TheGoal: Both of you have 6 years with 70 or more appearances, which had not been done in the history of the Major Leagues until the two of you. Groom - There were five of us who had done it for four years, We were the only two to have done it for five years, and now we've each done it the 6th year. 1996-2001. TheGoal: Mike, you've not been in the National League all six of those years? Myers - No. I've been in the National League four of those six years. Two years were with Detroit, then two with Milwaukee and two with Colorado. TheGoal: And Buddy, what about you? Groom - Four of those years were with Oakland, and the last two with Baltimore. I'm going back to Baltimore, and Mike's going back to Colorado. TheGoal: Mike, the highest number of appearances you had was 88? Myers - I had 83 appearances with Detroit in 1996, and 88 appearances in 1997. Then 70 in 1998, 71 in 1999, 78 in 2000, and this year was 75 or 76. Groom - I had 72 in 1996, then 75, 78, 74 or 5, then the last two years with Baltimore I had 70 right on the nose. TheGoal: Your best ERA? Myers – The year 2000, mine was 1.99. TheGoal: Pitching in Coors Field? Myers - It's better to be lucky than good. I had a really good group of guys coming in behind me. If I happened to struggle that day and left a runner on base they came in and made sure they didn't score. Groom - That's the key for anything. I did the one batter kind of thing for a couple years in a row, in '97 and '98. In '99 I was used a little more. The first year, in '96, I was used all the time. I had more innings than appearances. I had 72 appearances and 79 innings. My last two years in Baltimore, I have been in there for an inning - or an inning plus, as a set-up guy. I did close some this year. TheGoal: Any saves? Groom - I had 11 saves. TheGoal: How about you, Mike….any saves? Myers - No. I've had one save opportunity in the last three years, and converted the one I had. TheGoal: Are you still in the role of a left-handed specialist? Myers - I go in against the top left-handed hitter. My job is to get those guys out and stop whatever momentum the other team has and then turn it over to the right-handed guy, who comes in behind me. TheGoal: – Mike, how do you feel when you're brought in to pitch to one left-handed batter and you walk him? Myers - That's not fun. I didn't do my job. I'm brought in to get this one guy and didn't do it. I basically wasted a few minutes of the game. The previous guy could have just intentionally walked him and saved me the embarrassment, and I feel like I let the team down. More often than not, you get that one left-hander sometimes it can make or break the game. TheGoal: – It sets up a lot of other things. Myers - It sets up a bunch of other things. It puts more pressure than on the guy coming in. The toughest thing is to come in and get the first out of the inning. It's easy to get the 3rd out of the inning, at least that's the way I feel about it. Buddy might feel differently. There's a lot of pressure on that spot. But I love it. I get a lot of adrenaline from it. I love coming in to face Griffey and Bonds and Grace, and all the top left-handed hitters. It's fun. TheGoal: – How many homers did Bonds hit off you this year? Myers - He hit one ball about 300 feet, but it was caught. He was like 1 for 12 off me. TheGoal: - Would you prefer to pitch more than one left-hander? Myers - I've petitioned my manager, but I also know what my role is and how that role has to be solidified and stay the way it is for us to be a championship team. TheGoal: – You must have had like 60 holds this last year. Myers - No, not really. We just weren't that good. I expected to get a lot of holds. Usually I'm in the top 10, but this year I wasn't. I came in to tied games, or down by a run, and you don't get a hold for that. When you're not winning too often, you don't get those kinds of statistics. The bottom line is when it comes down to the end, I'm sitting at home watching the games on TV instead of going out to play them. TheGoal: You have a little side-arm motion, right? Myers - Somewhere between sidearm and submarine. It works effectively against lefties. In '96 and '97, I was the only left-hander to do it. Over the last couple years a few others have adopted it. Groom - They got me to drop down when I was in Oakland. I'm not down as extreme as Mike is. I'm down at a low 3/4 motion for lefties. Then for righties I get up over the top, for more deception. Right handed hitters can see the ball a lot longer with a left-handed side arm motion. That's one of the reasons they take Mike out against right-handed hitters. Same with a right-handed submariner, the left-handed hitters see the ball a lot longer. TheGoal: So, neither of you is a power pitcher? Myers - I'm not. Definitely not. Groom - You could probably consider me a power pitcher in one respect. I don't have more strikeouts than innings, but I throw hard. TheGoal: How hard? Groom - Hardest I've thrown on the gun is 95. Myers - Wow. You're throwing flames up there. Groom - But consistently, I'm throwing about 92. TheGoal: What's your best pitch, Buddy? Groom - Probably my fastball. But when I started dropping down a bit, my slider's pretty good to the lefties. It keeps them honest. Then I can use my fastball more and don't have to use my breaking ball as much. My fastball becomes better when I can show that I can throw the breaking ball for a strike. TheGoal