| 08 January 2009
Dustin Pedroia is the cover boy for the new MLB The Show video game for Play Station. ESPN took a few moments to ask Dustin some questions... though the interview is centered around the game, Pedroia has some interesting answers. I've pulled a few out, but click the link to read the entire article.
ESPN: MLB 09's big feature is that fans can use a peripheral like the Rock Band mic and record their own crowd chants. You can scream things about my mom, yell "Pedroia sucks!" then cue the audio when that player comes up to bat. What's the funniest thing anyone ever yelled at you during a game that I can try to mimic on the PS3?
Dustin Pedroia: I really don't get it that bad other than all the short jokes. But I guarantee that all the Red Sox fans are going to get a big kick out of this as it's a new way to razz Yankee players. I'm sure it's going to be a big hit in the New England area.
ESPN: What's a good short joke?
Dustin Pedroia: The best one I heard was at Yankee Stadium. We were playing the shift on Giambi and someone was yelling "The grass is taller than you, Pedroia!" I was like, jeez, man.
ESPN: Another thing the game really nails is the routine every hitter has at the plate. What's the one routine you have that you couldn't stop even if you tried?
Dustin Pedroia: After every pitch I step out of the box and tighten my batting gloves, then I step back up to the plate and I'm ready to go. I don't have very big hands, so I'm constantly tightening my batting gloves. I don't even notice that I'm doing it anymore. You go to the plate so many times, and you do the same thing over and over and over, that I don't even know I'm doing it until I see the video. I literally do it every pitch. It's weird.
ESPN: When I'm playing as you in the game, what's the toughest ball for you to try and field?
Dustin Pedroia: A push bunt where the batter pushes it past the pitcher and I have to bare-hand it and flip it to first base. That's an extremely tough play but it's also something that can change the momentum of the game. If you have a guy trying to reach base, and obviously if he's bunting he's a fast guy, so if I can make the play, it takes all of the momentum away because I just threw out their fast guy. Now he won't be able to try and steal a base or get in scoring position.
ESPN: MLB 09 features a mode called Road to the Show where I create my own character, head to the minors and basically, try to become an MVP one day like you. What was your personal Road to the Show like?
Dustin Pedroia: I got drafted in 2004 and was called up in 2006, so I guess it was pretty fast, but I never thought about it that way. I was just so excited that I was getting a chance to play professional baseball. I was actually getting paid to play a game that I love. I kept playing well, and as I kept playing well I kept moving up the ladder, and when I moved up the ladder, that just meant that I needed to work double as hard to stay up there and be successful. I think you put blinders on, or at least I did. I didn't really know what was going on other than, OK, today we have a game, that means I need to go out there and play as hard as I can. That's been my mentality ever since I signed professionally.
But I remember some pretty funny moments from back in the minors as I was working my way up. They used to have this character who would run up to the first base coach, eat him, then spit him out. It was kind of a circus at times, but it's pretty fun, and you need that laughter because there are so many games and the travel isn't very great. At least in the video game you don't have to travel on a bus.
Read more at ESPN.com.
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