The Post’s Steve Serby fired questions at Mets phenom Matt Harvey, who will make his major-league debut tonight in Arizona.
Q: Describe your mound temperament.
A: (Buffalo Bisons catcher) Rob Johnson in Triple-A … told me, “When you’re out there, have perception.” Make people think that you have a purpose for every single thing that you do. If you throw a ball, maybe you meant to throw it. The hitter looks at you. Maybe say you give up a two-run homer, you step back on the mound like nothing happened, and you’re going after the next guy. He told me a lot of the good guys that he’s watched and caught, you could never tell. While I’m on the mound, I try and keep everything even.
Q: OK, but what’s going on inside you?
A: Pitch by pitch. I like to make it a game, and really see how hard I can work at concentrating on that single pitch. Who’s really helped me with that is (former MLB lefty) Don Carman. He’s a sports psychologist through the (Scott) Boras organization that I talk to. He always says, “You can’t promise anything, all you can promise is you’re gonna give 100 percent effort for that pitch.” And that’s kinda how I take everything. Inside I say, “I’m gonna see how much I can concentrate on this one pitch and let it go.” And f I fail that one pitch, then I bring it back, and I just start the game all over on the next pitch. That keeps everything going, slows the game down, and keeps me locked in.
Q: This was your idea.
A: Me personally, it wasn’t something that I needed, it was something that I wanted to pursue. If I had the physical ability to do things, why not have the mental ability to do that much more.
Q: Where did you see Carman?
A: They hooked it up so that we could talk. We’ve talked on the phone, and I’ve met him numerous times.
Q: How many times would you say you’ve spoken to him over the years?
A: Hundreds.
Q: Will you call him before (today)?
A: Absolutely.
Q: What do you think you might ask him?
A: I don’t really ask him anything. If I have a certain thing going on, it’s simple adjustments. We’ve got to the point where we talk so much, that he can kinda tell what’s going on, and where I’m at, and if I need to remember to keep everything pitch by pitch or something like that, he can kinda sense that and he goes right after it. We’ve got a really good relationship and he’s kinda felt me out pretty well.
Q: Give me a specific example how he helped you.
A: Going into the draft my junior year, and pressing a little too hard and trying to do that much more instead of sticking with what I have, and my ability and going after it. Not the outcome of everything, but going pitch by pitch as I said. That was when my body felt great, but I wanted to fix some things that may not have been correct in my mental standpoint. I’m not saying I was a head case or anything like that, I knew that everything was there, and I wanted to COMPLETELY make sure that everything was there.
Q: Where have you made the greatest strides in the last year as a pitcher?
A: Really evaluating what’s going on at that certain time, and picking up on a certain hitter. If he’s lunging in the box, whereas last year I might not have learned to do that, I can tell now — and if he’s lunging, then I bust him in. If he’s thinking in, then maybe go away … if he’s pulling off . … it’s making the adjustments.
Q: What pitch have you made the most advancements with in the last year?
A: Definitely the changeup. I threw it a lot my freshman, sophomore year of college. It was always there. The lefties on my team hated to hit me. Not throwing it for two years, it kinda slipped away. It was something that I had to kinda fidget my grip with a little bit. Once I did that, it clicked.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Jennifer Aniston: Derek Jeter; Michael Jordan.
Q: Why Jeter?
A: He was my idol growing up. I loved the way that Paul O’Neill played. And I loved how everyone respected Derek Jeter for the person that he was and the stand-up guy that he was …the hard worker and the gamer, and he did it day in and day out, never showed anything, never did anything bad in the media or anything like that. People looked up to him everywhere he went. He was like every kid’s idol growing up. Just getting a chance to talk to him and see how he handled everything and how he went about his business, I think that would be helpful.
Q: How many times did you go to Yankee Stadium as a kid?
A: A lot.
Q: Favorite Yankee Stadium memories.
A: I think Paul O’Neill went 3-for-4, maybe hit a home run to go ahead or something like that, and in his last at-bat I think he struck out or something, and classic Paul O’Neill helmet toss and bat toss and ran out to right field, as the crowd started chanting his name, and there he is in right field practicing his swing, doing dry swings in the outfield. I remember looking down on that and going, “Man, I want to be like that guy.”
