Beckett unafraid of Sox challenge

11/26/2005
BOSTON -- The man who typically spends his winters on a ranch in Texas is gearing up for a spring and summer in which he will pitch in the rabid baseball land of Boston. An avid hunter, Josh Beckett will quickly realize in Boston that the Yankees are the most talked about prey throughout New England.
Yes, Beckett is fully aware that the nice, quiet life he so enjoys in the heart of Texas -- not to mention the under-the-radar atmosphere of pitching for the Florida Marlins -- will be nothing like his existence in Boston. But that appears to suit him just fine, as Beckett is relishing the challenge of pitching for the Red Sox.
Two days after Beckett was officially acquired by the Red Sox in a trade with the Marlins, he held court with reporters on a conference call and expressed his enthusiasm about the new path in his career.
"I'm pumped, I really am. I don't know how many times I can say I'm excited, or pumped or whatever," said Beckett. "I'm looking forward to it."
For a man who has received hype since the day the Marlins (and then-Marlins owner/current Red Sox owner John W. Henry) made him the second overall pick in the draft, Beckett now embarks on an environment that breathes baseball. What better place to finally realize his goal of pitching a full season without going on the disabled list?
"I've definitely been through my share of frustrating times," said Beckett. "But I try to look at these things a little bit more positive than some people. I've moved in the right direction every year. I'm just gonna try and keep doing that."
For instance, Beckett is coming off a season in which he posted career highs in starts (29), wins (15), innings (178 2/3) and strikeouts (166).
Beckett knows, perhaps better than anyone, that the key to reaching the gaudier numbers that have eluded him in the past (20 wins, 200 strikeouts, etc.) is to make his blister problems go away.
"Every time we think we got it figured out, another one pops up," said Beckett. "I think maybe just getting out of the heat and getting out of that humidity, maybe that might help a little bit."
When Kevin Millar and Beckett were teammates in Florida, the first baseman-outfielder used to joke to the hard-throwing right-hander that he should just throw all fastballs because the breaking ball was so often the root of a blister. However, when Millar left for Boston, Beckett found new ways to fight the blisters. Expect to see Stan's Blister Ointment by the case in the Red Sox training room in 2006.
"The one that I've found most productive is this stuff called Stan's Blister Ointment. Using that between starts and keeping it shaved down with a callous shaver," said Beckett. "That's been the most helpful thing. What was happening early in my career is I wasn't developing a callous. Then whenever I would get a callous, I would let the callous get so big that a blister would develop underneath the callous and then we'd have to cut the whole callous off and start over again. Whenever you start all over again with unhealthy skin, it's almost like starting in a negative number instead of starting back at zero."
Though thick skin has been a work in progress for Beckett's blister issues, it has never been an issue with regard to his willingness to take the ball in a big game. In Boston, of course, every game is a big game. Beckett thinks he's come to the right place.
Give Beckett credit for this. The man has done his homework in the days since the trade. He has pumped Millar, David Wells and Hall of Famer Don Sutton (who never played for the Red Sox but pitched there many times) for information on his new pitching environment.
"I'm kind of sure of myself," said Beckett. "If you have a failing mentality, you're going to fail probably more often than you would if you were pretty confident in yourself."
Millar, who is a free agent, saw Beckett's mentality up close during the early years of his career and is fully confident that the pressure of Boston won't faze the potential star.
"This kid can throw a fastball, he's got a great curveball and he doesn't fear any big situation, which I think is huge coming to the Red Sox," said Millar. "This guy is special. That's the bottom line. His makeup is special. I think it's a huge addition."
Third baseman Mike Lowell, who, along with reliever Guillermo Mota also came to the Red Sox in the deal with the Marlins, seemed fairly certain that Boston will appreciate the body of work that Beckett will present every fifth day.
"I think his makeup is primed to be a No. 1 guy in a big market," said Lowell. "I think he can definitely handle it in that situation. I think he's going to be fine and I just want him to be able to have one year where he makes his 35 starts because I think the numbers will follow."
While Beckett's shoulder, which was tired and stiff late in the 2005 season, was certainly a topic of conversation in recent days, the right-hander insists that is not an issue anyone should worry about.
"I mean, I would have done the same thing," said Beckett. "If you've invested this kind of money that they're investing and getting rid of players that they were counting on, I would do all the due diligence that I could, I definitely would," Beckett said. "It's a deal where I like to go see Doc [Dr. James Andrews] at the end of every season just to see where I'm at. It was more of a checkup for me. I've got great strength in all my muscles, [the shoulder] was just kind of tired."
In a way, there is a bit of an eerie tie between this trade and the one that brought Curt Schilling to Boston two years ago. Not only was that blockbuster similarly struck over the Thanksgiving holiday, but Schilling, like Beckett, had already silenced the Yankees in the World Series before coming to Boston.
Schilling was the co-MVP along with Randy Johnson when the Diamondbacks knocked off the Yankees in the 2001 Fall Classic. In 2003, Beckett was the World Series MVP after a performance for the ages on three days rest in clinching Game 6 in the Bronx.
Now that rivalry becomes part of his life 19 times a year and, perhaps more.
"It's exciting just to be a part of that," said Beckett.
Beckett figures to be more than a part. If things go as the Red Sox hope, he will be front and center, just like Schilling was in 2004.
"To be put in the same category as Curt Schilling, it's a big honor," Beckett said. "I'm looking forward to learning from him and just kind of picking his brain. I think we're much of the same type of pitcher. I don't think I have the knowledge yet that he has. It takes us all a little bit of time to learn our own craft. He's definitely learned his and made his mark."

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/