I don’t want people saying, ‘Oh, that’s why he’s not pitching well because he out doing this

Have you thought of, I dunno, pitching well?

If he goes out and pitches well this year doesn't that help support the argument that he wasn't taking baseball serious enough before?

Let me give an interview about how I'm giving fewer interviews...

Holland's a big key to the Rangers this year. If he pitches well, their starting rotation could be extremely good. And they're going to need good starting pitching, because the offense is solid but not great.

If he goes out and pitches well this year doesn't that help support the argument that he wasn't taking baseball serious enough before?

Eh. He's a young pitcher with excellent stuff and inconsistent results. It's not uncommon for guys like that to take a step forward and become stars, and I doubt it's because they all weren't taking the game seriously before. It's just young pitchers being young pitchers.

Eh. He's a young pitcher with excellent stuff and inconsistent results. It's not uncommon for guys like that to take a step forward and become stars, and I doubt it's because they all weren't taking the game seriously before. It's just young pitchers being young pitchers.

Sure, but if he's specifically cutting out some of the other stuff, and he achieves his goal of pitching well, then he'll be giving people the opportunity to point to that other stuff as what held him back previously (whether it was a cause or simply luck won't really matter).

Sure, but if he's specifically cutting out some of the other stuff, and he achieves his goal of pitching well, then he'll be giving people the opportunity to point to that other stuff as what held him back previously (whether it was a cause or simply luck won't really matter).

Yeah, people suck at causality, news at 11. If he has a good year, the narrative will be about how he cleaned up his act and focused his mind and blah blah blah. I'm guessing the Rangers organization quietly gave him a version of the Bull Durham speech about fungus on his shower shoes. Stars get to indulge in wacky, eccentric behavior; either become a star or toe the line.

Not quite as funny as Howard Stern cutting Soupy Sales’ piano wires though. (number one in the cars!)

I was hoping Derek Holland would tell us whether or not he liked talking chairs.