Chris Shelton Houston Astros (11/2/2004)

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

Well, I think just making the game fun, playing it as a game and going out and having fun all the time.

What is your hitting philosophy?

See the ball and hit it, make it as simple as possible. I think if you make hitting too difficult it’s hard enough as it is, if you start making everything else difficult you’ll be in trouble.

What are your strengths right now?

I think obviously my biggest strength is hitting. I think it’s gotten me this far and obviously I’ve picked that up and realized that’s what happened. Hopefully I can improve on some defense and make that better. I don’t think I’m bad defensively but you’ve always got to be better in everything, and just continue to work hard.

Pitchers go inside and outside to set you hitters, but do hitters set up pitchers?

I think there are times when it happens. There’s times when hitters can set up a pitcher but for the most part they always have their own philosophy of how they want to get a hitter out and then they stick with it. You can pick that up or you have to make an adjustment and I think you’ll do just fine.

They say this guy has all the talent in the world but he doesn’t seem to go as far as guys with lesser talent, do you think that’s true in the organization?

No, I think in organizations if they get some money invested into them they’ll obviously get more of an opportunity. If you’re going to work hard and get your chances and make your chances happen you can play just as long as the other guys.

Do the first round draft picks get more chances than the high draft picks?

I think it’s obviously the case.  I think they’ve got a lot of money invested into them if they’re a first round pick, and they want to give them every opportunity to succeed because they think that they’re very highly talented and they want them to be around to help in the big league club. So they’re obviously going to get more chances.

At training camp they trade for guys, they draft guys, and they bring in free agents, all take your spot, how do you compete with that in spring training?

Well I think you’ve always got to have in your head that there’s always someone who wants your job. There are not very many big league jobs out there and obviously that’s where you want to play. If you go in there and work hard and make your chances you’re going to stick around.

Was there any time in your career you wanted to give up baseball?

No, there hasn’t been a time. As long as I’m having fun in this game I’ll go on playing for a long time.

What’s something about baseball that you had to learn the hard way that nobody told you about?

Playing off the bench. That was this year in Detroit. It was the first time in my career I’ve ever had to play off the bench and learn how to do that. I think it was the hardest adjustment for me and I learned that the hard way.  But no matter how long you’ll play or when you play, at the drop of a hat you’ve got to be ready.

Does the chemistry in the clubhouse affect the team?

I think so. I believe if you get along with everybody and everybody enjoys being around each other you want to go out there and you want to win for one another.  I would say you don’t have to hang out with the guys off the field but when you get in the clubhouse it’s your family and that’s where you want to be. You get along with the guys and go out there and work hard as a team.

How important is weightlifting to you?

It’s very important. We play seven months out of the year, we play every day, and I think if you can keep yourself strong and able to function for a long period of time you’ll be okay.

Do you read the sports pages or the Scatter reports about you?

I try not to. It’s just somebody’s opinion on how I play. Something that I can’t control is their opinion.  My job is to go out there and change it and show them that I can play. If they don’t think I can play or if they think that I can’t do something, show them that I can.

How do you handle the fans, people screaming, the loudmouths, and how does it affect you with the kids when signing autographs?

That’s part of the game. Kids are out there, they look up to us, every kid wants to be where we’re at and we’re playing a kid’s game. I think that’s what you do with the fans you have to block the fans out. They’re there, they’ve paid their money to come watch us, and they can say what they want. But in the long run they’re all there just to watch us.

How do you handle the umpires?

I get along with the umpires pretty good because I’m a catcher and get to talk with them. There’s ways to go about it. You go about getting your points across and you don’t have to make a big scene about anything. Just ask them and they’re human, they make mistakes, they all know it. We make mistakes in the field and we’ve just got to get by it. As long as the umpires hustle and are in the right position for the play if they get the call wrong they get the call wrong. If they get it right you tip your hat because they don’t have instant replay. They don’t have anything. They make it right there on what they see and you’ve got to live with it.

You can do it the right way, you can talk to the umpire and you can question a call or ask them about a call?

Yeah, you can do it the right way. You can talk to them and question them as long as you do it the right way.

Knockdowns, brush backs, and retaliation, what do you think about that?

There’s times and a place. It’s part of the game. I think if you’re going to show a team up you’ve got to watch out for yourself at that point. If they think that you’re showing them up then they can go ahead and take care of their business.  Obviously pitchers throw inside because they’ve got to throw inside. I think there are a lot of times when players make a big deal out of nothing. Pitchers are just trying to throw inside and there’s no point in trying to hit them, a lot of players make a big deal about it. There are times when you know it’s coming and know what it’s about and you just go ahead and take it. I think if someone in the lineup has done something in front of you and you end up being retaliated against and you didn’t do anything, I think that’s wrong.

Do you have any thoughts of being traded?

It’s always in a player’s mind, being traded. He wants to stick with the same team. But if the team wants to make an improvement within that team and you happen to be part of the deal then that’s part of the deal. But that’s the way the game of baseball’s played and if it happens it happens.

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

Professional baseball is definitely a business. There are a lot of things out there and it’s definitely turned into a business. If you can go out there just have fun, keep the game fun like you did in high school. When you’re playing now or when you’re younger just go out and have fun. Don’t ever make this game about any more than it is. It’s a game, go and enjoy it, have fun.