Grant balfour: 30K with 7 HA
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Re: Grant balfour: 30K with 7 HA
Balfour has way with words
Pitcher?s pep talksrile Rays? foes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 10/08/08 6:39 AM
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. ? Grant Balfour is unapologetic.
By his own admission, Tampa Bay?s hard-throwing reliever will say just about anything to talk himself into the right frame of mind to do his job.
And, if his shouting and swearing on the mound occasionally riles an opposing batter, then so be it.
?That?s what I?ve been doing all year long,? he said. ?I?m not going to change.?
The ALCS-bound Rays wouldn?t have it any other way.
Balfour has had a career year while contributing to one of the biggest bullpen turnarounds in major league history. He also was instrumental in Tampa Bay breezing through its opening-round playoff series against the Chicago White Sox.
The right-hander appeared in all three games the Rays won, working 3x scoreless innings for a spotless 0.00 ERA with one walk and four strikeouts.
He fanned the only two batters he faced after entering Game One with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, feeding off Chicago?s Orlando Cabrera, who took exception to Balfour?s bravura and exchanged words with the reliever.
Cabrera calmed down after being told that?s how Balfour motivates himself. But by then, the Rays pitcher was incensed.
?I thought he was trying to show me up,? said Balfour, who bailed Tampa Bay out of another tight situation in the sixth inning of Game Two, retiring Cabrera and Nick Swisher with a runner in scoring position to protect a one-run lead.
Considering the vital role he played in the first two victories, it seemed fitting that Balfour closed out Monday?s series clincher, fanning Ken Griffey Jr. to finish a two-inning stint and send Tampa Bay into the next round against World Series champion Boston.
Histrionics or not, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has an appreciation for the way Balfour approaches the game.
?I love it. That?s my style. I think he?s great for baseball. I think he shows people he wants to win. He shows people the enthusiasm of the game, the passion of the game. I don?t have any problem with that,? Guillen said.
Balfour is still upset that he didn?t make it through the final cuts of spring training and wound up spending the first two months of the season at Triple-A Durham.
He rejoined the Rays on May 30 and was vital to the team?s success the rest of the summer, going 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 51 games. He struck out 82 in 58x innings, leading all major league relievers in strikeouts per nine innings (12.65).
It?s been a long road back for the Australian-born Balfour, who had major operations on his elbow and shoulder in 2005. He missed that entire season and spent the following year in the low minors with Cincinnati before catching on with Milwaukee in 2007. The Rays acquired him in a trade for pitcher Seth McClung. :+textinb3
?He has a chip,? said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, well aware of how Balfour feels about being designated for assignment at the end of spring training.
?That?s good, as long as he channels it in the right way, and he has to this point.?
Balfour has way with words
Pitcher?s pep talksrile Rays? foes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 10/08/08 6:39 AM
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. ? Grant Balfour is unapologetic.
By his own admission, Tampa Bay?s hard-throwing reliever will say just about anything to talk himself into the right frame of mind to do his job.
And, if his shouting and swearing on the mound occasionally riles an opposing batter, then so be it.
?That?s what I?ve been doing all year long,? he said. ?I?m not going to change.?
The ALCS-bound Rays wouldn?t have it any other way.
Balfour has had a career year while contributing to one of the biggest bullpen turnarounds in major league history. He also was instrumental in Tampa Bay breezing through its opening-round playoff series against the Chicago White Sox.
The right-hander appeared in all three games the Rays won, working 3x scoreless innings for a spotless 0.00 ERA with one walk and four strikeouts.
He fanned the only two batters he faced after entering Game One with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, feeding off Chicago?s Orlando Cabrera, who took exception to Balfour?s bravura and exchanged words with the reliever.
Cabrera calmed down after being told that?s how Balfour motivates himself. But by then, the Rays pitcher was incensed.
?I thought he was trying to show me up,? said Balfour, who bailed Tampa Bay out of another tight situation in the sixth inning of Game Two, retiring Cabrera and Nick Swisher with a runner in scoring position to protect a one-run lead.
Considering the vital role he played in the first two victories, it seemed fitting that Balfour closed out Monday?s series clincher, fanning Ken Griffey Jr. to finish a two-inning stint and send Tampa Bay into the next round against World Series champion Boston.
Histrionics or not, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has an appreciation for the way Balfour approaches the game.
?I love it. That?s my style. I think he?s great for baseball. I think he shows people he wants to win. He shows people the enthusiasm of the game, the passion of the game. I don?t have any problem with that,? Guillen said.
Balfour is still upset that he didn?t make it through the final cuts of spring training and wound up spending the first two months of the season at Triple-A Durham.
He rejoined the Rays on May 30 and was vital to the team?s success the rest of the summer, going 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 51 games. He struck out 82 in 58x innings, leading all major league relievers in strikeouts per nine innings (12.65).
It?s been a long road back for the Australian-born Balfour, who had major operations on his elbow and shoulder in 2005. He missed that entire season and spent the following year in the low minors with Cincinnati before catching on with Milwaukee in 2007. The Rays acquired him in a trade for pitcher Seth McClung. :+textinb3
?He has a chip,? said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, well aware of how Balfour feels about being designated for assignment at the end of spring training.
?That?s good, as long as he channels it in the right way, and he has to this point.?
Re: Grant balfour: 30K with 7 HA
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Like The Rays, Balfour Never Backs Down
By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 9, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - He talks to himself, even shouts to himself as he races in from the bullpen to the rescue. He's from Down Under, but Over The Top works for the man from Sydney, Australia, who could moonlight as a Tasmanian Devil.
