Justin Verlander conference call notes

JV:

“To be honest with you I didn’t allow myself to think about it until today. And then I started getting a little bit nervous. It was almost like pitching before a big game.

“I talked myself out of it saying I’m not going to win it, trying not tojinx it, saying, well don’t do that, you want this. Playing ping pong in my head really. Then just decided fat’es already been written, the votes are already in, there’s nothing I can do now but sit back and wait.

I got the phone call probably 15 minutes later than I got the cy young vote. I todl myself it wasn’t going to happen. right about the itme I was telling myself that was when I got the phonecall

weight off myshoulder, just pure elation really.

JV:

To be honest with you not even in my wildest dreams have I thought of this. This wasn’t even on my radar until the talk started. Then all of a sudden it was a this could actually happen kind of thing. it really helped being on a winning team, I didn’t think abuot it as much. it wasn’t personal. it was, I’m going to g out and win for hte tigers and try to get to theworld series.

roger clments, idol of mine, was the last estarting pithcing to do it. once I got into baseball, and remember seeing he won MVP and thinking that may never happen again and how impressive that was, that mean sa lot to me to be successor to that and be the next starting pitcher to win MVP coming from the last starting pitcher was my idol

it means a lto, especially with the way things were going with everybody saying they don’t know if I have a chanc,e whether the writers would shut me out because i’m a pticher.

I talked about it from the second half on and gave my reasons why a starting picher should be eligible. for all those reasons, i’m happy the voters acknowledged that.

obviously you can’t do it by yourself.

JV:

I talked to alex as soon a I found out. he was just as excited as I was I think. He said it made his day. It means a lot to me. I couldn’t have done it without him, what a tremendous year he had.

I texted Miggy, told him I wish him the best of luck today and hope one of us wins it. He texted me back congratulations

SP has to do something special to be as valuable or moreso than a position player.

having a chance to play in 160something games in the case of Miguel can obviously have a huge impact every day. I talked about, on my day, on a pitcher’s day, the impact we have is tremendous on that day. you have to have a great impact every day to supercede that. I guess this year was one of those years

JV:

This may set a precedent. I dont know what hte case wil be in the future. but obviously pitchers will not be written off because they’re a pitcher. that’s what I love about this game, the debate part of it. there’s plenty of that to be had.

I think the world valuable implies that something good happened.

with guys like bautists and ellsbury those guys not making the playoffs, I think thtat’s a major factor as to why I won.

since i’ve been in the game, the last starting pitcher was roger clmenets. it’s been a non-issue, it doesn’t come up that often … this is one of those things that never came up. this year about the halfway point was the first time for me that it presented itself. obviously I wanted it badly.

JV
Re Slider:

Pitch really helped me take a step forward. the last month or so I kidn of foudn soething with my slider, it had more depth when in the past it was more side to side.

(he talked so fast I missed half the answer)

qutie a group in such a historic franchise. just having my name involved with those idividuals means a lot to me. I stated in Detroit, hopefully I finish in Detroit. having my linked with those guys the rest of history means a lot for me and hopefully for the city of detroit

AMEN!

Last pitcher MVP was Clemens (passan-yahoo)

Yeah, but I don’t juice up like that fat prick..I’m clean.

Shit, I’m goin for the hat trick!

that might have cut down on the .com folks a bit.

Lucky for you Miggy didn’t win, trying to type out that mangled Spang-lish would have been quite a chore. :)

P.S. just having fun, I love me some Miggy!

that was cool to read. congrats again to JV!