Talking With: Jeff Kent

BK: When you talk about things to expect, you're talking about stuff like this. Interviews and media attention.

JK: Stuff like exactly what you're talking about. What you're doing right now. It's all wasted time that you wouldn't be talking to me about unless we were meaning something going into the end. I hate to say it but it's true. And it takes away from my time right now. And I'm accepting of doing it. I don't have a problem with it. But you had yours and then the other media people, they want to do theirs, and they want to do theirs, and they want to do postgame, pregame, and it just becomes overwhelming and sometimes players can forget about the game. So you have to be an ass, if you will, and just say, "No, I want to play." The only reason why you guys are here is because we're playing well. Now if I do your stuff and do all this, that might not allow me to do my pregame routine or be prepared for the game, and then I'll suck and you'll start writing about how bad I am. Well, it was probably your fault in the first place. So it's a cycle.

BK: It can be a hard thing for a young player to say no to someone as persuasive as me.

JK: It is. But I'm a seasoned jerk, so I can say no.

BK: You've had years to practice.

JK: Yeah.

BK: You've seen stretch drives, you've seen good teams and bad. How good can this group be?

JK: Oh, I don't know. Everybody wants to know and predict that. All teams, every team that I've been on. I don't know. I've never really thought about it, I really don't care much about (trying to analyze it). We'll see. I always play the "we'll see" attitude. We'll see. We'll see how good we can be. And then at the end, when we accomplish what we want to accomplish or when we don't accomplish that, then I'll tell you how good we were.

BK: On a personal level, you've struggled with injury this season, some of your numbers are down. Has this been a more difficult year for you than years past?

JK: This has been better. We're four games up in the West. I'm not playing for me. This has been a different year because of injuries and because our entire lineup is being productive. So when the entire lineup is productive, that stretches out my productivity if you will. I'm passing it along. People make a big deal, the media makes a big deal about that too, but that's a good thing. That's a good thing that I'm not having to carry a team, or two guys or three guys are carrying the team. That's a great thing, because that allows us to be more of a unit, which will enable us to win more ballgames, and it's proven that. I hope people don't translate one person or two people on this team, but look at the big picture. And the big picture is that we're playing well in the West, we've got a chance to do some good things, and it's not relying on one guy, and that's great. That just gives us a better chance.

BK: Does that make it more fun for you as a player to come to the park?

JK: Oh you bet. You bet. I can pass the torch. Take the walk, or take the day off and let someone else produce and still win. And that's great. They don't have my stats on a World Series ring. They usually put the wins and losses, but they don't put the stats.

BK: Do you think at this point in your career about how much longer you want to do this? How much longer you want to put up with people like me and the grind and the rest of it?

JK: Sometimes. Sometimes I do, and it's soon. It really is. It's right around the corner. Somebody will either knock me on the head, I'll knock myself out, or some kid will take my job, or they won't pay me any money anymore. Something's gonna happen, and it's right there. I'm right on the edge. I'm holding on with one foot.

BK: In terms of your ability to keep playing or your desire to do it? Is it the kid coming to take your job or just you wanting to show up in the first place?

JK: Well, I'll be arrogant enough to say right now I haven't had a kid compete with me yet for my job. So it's gonna be more so desire and opportunity to win. I think those are going to be the contributing factors of me walking away from the game. And it's coming.

BK: So you can understand someone like (Packers quarterback) Brett Favre, over the summer, struggling to figure out if he wanted to play? All the time it took for him to make a decision?

JK: He's probably hanging on with one pinkie. If you're in the offseason and you're taking six months to decide if you want to play or not, you've just got to hang it up. I think in that scrimmage game, he showed a little bit of where his mindset is. I'm either in it or not in it. I'm not on the fence. And it sounds like he's on the fence, and when you need to be at the top of your game for your teammates, if you're just playing half-ass, you're not giving them credit of what you can be, and that's not fair to your teammates or the organization. So yeah, I feel for him, but I won't be on the fence like he is. I'm either going to be on one side or the other.

BK: Does a World Series make a difference in that?

JK: Oh, you bet. I won't be selfish enough to sacrifice poor play to get a World Series, unless the organization really wants me. So it'll factor in with a some heavy weight.

BK: So this could be a big year in a lot of ways.

JK: Yeah.

BK: Do you think about what kind of player that you want people to remember you as? When you walk away, what you want your legacy to be?

JK: No. Because I've been building it ever since I played this game. People respect who I am and what I play and what I do. They might not like it. They might hate it — hate me, rather. They might hate me or hate the way I go about my business, but they respect the way that I play this game, and that's all I ever cared about.

BK: It's less important what people in general think about you, and more important what the people you played with think, in terms of respect?

