Aaron Hill Toronto Blue Jays (11/3/2004)

What’s your baseball philosophy?  What got you so far?

Well first thing honestly, it’s just the love of the game. I think everyone out here would say the same thing.  You got to love it.  Then comes the hard work and preparation for the game.  You practice, and days like these you may have a day off or something but you work hard because you know at the end of the day you got to do your best. The hard work is eventually going to pay off.

How about hitting?  Do you have a hitting philosophy or how do you approach it?

There are all kinds of situations that you have.  Obviously, there are guys that get you out so you change a little bit but as far as just up there hitting, your mind’s got to be clear, you got to be soft and you can’t be thinking about anything.  Just let your hands do the work.  Seeing pitchers after pitchers and pitches after pitches every day throughout your career, you’re just going to get better and more experienced.  Your hands will do the rest of the work.

What’s your strengths right now?

Just consistency.  I’ve learned that this year and it made my whole season. I think that’s the biggest thing.  What the guys have said is baseball, is mainly consistency day in and day out and that’s what I’ll bring to the table.

Pitchers throw inside and outside to set hitters up.  Do you set up pitchers?

I’m not a guy that tries to play my game with pitchers, no.  If the pitcher gets me on a good pitch, maybe he come inside and I wasn’t ready for it I’ll tip my hat to him. He’s going to get you a lot during your career.  You can’t hit everybody so you tip your hat every now and then and every now and then I’m sure the pitcher’s going to tip your hat to you because they’ll make a good pitch and you put the barrel of the bat on the ball. You never know what’s going to happen.

They say at times that some guys like first round picks, have all the talent in the world but they don’t seem to go as far in the organization as guys with lesser talent.  Do you think that’s true and why?

I haven’t been playing long enough to see that.  I mean, I don’t know.  I’ve been put in a situation where I am a first rounder and they push me a little bit but I think I’ve handled it fine and had a good year and we’ll just see what happens.  I haven’t been in professional baseball long enough to really think about that kind of thing.  I know I’ve heard people talk about it but I haven’t seen it personally so I can’t make any judgments.

Organizations are always trading for guys and bringing people in to take your spot or compete with you, even as a first round draft pick.  How do you approach that?  How do you approach spring training?

I just go out there like any other game. Obviously you got the whole organization’s there looking for you.  Everyone’s competing for your spot and let the best man win, you know?  You’re going to go out there and everyone’s going to be playing hard and everyone’s put in different situations. I’ll go on spring training and like everyone who goes will say, “Hey, I want to make the big league club.” That’s how much they should be pushing themselves.  Obviously, it’s little farfetched but not always.  I mean, baseball is baseball and you never know how the baseball gods will treat your hard work

Has there ever been a time in your career you want to give up baseball?

No. Not yet. I don’t think it’s going to be for a long, long time.  This game’s been good to me.  It’s taken me all over the world and places I’ve never seen before if it wouldn’t have been for baseball.  I’ve just been blessed to be able to play the game and I hope I’ll be playing for a long time.

What’s something about pro sports that you found that you learned the hard way, that nobody told you about?

The mental side of it especially in baseball. Once I was four for 40 something. It’s tough to pick yourself up when you’re down in the dumps like that.  But it’s not how you handle yourself when you’re up because everyone obviously can handle themselves when they’re doing good.  It’s when you’re down and trying to do too much.  You just got to trust your game and trust what you’re able to do and hopefully work through it.

How does the chemistry of the clubhouse effect the team?

Oh, I’m a big believer of team chemistry.  This year was an example.  Our double A team won the whole thing and it was the best team I’ve ever been a part of. There wasn’t one guy that that no one disliked.  The whole team got along.  If one person went out, the whole crew went out.  When we went to dinner, everyone else went to dinner.  It was just it was so much fun coming to the ballpark.  We just made it fun being a ball player and having guys like that and being able to mess around and play the game how it’s supposed to be played.

How important is weight lifting to you?

To me very big, very big.  During the season I lift three or four times a week just because when I don’t get in I’ll feel sluggish sometimes.  I’m a big believer in weight training and keeping in shape especially abs and legs and everything. There are some times you just can’t get it in because of your schedule and everything and I’ll feel a little sluggish and I know it’s because I’m missing my workout.  Some people go out there every day and don’t have to work out but for me I’m a big believer in weight training.

Do you read the scouting reports and sports pages about you?

My people call me and tell me about them.  That’s great, that’s fun, I mean, it’s life, but it’s all taken with a grain of salt. Until you actually do it or whatever it’s saying about you actually happens, just go out there and play the game and see what happens.  I got no control over what happens with me.

How do you handle the fans?  People yelling, the loudmouths, and does that affect the way you handle the kids and autographs and stuff like that?

Oh, no.  I mean, you got to think when I was a kid I did the same thing.  I’d come to minor league parks    and yell at the guys to sign autographs and everything. There were days when you just had a horrible day.  You didn’t want to talk to anybody you just want to get in the clubhouse, get dressed and go home. But the thing about these kids and when you’re autographing, that’s what you used to do and I’m sure the guys that I asked for autographs when I was younger had a bad day, too, but they still came over and did it.  So you got too especially for the kids. It puts a smile on our face and makes me happy.

You separate that from fans yelling at you and screaming?

Yeah, I mean that’s part of baseball.  If you can’t handle that you’re not going to get very far especially if you’re playing in a place like Yankee Stadium.

How about the umpires?  How do you handle umpires?

Yelling at them isn’t going to reverse their call, you know?  Sometimes you just go and get so upset but if you think about it, if he strikes you out on a pitch you didn’t think was a strike, you’re not going to convince him to say, “Okay, yeah, you’re right, that was a ball and you can have it back.” So it’s okay, whatever, I know where your strike zone is this time. Now you’re going to adjust your swing a little bit for you’re next at bat.  There’s nothing you can do, really.

What do you think about knockdowns, brush backs, and retaliations?

Obviously there’s a point in the game when the thing can get out of hand but I think you should, if you’re throwing at somebody, just keep away from the head because that’s going over the line. If someone throws at someone, okay, next time around the other team is going to get somebody. Keep it in the lower body, if it’s going to happen, if it’s necessary.  Guys throwing at heads I don’t agree with it because I’m a hitter and I don’t like being thrown at in the head. That’s part of the game and it happens and you just got to deal with it when it happens.

Have any thoughts on being traded?

Hopefully not yet just being so soon in my career but baseball is baseball. I know it happens and I’ve played with guys already this year that get traded in, get traded out and you still keep in touch with them.  They say it’s just getting used to the other teams but baseball’s baseball.  You still got to go out there and do your thing.

What would you tell somebody from high school on down about professional baseball?

Whoa, the speed of the game.  The faster it gets, the slower you have to approach it. You got to slow everything down.  The mental side is the biggest thing I think for me anyway.  Just to stay confident and stay within yourself, not trying to be someone you’re not, not trying to do too much.  That’s the biggest thing.

Anything else about baseball you’d like to tell somebody?

When you don’t love it any more, get out. Just keep loving it.