Steve Serby caught up with Yankees third baseman Chase Headley for some spring training Q&A:
Q: How would you describe what it’s like being a New York Yankee?
A: You think when you make it to the big leagues everywhere, it’s the same — and it’s not. You go in that clubhouse and you put on the uniform and you started thinking about the tradition and the players that have come before you and the standard that is playing for the Yankees, and I take that very seriously, I don’t take it for granted, I think it’s a privilege to be able to do that, to call yourself a Yankee. I’m very, very blessed and very excited to be back in New York and get to call myself a Yankee.
Q: Is there an aura when you walk into an opposing ballpark as a Yankee?
A: I think so. There’s an energy. You’re always gonna get the best from other teams. You always have a lot of Yankees fans wherever you go, there’s always a bunch of them in the stadium. Hopefully we can start winning like New York is used to winning, and bring that back even more. But I think you feel it regardless, whether it’s been a couple of years since you’ve been to the playoffs, or won the World Series last year.
Q: Describe the New York Yankee Way.
A: It’s very businesslike, workmanship, team-first. And the goal is to win a world championship, that’s the most important thing. I think the beautiful thing about New York, the individual stuff doesn’t matter, it’s about winning as a team, and that’s why I love sports. And I want to experience winning in New York. I talk to certain guys and they say the electricity in the stadium in New York during the playoffs is something that you’ll never experience anywhere else, so I look forward to get to experience that.
Q: Did you enjoy New York and being a Yankee more than you thought you would last season?
A: Oh, there’s no question. Obviously I [was] in San Diego, which is a much smaller market, and you don’t have the attention that you do, especially in New York. You don’t know how you’re gonna be treated when you come in the clubhouse, but when you get there, you start to meet the guys and see their personalities. That first and foremost was tremendous. … The Yankee family, the way they treat the players, the families, it’s first class.
Q: Can you replicate or approach your monster 2012 season?
A: I sure hope so. I think I’ve identified some things exactly that went right. … I would love to just say, “Yes I can,” but until I do it again, I’m not gonna say that I can. I think regardless of whether I hit 30 home runs or drive in 115, I think I can be more productive than I’ve been in the last couple of years.
Q: Describe your on-field mentality.
A: I would say I’m intense. … I try to stay [as] even-keeled as I possibly can. … I’m passionate, and there are times where you’ll see emotion on the field.
Q: What did you learn about Derek Jeter as a teammate that you didn’t know?
A: Derek, no matter what was going on, he was always having a good time, laughing and joking in BP. … To see somebody who’s done it as long as he has, and obviously accomplished the type of things he has, it stuck out to me how much he enjoyed playing the game and how much he’s enjoying every moment. Because realistically, we never know when our last moment on the field is. To see him really enjoy his last couple of months was a treat for me.
Q: What have you observed about Didi Gregorius, and how can you as a veteran make his transition as the guy replacing Jeter more comfortable?
A: What I’ve seen from him, and I played against him in San Diego when we were in Arizona, always really liked him as a player. Defensively, he’s as good as there is. He’s got a strong arm, he’s smooth, really got good feet, a lot of range, so defensively, he’s tremendous. When I watch his swing, there’s a lot of things that I see that I think he does right. I think he’s gonna do great. I think as a veteran, somebody who came to New York last year from a different situation, I think I can just try to help him make the transition smoother for him just talking to him, make sure he’s just being himself and not thinking about all the other things that come along playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. As long as we can keep him playing his game and not worrying about trying to do too much or trying to replace somebody or whatever … because no matter what he does, he’s never gonna replace him. So he just needs to be himself, and if he is that, then I think he’s gonna do great.
Q: Why was the old Yankee Stadium your favorite stadium?
A: It was where I hit my first home run in the major leagues.
Q: What do you remember about the home run?
A: Just about everything? (Laugh). That’s something that you’ll never forget. It was just a special moment [June 18, 2008], I remember it was off Kyle Farnsworth, it was a 97-mile-an-hour fastball, and I hit it to right center. I was in San Diego, so it’s not like you played in New York every year.
Q: Describe your home run in 2012 off Matt Harvey.
A: (Chuckle) Well that was a special time in my career where I was as locked in as I’ve ever been. I remember hearing about him, I think that was his second or third start, and that was really early in his career. I think that day he didn’t have the stuff that you’ve seen the last couple of years from him, but you knew, like you could tell that the stuff was there. I think he hung me a changeup, and I didn’t miss it. I’m looking forward to facing him again when he’s at his best. I mean, he’s as good as there is in the game. As a player, you look forward to those challenges.
Q: Who are third basemen over the years or now who you enjoy watching?