Q: But you’re very mild-mannered?
A: I can turn it on and off. I used to be worse. I used to get pretty angry, and want to be absolutely perfect all the time. Then as I got older, I kinda learned to hide that emotion and if I do have it, then go down in the tunnel or in the back room somewhere and find a punching bag (chuckle).
Q: How do you handle it now?
A: You play the game for so long, you can’t dwell on what had just happened, you have to move forward and keep going on, especially as a pitcher you get the next pitch and you’re thinking about the pitch before and then the next one might be over the fence as well, or hit hard so … just flushing things out.
Q: Who are you more like your mom or your dad?
A: My dad. He’s calm like I am. He likes to have fun at the same time. He knows when to be serious and when to joke around and laugh and have fun and dance around and do things like that. I think I’ve become a lot more like him as I’ve gotten older. He coached me in high school, and when I wasn’t in high school, I watched how he was, and how he was on the field and how he was towards his players. A lot of people respected him, and I look up to that, and I think as I got older and really appreciated that, I became more and more like him.
Q: You pitched the game that got your father’s high school team to the state championship game. What was it like winning it with him?
A: I got a chance to pitch in the semis. Of course knowing me, I wanted to come back and throw the next game. We beat ‘em like 10-0, or something like that. I got to play first that game. It was an awesome experience.
Q: Why North Carolina?
A: I really enjoyed everything that they had to offer — the basketball games,the academics, even though you’re not really known as a huge football school, it still was a lot of fun, and it still had good crowds. I loved the weather, being from the Northeast (Mystic, Conn.), the baseball season can get pretty cold. I went down there and loved the campus and loved the people. I think what really separated my decision was … my mom had showed me some pictures of me when I was five, six years old wearing North Carolina blue. Whenever me and my dad would play living room basketball or kitchen basketball on like a door hinge, he was Larry Bird and I was Michael Jordan from North Carolina (smiles).
Q: Your father played in the 1972 College World Series for Connecticut. Was it his dream to be a major-league player?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Is he now going to live vicariously though you?
A: He loves it. Obviously he knows when to kinda leave me alone and let me do my thing, but I’m sure he would love being here every single day. It’s definitely gonna be a really special moment for him.
Q: Did he used to play catch with you in the backyard?
A: From what they always tell me, I would drag him after a long day at work and a long day at practice, I would make him sit on a bucket and catch pitches from me on the side of the house. He’d rag on me still to this day saying that I wore him out and made him older than he is because of the extra throws that I threw to him on the side of the house after a long day of practice yelling at his players (smiles).
Q: Shea Stadium memories?
A: Plenty of Mike Piazza home runs. Those were fun to watch.
Q: Any favorite pitchers?
A: It was always hard for me to get away from the famous three in Atlanta — Smoltz and Glavine and Maddux. John Smoltz somebody that I really, really enjoyed watching. Obviously watching Doc Gooden fire a fastball and flip off that curveball is something I always wanted to be like.
Q: Favorite movies?
A: I grew up a Yankee fan, I liked “61*”; “Platoon” and “Saving Private Ryan.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Will Ferrell.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Jennifer Aniston.
Q: Favorite entertainer or singer?
A: Eric Clapton.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Anything my mom makes — lobster scampi.
Q: Hobbies?
A: Fishing, golf.
Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
A: I love to dance, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I wish I was a lot better at it. Like hip hop dancing and club dancing. I love music. As soon as music comes on, I’m either bobbing my head or trying to dance somewhere.
Q: What would you tell Mets fans about who you are, and what they should expect?
A: I’m here to win. I’m here to stay, and I’m gonna do everything I can to do both those things. I love to have fun and enjoy the game and enjoy every day.
Q: What drives you?
A: I love the little boy that’s in the stands and wants to be like you. I was that boy … woke up and was excited on Sunday morning to go down at 6 a.m. and watch SportsCenter and see who was on it, always wishing that I was making a cool play, or throwing a no-hitter, doing something like that. That was me who always wanted to do that. What really drives me is how I felt when I was in that person’s shoes. I want to be a role model for those kids. I don’t want to be mediocre. I want to be one of the best and somebody that a lot of people look up to.
steve.serby@nypost.com