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Confessions
Of A Dangerous Mind
by Mike Ashmore
August 24, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat
On the mound, Matt DeSalvo has been labeled a cerebral
pitcher, something he takes as a compliment. Off of it, he's
no different, his vocabulary more reminiscent of a college
professor than a baseball player.
Answers to questions will often involve questions of his
own, or quotes from the increasingly long list of books he's
read that relate to what you've asked. Long, thoughtful
pauses make talking with the 25-year-old feel more like a
chess match than a conversation, with every move and every
word carefully chosen.
Unfortunately for DeSalvo, the next move belongs to the New
York Yankees, and it may lead to checkmate for his stay on
the 40-man roster.
Nobody could have seen this coming, not after a 2005 season
where he was Trenton's ace and especially not after his
strong showing in Spring Training this year, a 1-0 record
and 1.13 ERA putting him tantalizingly close to Yankee
Stadium.
"I'm aware that I was pretty close to being
there," DeSalvo said. "Looking back on the season,
it kind of tears you apart that something you were so close
to is so far away."
Starting the season in Triple-A Columbus an injury away from
a big league call-up, he didn't last half the season there
before being sent back to Double-A, the result of a 1-6
record and abysmal 7.68 ERA.
His return to Trenton, intended to build his confidence and
return him to the site of one of his most successful
seasons, only led to more struggles.
Through 12 starts, DeSalvo hasn't fared much better for the
Thunder, his 3-3 record rendered obsolete by a 6.97 ERA.
Nobody, himself included, seems to know how to answer the
inevitable questions about his fall from grace.
"I can't ask the questions that people are asking
me," DeSalvo said. "I need to be confident in
myself and forget everything else and stay focused."
While thinking too much is a popular theory for DeSalvo's
detractors, it's one that Thunder manager Bill Masse doesn't
put much thought to.
"He's been thinking his whole life," Masse said.
"People want to make something out of this that it's
really not. Before, it was the big joke -- this guy's the
best pitcher in the Eastern League and he reads novels and
does all this (stuff) and what a great story it is.
"Now, he's doing (poorly) and everybody wants to blame
it on that. He was successful last year doing the exact same
thing, so I don't think that has anything to do with
it."
Indeed, DeSalvo hasn't changed his routine, his head often
buried in what he referred to as "crazy books."
"Banned books, books that challenge norms," said
DeSalvo, defining his reading material.
"I'm not like this radical or some kind of rebel, I
just like to read a wide variety of books to get different
perspectives on certain subjects. That's just how I am, I
like critical thinking, it's very important to me."
Not only does DeSalvo enjoy reading books, he also writes
them as well, including a romance novel about a girl he fell
in love with.
"That's the one everyone talks about," he said.
Now, the pitcher Yankee officials fell in love has become
the one everyone talks about, if only for the wrong reasons.
"Matt DeSalvo's had a bad year," said Yankees
special advisor Reggie Jackson. "He's had some off the
field issues that we believe he's got straightened out.
Every year isn't a great year, but the organization still
loves him and is behind him."
The past a distant, detailed memory, DeSalvo instead chooses
to focus on his future.
"The biggest step for me is my next step," he
said. "It's not my initial step, I've already taken my
initial step. I'm here, and I've made a name for myself.
Now, I just need to keep walking."
His status in the Yankees organization up in the air after
this season, what clubhouse Matt DeSalvo will be walking
towards in 2007 remains a mystery.
But that's a story that only he can write.
Thunder Notes: Tyler Clippard threw the first
no-hitter in the 13 year history of the Thunder last
Thursday in Harrisburg, needing 116 pitches to accomplish
the feat. After starting the year 2-9 with a 5.69 ERA,
Clippard might have looked like the most unlikely to do it
early in the season, but the no-no capped a remarkable
turnaround, evening his record to 10-10 and lowering his ERA
to 3.56.
"In my first couple innings, I didn't really have my
best stuff," Clippard said. "Later on, everything
started clicking and I realized what I was capable of
accomplishing and I was able to do it."
Around The Eastern League: All-Star Washington
Nationals infielder Jose Vidro recently rehabbed with the
Harrisburg Senators while Trenton was there, going 2-for-8
with an RBI in three games.
For More On Mike: MikeAshmore.com
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