"He's an animal, man," Rays reliever J.P. Howell said.
"We definitely say that in a loving way," Rays center fielder B.J. Upton said. "He gives us a boost when we need it. You see him screaming at himself. Peps you right up."
He's Grant Balfour, 30, the Rays' Mad Max. A friendly, peaceful sort - until you hand him the baseball. He might just match Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon for pure heat and intensity when the Rays face Boston in the ALCS.
There was Balfour's memorable showdown with the Sox at the Trop in early July, when he escaped a bases loaded jam in the eighth, then struck out three in the ninth for the save. And there was his salty throw-down with White Sox dirt kicker Orlando Cabrera in the ALDS. Balfour won that with a 96 mph strikeout. Then he told Cabrera to sit down, though not in those exact words.
"I definitely will not back down," Balfour said. "I'll stand my ground. That's what we've done as a team this year."
Balfour's year with the Rays began two months into this season. He didn't make the team in spring training. The fire in his belly burned down all comers at Triple-A Durham until, boomerang, baby, he joined the big club.
He has kept Aussie chip on his shoulder to become truly dominant, a closer disguised as a set-up man. Balfour struck out 82 in 581/3 innings, held hitters to a .143 average and had an 1.54 ERA. It's been more of the same in the postseason.
There are evenings when Balfour throws nothing but fastballs. But it's that weapons-grade approach, all emotion all the time, that blows people away.
"I found something that works for me," Balfour said.
"He pitches better when he's angry," said Ray manager Joe Maddon, who likens Balfour to Al Hrabosky, a famously rabid closer. Rays pitching assistant Brian Anderson sees someone else.
"The Incredible Hulk," Anderson said. "Grant is 180 degrees different off the field. He's a nice, likable guy. But on the mound, he's clinically crazy. When danger arises, he goes off. His eyes and face tighten up. He's challenging himself, challenging hitters. He's the Hulk. Yeah, he might as well rip his shirt off and turn green."
Say hello, America.
Someone noted that Outback Steakhouse headquarters are in Tampa.
"I need to get a hookup there, huh?" Balfour said.
Someone asked Balfour if he'll one day need more than a fastball.
He heated up like a barbie.
"I have other pitches," Balfour said. "Who said that? Hey, look at my numbers, then ask if I need another pitch. Next year, if my fastball gets hit, I'll throw a freaking slider, I'll throw a curveball. I threw one the other night. I could care less. That really ticks me off. Hit me. I'm fired up. Swing and hit me."
Peps you right up.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--Article End--><!--Bibliography Goes Here-->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Like The Rays, Balfour Never Backs Down
By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 9, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - He talks to himself, even shouts to himself as he races in from the bullpen to the rescue. He's from Down Under, but Over The Top works for the man from Sydney, Australia, who could moonlight as a Tasmanian Devil.
"He's an animal, man," Rays reliever J.P. Howell said.
"We definitely say that in a loving way," Rays center fielder B.J. Upton said. "He gives us a boost when we need it. You see him screaming at himself. Peps you right up."
He's Grant Balfour, 30, the Rays' Mad Max. A friendly, peaceful sort - until you hand him the baseball. He might just match Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon for pure heat and intensity when the Rays face Boston in the ALCS.
There was Balfour's memorable showdown with the Sox at the Trop in early July, when he escaped a bases loaded jam in the eighth, then struck out three in the ninth for the save. And there was his salty throw-down with White Sox dirt kicker Orlando Cabrera in the ALDS. Balfour won that with a 96 mph strikeout. Then he told Cabrera to sit down, though not in those exact words.
"I definitely will not back down," Balfour said. "I'll stand my ground. That's what we've done as a team this year."
Balfour's year with the Rays began two months into this season. He didn't make the team in spring training. The fire in his belly burned down all comers at Triple-A Durham until, boomerang, baby, he joined the big club.
He has kept Aussie chip on his shoulder to become truly dominant, a closer disguised as a set-up man. Balfour struck out 82 in 581/3 innings, held hitters to a .143 average and had an 1.54 ERA. It's been more of the same in the postseason.
There are evenings when Balfour throws nothing but fastballs. But it's that weapons-grade approach, all emotion all the time, that blows people away.
"I found something that works for me," Balfour said.
"He pitches better when he's angry," said Ray manager Joe Maddon, who likens Balfour to Al Hrabosky, a famously rabid closer. Rays pitching assistant Brian Anderson sees someone else.
"The Incredible Hulk," Anderson said. "Grant is 180 degrees different off the field. He's a nice, likable guy. But on the mound, he's clinically crazy. When danger arises, he goes off. His eyes and face tighten up. He's challenging himself, challenging hitters. He's the Hulk. Yeah, he might as well rip his shirt off and turn green."
Say hello, America.
Someone noted that Outback Steakhouse headquarters are in Tampa.
"I need to get a hookup there, huh?" Balfour said.
Someone asked Balfour if he'll one day need more than a fastball.
He heated up like a barbie.
"I have other pitches," Balfour said. "Who said that? Hey, look at my numbers, then ask if I need another pitch. Next year, if my fastball gets hit, I'll throw a freaking slider, I'll throw a curveball. I threw one the other night. I could care less. That really ticks me off. Hit me. I'm fired up. Swing and hit me."
Peps you right up.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--Article End--><!--Bibliography Goes Here-->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>