about our offense more often.
Special thanks to Mr. Stairs for taking the time to talk to me. You can follow him on Twitter (@mstairs12) and catch him during Phillies TV broadcasts. A.J. Burnett takes the hill tonight when the Phils take on the Rangers in Globe Life Park at 8:05.
Tags: Amy McGinnis, AmyMac, grand slam, Jimmy Rollins, Matt Stairs, MLB News, Opening Day, Phillies, Phillies News, Philly Sports News, Philly Sports Talk, Talk Sports Philly, TalkSportsPhilly.com
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