A: Scott Rolen is a guy that really rings a bell to me. … Eric Chavez, another guy that I have a lot of respect for. … Chipper Jones obviously was a guy that I watched as a switch-hitter.
Q: On paper, how do you see this Yankees team?
A: I like it. We have a lot of veteran guys who’ve had a lot of success in the league. Obviously I think it’s gonna be important for us to stay healthy, but if we keep the guys that we expect to be on the field on [the] field the majority of the year, I think we have a really good shot. [We have] a lot of really talented players, a lot of guys who know how to play the game the right way.
Q: Describe the day that you were traded to the Yankees, last July 22, which ended with you hitting a walkoff single in bottom of 14th in your first game in pinstripes.
A: (Laugh). That was a whirlwind of a day, obviously, getting traded and leaving a place that you knew for so long. [San Diego] was the only organization I knew so it was bittersweet. … I remember first and foremost showing up at the field and introducing myself to the guys in the dugout, and then I remember swinging in the cage, and then swinging and missing the first four balls and just wondering where my swing was and then going out and having a tough three at-bats (chuckle). Fortunately, I got the fourth at-bat, and got the big hit. … It was awesome to be able to celebrate like that with your teammates, and kinda feel like you contribute right away, I think that’s everything you can ask for as a player coming into a new system.
Q: How did you become a switch-hitter?
A: To be honest with you, I started doing it when I was real young. My dad had me swing both ways as early as I can remember, probably 6, 7, 8 years old.
Q: Give me a scouting report on your son, Colt Headley.
A: (Laugh) He’s a great kid. He loves anything with wheels. Loves Monster trucks, motorcycles, loves trains, Mickey Mouse, the whole Disney thing. … He’s got a strong personality, he’s got a lot of energy, but very adaptable. He’s good traveling. He’s a 3-year-old, he has his moments, but he’s a special kid, obviously, for us.
Q: Did fatherhood change you in any way?
A: Absolutely. You realize really what’s important. You come home and he’s just really excited to see you, you kinda forget about everything else.
Q: A scouting report on your wife, Casey Headley.
A: She’s a trouper. She’s the rock in the family. She really handled everything that comes with the trade as far as logistics, and meanwhile she was seven months pregnant. She is an amazing woman, she’s very independent, very strong, as most wives have to be in the lifestyle that we live. She really makes life easy on me with being able to focus on what I have to do to do my job.
Q: A scouting report on Chase Headley.
A: (Chuckle) Very dedicated to what I do. Not the most gifted athlete that anybody’s ever seen that looks extraordinarily flashy or pretty, but I do my homework and put the work in, and I like to say what I do is effective.
Q: What are your thoughts on Alex Rodriguez?
A: Obviously, he’s just getting back into shape, but you see him hit in the cage and you see the ball come off his bat, it’s different than you see most guys in the major leagues.
Q: Describe the late Tony Gwynn.
A: One of the best hitters of all time. Did things the right way. He spent his entire career in San Diego, he was a hero in that community. Really a hero in all of baseball. When you go to San Diego and you bring that name up, you can just feel the passion and the loyalty and the love that fans have for him. It was fun to be able to be around him a little bit and get to know him. It was a special privilege for me to get to know him a little bit.
Q: Why did you transfer in college from Pacific to Tennessee?
A: There were a number of reasons. I think at that time, I really wanted to get to a place where I had a chance to compete for a national championship, and I didn’t see that happening at Pacific the next few years. I enjoyed my time at U. of P., but I knew for me to be able to get to where I wanted to go, that it was probably gonna be best to move on.
Q: What do you remember about your high school valedictorian speech at Fountain-Fort Carson High in Colorado?
A: (Chuckle) I don’t even remember, to be honest with you, it’s a long time ago. But I think it was short and to the point.
Q: Were you a bookworm?
A: Not really. My parents just really stressed being a good student before being an athlete. I loved all sports, so I knew that to be able to play sports I had to do well in the classroom.
Q: Hobbies?
A: I’m a big bow hunter, I love to fish. I love being outside. … Those are probably the times that I cherish the most, just being out, being away from people. I grew up skiing in Colorado, that’s something that when I’m done playing, I dearly miss and hope to be able to make up for it in five, six, seven years, however long I play, I’m looking forward to doing that.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Ted Williams, Muhammad Ali, Dan Marino.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Top Gun.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Denzel Washington.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Probably just cook my steak on my grill at the house.
Q: Curtis Granderson said the Mets can take the town from the Yankees.
A: I hope that we can stop that from happening. This isn’t anything against the Mets — I think they’re getting a lot better, they have a lot of young talent, they’re on the rise. But it’s still the Yankees, don’t count us out, we can put a quality team out there, and continue to live up to what past Yankee teams have done.