Post columnist Steve Serby caught up with veteran Yankees outfielder Raul Ibanez for a Q&A session.
Q: What’s it like for you being a New York Yankee?
A: I grew up watching the Yankees. I grew up in Miami. Channel 39 in Miami, that kinda became the Yankee station for us. Prior to having cable, prior to TBS, that was really like my teams. I loved Reggie Jackson. I used to watch Reggie Jackson, Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss, Thurman Munson, I had all their baseball cards. … I loved Graig Nettles, loved that guy. … Mickey Rivers, Roy White, I remember all those guys … the Goose [Rich Gossage], [Ron] Guidry, Catfish Hunter … I loved them. And then once, of course, you get to the big leagues, you start looking at the game a little differently. The Yankees … knocked us [Mariners] out of the playoffs in 2000. Then they knocked the Phillies out of the World Series in ’09, so I wasn’t a big Yankee fan anymore. Becoming a Yankee … just to know that I can forever be part of this great organization, is such an honor, and a blessing.
Q: Is there an aura about the Yankees?
A: I think there’s a certain mystique, yeah, there is. There is. And when you’re on the other side … people I think carry some stereotypes about, when you play against the Yankees, they kinda think certain things about the Yankees, like “they’re cocky,” that type of thing. But it’s nothing like that. It’s actually some of the most humble guys I’ve ever played with are in this clubhouse.
Q: Talk about the young Alex Rodriguez.
A: We played together in ’94 in Single A.
Q: What was he like then?
A: Very driven. Very hard-working. Really passionate about the game. Had an incredible drive to be the best player in the game. That was his goal then.
Q: And how would you describe him now?
A: Really very similar to that. He hasn’t changed much … really, really smart player. And a great teammate.
Q: How would you sum up what your career has been like?
A: I could tell you that everything I’ve ever been able to accomplish, it’s been by the grace of God. But it’s also been pure will, determination and drive and integrity. … I’ve scratched and fought and clawed for everything that I’ve gotten in this game. I think it’s been about tenacity and about hard work.
Q: It took you eight years to get an opportunity to play every day.
A: I think who I thought I was in my mind didn’t match up with who I was on the field. So I just kinda stayed focused on who I believed I could be. And I would say things to myself like, “My circumstances don’t define me.”
Q: Your first home run?
A: [Mariners manager] Lou Piniella pulled me aside right before I went up to bat [Sept. 26, 1997, vs. Oakland pitcher Mike Oquist], and he said something like, “Swing like a man” type thing, “not like …”
Q: A wimp?
A: A wimp, Not that nice, yeah. I was so irate, I went on deck, and I went up to bat, and the guy got in a 3-0 count and I looked down and he gave a 3-0 green light and I remember thinking to myself, “You want me to swing away, I’ll show you.” And I hit my first home run.
Q: Where was that?
A: In the Kingdome. I hit it in the third deck in the Kingdome.
Q: And when you got back to the dugout?
A: I was still mad about what he said. He’s like, “Thataway, that’s good,” like “kinda good job.” And I thought, “Oh, he got me to do what he wanted me to do,” you know (smile).
Q: What was he like to play for?
A: He was really an intense, smart manager, and he was a good leader.
Q: How would you describe Joe Girardi?
A: He’s a very good leader … great leader … very smart, cerebral, and a really good communicator. And he’s always the same. Never acts any differently whether you’ve won nine in a row or lost a few in a row, he never acts any differently. It’s a great compliment in this game.
Q: Did you ever meet George Steinbrenner?
A: Never. I wish I did. You know what George Steinbrenner did for me once? I had a shoulder injury, I was in winter ball, and my agent called to find a doctor nearby that I can come and see and check my shoulder out. Apparently he called the Yankees ’cause they had their people in Tampa. He spoke this time to George Steinbrenner. So we had to call the Mariners, the Mariners said yes, it’d be OK, go and do it. But when I landed, Mark Littlefield, who’s now our trainer, picked me up at the airport. This is 1997. George had his guys pick me up at the airport, drive me to the doctor, wait for me, pick me up from there ’cause my flight wasn’t ’til later that afternoon, take me back to the minor league complex, and feed me. And I was in that locker room, and I heard his voice. He was in there. Heard his voice. And I wasn’t even part of the Yankee organization. I was scared, as a young player And one of my regrets is I didn’t pop out around the corner and go say “hello, and thank you.” I obviously sent a message through my agent, but I was so grateful. What a classy thing to do.
Q: What was it like playing in Philadelphia for those fans?
A: Great place. Just an amazing experience. Great fans, very passionate. You have generations of families that have followed the Phillies, and a lot of people wind up going back to live there. It’s like a big city, but it’s like a small town too, because everyone kinda comes back to the roots.
Q: How did it feel to lose the 2009 World Series to the Yankees.
A: I remember how quiet it seemed when the Yankees celebrated on the field, and I remember how empty a feeling it was. It was way harder than anything else I’ve ever done in the game.
Q: What drives you?
A: I think being the best I could be. Knowing at the end of the day that I did everything I could that day to be the best player, husband, father, teammate, friend that I could be. … I think I’ve been driven by different factors over time. I think for a long time I was motivated by proving people wrong. And then later on, you realize that it didn’t really matter what people thought anyway, so who cares what they think anyway?
Q: What did the doubters early on say about you that bothered you?
