20 questions with Josh Beckett

[hot4beckett]

Playing 20 questions with Marlins' Josh Beckett

 

BY DAN LE BETARD

 

JUPITER, Fla. - (KRT) - Twenty questions with Marlins ace Josh Beckett:

 

1. Three things that best illustrate how ``country'' you are?

 

``I'm kind of diversified now. I can do both, country and city, but I love to hunt. I go to Texas in the offseason. I wear plaid shirts, Wranglers, cowboy hats and boots. I ride horses. I dip Copenhagen. I can quote Waylan Jennings songs. I have 44 heads of cattle. How many did you say you wanted?''

 

2. Five quick facts that best describe how your life has changed since becoming a champion?

 

``1. Very fast. Everything has sped up. 2. My voicemail is always full. 3. I'm recognized everywhere and have access to everything. 4. Leno and Letterman fighting over me. 5. My agent always has another offer on the table.''

 

3. How much money would you say those two October victories earned you?

 

``More than half a million dollars.''

 

4. When you arrived in the big leagues, you predicted you'd be an All-Star by 2001. Alex Fernandez heard this, thought you didn't know your place and started ripping you loudly, cursing you in the middle of the clubhouse, saying he had won over 100 games in the big leagues without getting to an All-Star game. You thought what to yourself when he was done shouting?

 

``I laughed. It bugged me a little bit, but I knew what I was going to do in this league. It wasn't scarring to me. A lot of people, that would crush them, but I knew I belonged in that room. It was handled harshly, but it has helped me deal with younger guys. I wouldn't do that to somebody. But I did know my place. My first big-league camp, I never said anything.''

 

5. The one trait most responsible for you being good?

 

``Confidence.''

 

6. Five adjectives you'd use to describe yourself?

 

``Confident. Witty. Strong. Stubborn. Girlfriend/lingerie model Leeann Tweeden, seated next to Beckett, chimes in with ``brash.'' No, brash is something other people consider you. I can't consider myself brash. I'm going with `humble.' ''

 

7. Come on. You aren't humble. You are one of the cockiest guys in your sport.

 

``I know inside how good I am, and can be, but I don't go around talking about it and filling newspaper articles with it. Humble. Laughter Is this my article or yours? Can I say what I want, please? Humble. I'm going with humble.''

 

8. One person inside or outside of sports you would pay a lot of money to watch work at their craft?

 

``Bob Ross. He was a painter. I think they called him The Happy Painter. He worked on PBS, had a huge Afro. That show always fascinated me, the way he would start painting something and it wouldn't look like anything and then it would turn into something amazing five minutes later. I liked the piano and guitar, too. I guess it reminds me of childhood.''

 

9. Something you are insecure about?

 

``That's a tough one. I'm not naturally insecure. I know how that sounds, but here's what I mean: I've been dealt this hand. This is the hand I have to play. Might as well like it, you know? I don't have any choice but to like it.

 

``I know I have flaws, but I'm not insecure about them. That's a great quote right there. I know I have flaws, but I'm not insecure about them.''

 

10. Do you care what people think about you?

 

``I do care, especially my peers. And I know I rub some people the wrong way. But that's just jealousies and animosities. A lot of people think I'm arrogant because I believe in myself. I'm not going to apologize for believing in myself. If anyone should understand how that helps me, it's people in this game. What I don't care about is if people dislike me. Expletive them. What can I do? Pout and cry? How's that going to help me? I do things my way.''

 

11. Percentage of times you throw a pitch exactly where you want to, give or take an inch?

 

``Seventy percent.''

 

12. Percentage of times you threw a pitch exactly where you wanted to in Game 6 of the World Series against the Yankees, give or take an inch?

 

``About the same. Seventy percent.''

 

13. Most annoying thing in the world?

 

``Somebody else's kids.''

 

14. Philosophy to live by?

 

``Don't take no manure.''

 

15. The most amazing thing about your most amazing October is you seemed completely unsurprised by it. Not a lot of smiling after the victories, not a lot of joy spilling out of you during post-game interviews. How can that be?

 

``I know how good I can be. I expect a lot of myself. I expect greatness. I'm not one of those guys who need reassurance or a pat on the back. It's bad for me, actually. I need the other thing. I grew up with tough love. Dad kept pushing me toward great things. Confidence, you get that from your dad. You get everything else, including strength, from your mom.''

 

16. So you don't expect anything other than success?

 

``I respect the game, the opponent, the challenge, but I never, ever expect to fail. People don't last in this game thinking like that. They'll hunt you down like dogs that way. The great ones expect success. You think Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling doubt? You think they have one doubt in their mind on the mound?''

 

17. Articulate what it's like for you to face Barry Bonds?

 

``Exhilarating. I accept that challenge. I want that challenge. That's fun. It's when you feel most alive, when everything around you is amplified.''

 

18. You go right up to Ben Affleck, a huge Red Sox fan, at the Daytona 500 and, upon meeting him, taunt him with, ``Who did you get for A-Rod?'' What was your best celebrity moment this offseason?

 

``Was I supposed to be starstruck? I'm not really like that. I've become decent friends with Craig Kilborn. He's funny, smart, knows a lot about sports. We go to dinner together when I'm in Los Angeles.''

 

19. All the Marlins have had such a whirlwind since October, a lot of change, buzz and fame. Explain in one sentence what you think to yourself when you walk into a restaurant these days with your new lingerie-model girlfriend and Carl Pavano's new girlfriend, actress Alyssa Milano.

 

``Where's my table?''

 

20. I'm going to throw some words at you. You give me a number 1-10 on how accurately they describe you, one being most false, 10 being most true:

 

Diva - ``One.''

 

Rock star - ``Five.''

 

Cowboy - ``Eight.''

 

Immature - ``Six.''

 

Disciplined - ``Seven.''

 

Perfectionist - ``Nine.''

 

Brat - ``Five.''

 

Hungry - ``Right now, 10. But that might be because I really want some dinner.''

 

---

 

? 2004, The Miami Herald.

 

Visit The Miami Herald Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.herald.com

[hot4beckett]

:cowboy

 

Gotta love it.

[hot4beckett]

:wub:

[CitanX]

I really like his attitude and back it up 100%

 

Everyone thought he was a bust because of his blister problems.

 

No one would want to interview him in the clubhouse, no one gave a crap about him, when he would come up to pitch no one would applaud for him.

 

And now everyones pulling on his [Expletive].

 

He does well alienating himself from those who dont deserve it and staying close to those who do

[hot4beckett]

I respect him for that.

[g8trz2003]

I like Waylon Jennings...im too skinny to wear Wranglers....I wear Carharts instead.

 

He's a badass.

[hot4beckett]

:cowboy A true cowboy. A true regular guy.

[g8trz2003]

mmm Copenhagen.

 

I like the confidence out of him....I think I'd hate him if I were a Cub/Yankee fan though.

[hot4beckett]

Well that's tough if whoever is a Yankee/Cub fan.

[g8trz2003]

yup...i like it that way too.

 

Kinda like people hate Spurrier unless you're a Gator fan

[MarlinsinPBC]

the thing that impresses me most about him is that he is dating that LeAnn Tweeden chick

 

lucky SOB

[g8trz2003]

he's a stud....what can be said?