Mets catcher John Buck took at swing at a Q&A session with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: How much do you have to be a psychologist for the pitching staff?
A: As a young prospect coming up with Houston, I was able to watch Brad Ausmus work quite a bit and see how he handled some of the guys and noticed he was very different with some guys than the others. He just said that you really gotta get to know the guys, ’cause across the year you’re gonna have to push those buttons on each guy, they need that. That was obviously a big lesson that still holds true to this day.
Q: What is Matt Harvey’s temperament?
A: He’s one of those guys that’s high-intensity already. He’s definitely not a guy that I need to pump up or get excited or whatever. If anything, it’s just to remind him, “Hey, settle down, you’re good, you don’t have to do anything more.” If he misses one pitch, he gets wound up and wants to throw the next one harder, next one harder.
Q: So what do you do?
A: Throwing some offspeed stuff, help him back off and throw with more of a feel rather than just muscling up.
Q: Does he remind you of anyone you’ve caught?
A: I keep bringing up Zack Greinke just because his ability to throw 98 and then throw his other offspeed with command, as a pitcher would, not just a thrower.
Q: Describe Jon Niese.
A: A lot more methodical, a lot more cerebral where he likes to know exactly what’s going on. I deal with him just facts. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low, he’s very even keel.
Q: Dillon Gee.
A: He’s somebody that you gotta stay on every once in a while, and also pull him back, ’cause every once in a while, he’ll start to get into those funks where he’s kinda just going along and I just gotta remind him, “Hey, stick to it, keep going, keep pushing.” But at times, will get too hard on himself. He’s one of those ones you gotta play on both sides, and lift him up, pull him down, lift him up, pull him down.
Q: Jeremy Hefner.
A: He’s just, if anything, too even keel where sometimes I gotta go step on his toe every once in a while.
Q: Shaun Marcum.
A: He goes after people, he has a good mound presence, he’s never gonna let down. … He’s like that little pit bull that’s biting at your ankles. He’s probably the easiest to deal with ’cause he’s just a competitor all the time.
Q: Scouting report on John Buck.
A: I’m flawless, I’m perfect (smile). … Strength is calling a game, and running a staff. Got an above-average throwing arm. … At the plate, I’m gonna hit you some home runs, gonna drive the ball, drive in some runs, and be a threat somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
Q: You’re not here to be a mentor for Travis d’Arnaud?
A: That was not in my contract when they signed me (smile). I was the starting catcher for the Mets. If I concentrate on taking care of that, that means I’m doing my job.
Q: How would you explain your torrid start?
A: The ball hit my bat, I don’t know (smile). Last year I guess I tried too hard, I tried to force the issue, and this year I’ve just concentrated on let things come to me, not trying to do too much, and I think it’s helped me relax and stay loose at the plate.
Q: Who was your boyhood idol?
A: I really liked [Gary] Carter or [Mike] Matheny, just ’cause they were catchers, my dad talked about ’em a lot.
Q: What did your dad tell you about Carter?
A: How he always played with a smile, he was always hustling, plays the game right, little things like that.
Q: Have you always been a catcher?
A: My first coach who ever put me back there, I was 9 years old, his name was Paul McDermate.
Q: Did you like it right away?
A: Yeah. … I’m a little bit of a control freak (smile). It put my mind into the game every single pitch, so yeah, I took to it pretty easily.
Q: My 12-year-old nephew Jake loves catching. What advice would you give him?
A: Make sure you’re flexible, and make sure you long toss every day.
Q: Do you engage hitters in conversation?
A: If they’re willing to. If I feel like they want to talk, and I feel like it might distract ’em, yeah why not? But for the most part, if people come up and they seem all business, I respect them. But if it’s a friend or whatever (smile), and I feel like I can sidetrack them for a bit … but the bad thing is, the guys that know me, know that I’m probably doing that a little bit every once in a while.
Q: Give me an example.
A: I know Kevin Millar, he would do it. I think it would actually make him better, so I tried *** not *** to talk to him. For some reason, I think talking made that guy hit better.
Q: Why do you relish throwing runners out?
A: It’s just like hitting a home run, everybody’s watching you ’cause you did something good. This guy tried to steal something from you, and you threw him out. They’re usually stealing off the pitcher. You’re kinda at the mercy of whether he gets the ball to you quick enough or not and how he gets a read off the pitcher. So when you’re able to kinda defy those odds and then throw a guy out, and then the whole stadium has to kinda watch the guy shamelessly walk back to the dugout, it’s kind of a fun moment (smile). A small victory that you’re standing there with your chest tall and he’s gotta put his head down and go back, that’s kinda cool.
Q: Best baseball moment?
A: Being at the All-Star game in 2010. … You always have that attached to your name.
Q: Worst baseball moment?
A: I don’t know … so many of ’em (smile). I think I’ve got in a good habit of trying to forget all of ’em since that does happen so often.
Q: How do you like playing in New York?
A: I love it. There’s not really much energy that can match playing in a big city like this, in a big market.
Q: Why did you decide to live in Manhattan?
A: It’s New York, why wouldn’t I want to live there (smile)?
Q: Why was it important for you to have the Twin Towers represented on your painted helmet that you auction off for charity every year?
A: Because it was one of the hardest things our country’s gone through, not to mention New York. It symbolizes how when people stick together how strong we can be to help each other through stuff. There’s some people still affected by it today, so if I could just put it on my helmet to get people to recognize it, I feel like it’s a good opportunity to do that.
Q: Where were you on 9/11?
A: I was actually on a bus going to play a championship series, and we were all sleeping early in the morning and the bus driver turns on the radio. … We pulled into the hotel, finally, and then right as we all kinda gathered in, that’s when the second plane hit.
Q: You have twin 5-year-old boys, Brody and Cooper, and another child on the way.
A: Brody never sits still, and Cooper can get locked in on anything and sit in the same chair for an hour. They’re busy 99.9 percent of the time, that’s for sure.
Q: You and your wife grew up together in Salt Lake City. How did you propose?
A: I was at one of her last volleyball games [at Snow College]. They called her to the 10-foot line at a volleyball game. … I proposed to her at the 10-foot line in her volleyball game.
Q: Describe the time you rescued two women from a flipped car in Plantation, Fla.
A: We were going to look at a house that we were gonna rent, and I was pulling out, and I saw this tree shaking. It was violently shaking, obviously, and as I pulled up, that car must have just hit it when we saw that tree, it was a big palm tree. I saw it smoking, so I put it in park, my wife’s like, “Get out, go over there.” So I pull over and get over there, the lady was kinda like halfway out the window and the car was smoking or whatever, so me and another guy just helped pull the ladies out. They’d hit something and flipped over. It was two older ladies. … People made it out to be a lot more heroic than it really was.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Abraham Lincoln, Gary Carter, Muhammad Ali.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Bull Durham.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Will Ferrell.
Q: Hobbies?
A: I like to hunt.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Pizza … bowl of chili up on the mountain … or anything my wife cooks.
Q: What would you want your teammates and Mets fans to say about you?
A: That I played the game hard and I played the game right.
A: Will Ferrell.