A: I grew up, I was the youngest of three boys, so I got told a lot, “You can’t do that,” or that type of thing. I was a 36th-round pick. … I think there was an issue where they didn’t think I would sign, that’s what I was told. Early on, it was, “He’s not really a prospect.” Then I became a prospect. Then when I got to the big leagues, they said, “He can’t play regularly.” Then I started playing against righties and then it was like, “Well he can’t play every day.” And then it was, “Well, he can’t play defense.” And then it was, “Well, he can’t repeat it.” It was always something. I really used that as fuel for a long time, and then after a while I realized it was irrelevant. I was really on a quest to be the best that I can be, excellence.
Q: Boyhood idols?
A: My dad, and my brothers … and George Brett (chuckle).
Q: Why George Brett?
A: Everything he did was just cool. I loved watching George Brett play. High socks, the way he hit, the way he fielded, everything about him.
Q: Your dad?
A: My dad [Juan] was awesome. Just a very strong, resilient man who was always a very positive, quiet encourager in my life. Pretty stoic, pretty even-keeled all the time. Hardly ever got upset. … When he did, everyone knew, but it didn’t happen very often. He had great control of himself, and great self-discipline.
Q: Did he encourage your baseball career?
A: Yes. Always. From when I was a kid. I got the passion from him and from my older brothers [Armando and Tony].
Q: Where did you play with your brothers?
A: In front of the house. They used to make these tape balls, or rubber band balls … tiny little balls … and throw all kinds of sliders and knuckle curves and all kinds of stuff, sinking fastballs, everything. The only way you can get a hit was if you hit a line drive. If you hit on the ground, you were out. If you hit in the air, you were out — unless it went like over the neighbor’s tree, which was a long way. … I couldn’t do it so it was a line drive game. And now looking back on it, I realize that’s how I learned how to hit.
Q: How long do you want to play?
A: I don’t know. I like it. I enjoy it. I’m having fun. I don’t really think that far ahead, the only thing I think about is how I can get better today.
Q: What was it like turning 40?
A: Like the Y2K (smile). A couple of days before, you start getting a little concerned, then you wake up that morning and you look around and everything’s the same (smile).
Q: If you didn’t know how old you were, how old would you think you are?
A: 20. In my mind, right? I think I’m in between 20 and 25, I think. I forget. Except I have a lot of kids. We have four. And one on the way [in October].
Q: Does your oldest son, 10-year-old R.J., want to play ball?
A: That’s what he loves, yes.
Q: Did R.J. get a kick when you signed with the Yankees?
A: Loved it. Loved it. He hated the Yankees when we (Phillies) lost to them in the World Series in ’09. I actually ran into Jorge Posada in Miami — probably November, December — and my son was in the car. I was at this place that sells these smoothies, and I came in the car and I said, “Hey buddy, you know who that was?” And he goes, “Yeah.” I go, “Who?” And he goes, “Jorge Posada,” kinda like in a dull monotone. I go, “You want to meet him?” And he goes, “No.” … He was still mad, about the World Series. So then, when I told him I was gonna become a Yankee, he kinda got the biggest grin on his face, and he said, “Do it, Dad. Do it, yes!” So he got so fired up, I said, “What happened to you?” He said, “That was a long time ago, Dad.”
Q: Sophia is 8.
A: Really free spirit. Really creative. Artistic. She rides horses competitively. Loves it. Really scientific mind. Into bugs and wants to catch ’em and pick ’em apart and loom at ’em. Not dissect ’em, but really examine ’em. Just a special, passionate little girl full of life. Doesn’t really get upset about anything.
Q: Victoria is 6.
A: Really intense, competitive. Athletic and girly at the same time. Everything she does, she wants to be the best at.
Q: Carolina is 3.
A: She’s a combination of Victoria and Sophia.
Q: The next one, boy or girl?
A: Boy.
Q: What is your wife Tery like?
A: She’s just an incredible human being … incredible mother … an incredible wife … incredible companion … compassionate … kind … sweet … demanding (smile). … She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.
Q: Talk about jiu jitsu.
A: It’s about leverage and about posture, and all of these things that translate to baseball. It’s a lot of fun.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Jesus, Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein.
Q: Why Da Vinci?
A: How far ahead of everybody else he was, how open-minded he was and how brilliant he was.
Q: Favorite movies.
A: “Gladiator,” “Scarface.”
Q: Are you a gladiator on the field?
A: I think when you go in the gym, and you train and stuff during the winter, I think sometimes a movie like that can be inspiring. I don’t know that I see myself as a gladiator on the field, no.
Q: How would you describe your temperament on the field?
A: I think it’s pretty intense. I would say that my temperament on the field is a little different from my temperament off the field. Off the field things don’t really bother me or aggravate me very often. It takes a long time to get me upset. I think on the field, you’re in a more intense state of focus, so I think things can get to you a little bit more. Over the years you kinda learn to try to tame that side.
Q: Favorite actors?
A: Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Gwyneth Paltrow.
Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?
A: Switch Foot, Pearl Jam, Rush, U2, old-school hip hop.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Black beans and rice, a skirt steak, boiled yuca with mojo on it.
Q: What would you want Yankees fans to say about you?
A: I gave ’em everything I had, and that I played the game the right way, and that I helped the team win.
Q: If your life story was a movie, what emotional scenes should be in that movie that we haven’t talked about?
A: I played a game in college on the day that I buried my father. I think at the time … my dad never missed a day of work … so I felt, “My dad would want me to play.” I don’t know if I did it ’cause of that or if I just didn’t want to feel the pain, and I thought that that would help. … The birth of my children … getting non-tendered while I’m in winter ball, and I just found out that my wife is pregnant … getting designated for assignment twice in a month with a pregnant wife, and we have to pack up an apartment and move everything. … Those were difficult times, and you know what? By the grace of God, it all worked out.
steve.serby@nypost.com