Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Given the opportunity, the rookie will not reflect.
He will not muse, contemplate or ruminate. He will not dwell on the past, nor speculate about the future. Today, he says, is difficult enough.
Then Doug Waechter smiles.
And you think maybe, just maybe, he understands.
He understands that all he hears is not necessarily true. That all he sees is not all there is. That he has been given an opportunity and not a promise.
"Can I relax?" Waechter asks, "Yeah, when I retire."
It would be so easy for Waechter to think otherwise. To recall the applause that followed him off the mound after throwing a shutout in his first Devil Rays start. To remember the ease of his first three victories in succession.
What the heck, isn't everyone reminding him of that anyway? He's got 35 innings in the big leagues and already is the hometown hero. He was a hit at civic clubs in the offseason and a celebrity in local school visits.
A week into spring training games he essentially was assured the No.5 spot in the rotation. On Tuesday, Lou Piniella suggested he was more like No.4.
Shoot, from here it's just a short leap to stardom.
All Waechter must do is hurdle the ruin of Joe Kennedy's promise and clear the mess of Ryan Rupe's potential.
You do remember them, don't you? Like Waechter, they began a season at Double A and were in the Rays rotation by the end of summer.
Rupe reached the majors 11 months after he was drafted and threw a one-hitter in his fourth big-league start in 1999.
Kennedy showed up a month after his 22nd birthday and won three of his first four decisions in 2001.
These days, neither wears a Rays uniform, nor did they ever recapture the magic of that first month in the big leagues.
"A lot of young players have success when they get called up during the season," Piniella said. "You find out it's a little different the next year. You've had all winter to think about making the club. Now you get to spring training and you still have to show everybody you belong. I think Doug will do just that. Let's put it this way: My money is on him."
Perhaps there is an art to developing pitchers. Or maybe it is a science. Either way, to most major-league teams, it remains a mystery.
Heaven knows the Rays have put a lot of work into it. Eight amateur drafts, in case you hadn't counted, with 112 pitchers chosen and signed.
And not a star in the bunch.
Not that the Rays are alone. Across the board, the going rate for draft picks reaching the majors is roughly one out of 10. Of their 112 drafted pitchers, the Rays have a pretty solid ratio with 15 making it to Tropicana Field. But Kennedy and Rupe have been the only ones to stick.
Early on, the Rays tried pampering Rupe and it didn't seem to help. They sent Kennedy directly into the fire and that, too, worked poorly.
For Waechter, the plan is simpler. Just trust what they see.
"His debut as a starting pitcher is one of the highlights in this organization's history," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "But it was the way he continued to pitch against good teams that was so impressive.
"There were nights when he didn't have his best stuff, certainly not like he did in his first start, but he continued to battle and gave us a chance to win. That's a sign of a major-league pitcher. As a pitcher in this league, there are a few starts where you have great stuff and no one can touch you. Some starts you've got nothing and can't get anyone out. But it's all those starts in between that decide what kind of pitcher you're going to be."
There is still much for Waechter, 23, to learn. Additional pitches that must be developed. Adjustments that will have to be made.
What gives the Rays hope is the way Waechter approaches the game. He has a business-like demeanor on the mound. Confident, but not cocky like Kennedy. Calm, but not casual like Rupe. He has a maturity that cannot be taught.
"I realize those first few weeks were something special. I know I'll never forget what that meant," Waechter said. "But I've focused on continuing where I left off. I haven't worried about what expectations I have on me.
"I'm not worried about what other people think I'm supposed to do. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not going to get ahead of myself."
The closest Waechter has come to serious self-examination is the speeches he has given to school children. The talks, he said, were nothing special. Just a recounting of his life story. Maybe a mention of his faith.
And what was the message?
"That if you believe in yourself," Waechter said, "you can accomplish anything."