JK: You bet. You're boiling it down to — I'll mention that Larry King gave me a quote from Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra had mentioned to him that the only thing he owes the people is his best performance. That kind of fits right into my MO, is my best performance is determined by the team that I play for. So that's first and foremost. I've got a lot of people who respect the way that I play and appreciate it. And I've tried to be a good example, and be media friendly at times, but other times I haven't. But at the end of the day, people respect the way that I play. And thoroughly. And that's what I care about.

BK: Is that media friendliness, or lack thereof, a choice that you've made, or a function of your personality?

JK: Both. That's my function and that's my choice. I believe that I owe the fans who pay to watch me play on TV and here at the ballpark the best performance I can give. And whether that requires me to be a super nice guy, All-American, or whether that requires me to be a player with a chip on his shoulder, it doesn't matter. What's enabled me to have an edge and be competitive for 15-plus years is being able to be focused, and to not worry about the baggage, being ridiculed and criticized for stupid things like mustaches. Are you kidding me? That's the best you got? Or the car washing incident. Is that the same year I hit 37 (homers) and went to the World Series? Are you kidding me? Or the Barry Bonds fight. Are you kidding me? We went to the World Series that year. We had a dozen fights. Are you serious? That's all they got. And if that's all they got, I'm embarrassed for them.

BK: Do you think fans recognize that difference? Recognizing the difference between needing to be that guy on the field and off it?

JK: I don't know. I just think you can never satisfy the fan. I think you can satisfy the fan for which team you play for, but I don't know if you can satisfy the outside fan with just your performance. I think they want more, and that's not what I'm about. I'm the performing guy, and that's it.

BK: Have you ever felt like you didn't give your best performance? That you didn't hold up your end of the bargain?

JK: Oh, I've sucked at times. I've been terrible. I've been embarrassed by the way I played the game, but I guarantee you on that day, I've given my best.

BK: It wasn't for lack of effort.

JK: No. Never. And that's what I'm proud of, and that's why I'll be respected in the game. And that's all I care about.

BK: Who are the players that you respected as a young player? Guys you patterned yourself after?

JK: Dave Winfield. Joe Carter. Dale Murphy. Jack Morris. Guys that I came in the league with, first year. Dusty Baker, when I played for him, I started to know more about Dusty. A little bit of Bobby Gritch. I watched him when I was a kid, playing for the Angels. Gritty. Those types of players. I don't know everything about those guys, but I picked up on little things and just kind of translated it into who I am and why I am. So that's about it.

BK: How has the game changed since you started? Whether it's more money coming into the game, as more drug news comes out, fans think of you differently, or whatever.

JK: Because of drugs?

BK: Because of drugs, because of guys getting paid the way they do. A guy like A-Rod, if he made half the money he does, he'd probably get a fifth of the grief. Or a tenth.

JK: Based on A-Rod, I think we all should be paid as much as A-Rod gets paid. That's the American way, isn't it? I think people are more so jealous of him than anything else. That's why they boo him so much, because they're jealous they don't get it. It's the American way. Who's gonna want to go out there and bitch because they got a pay raise? Nobody. Nobody in the world's gonna bitch because they got a pay raise.

But I've seen the game change a lot in 15 years, and I'm seeing it change in a big way now because of the drug policy in place, and I'm proud that it's in place. It's come a long way. There's been a lot of changes, and one of them has been the salary increases. And that's because the fan base has just increased multifold. The industry makes $3.5 billion, and there's only 750 players in the big leagues. Somebody's got to get paid. Salaries have had a big impact on a lot of things. Salaries had an impact on the drugs, because people, players were greedy. And it's disappointing, but I'm glad it's slowly getting cleaned up and people are starting to take notice of it and desiring for a clean game.

BK: What took so long, in terms of drug policy?

JK: Don't ask, don't tell. That's the reason why. They had to get beyond that, and when they got beyond that, it became an open book.

BK: In terms of management? The league? Players? Media?

JK: Everybody. Owners, players, media, union, everybody. Everybody. That's what took it so long. Somebody needed to come out of the closet, and they finally did.

BK: Was that frustrating for you as a player?

JK: It's always been frustrating for me as a player. I won't get into it too much with you, but it's always been disappointing as a player.

BK: Last question for you. Who is the best player you've ever seen play?

JK: In what category?

BK: Whether it's the best combination of skill and desire, pure ability, or however you define greatness. Different people define it differently.

JK: (long pause) Mr. Bonds was probably the best player I've ever seen play the game. But he's going through some legal problems right now that I know he's having to battle.

BK: Independent of all that, he's the best you've seen? Setting all that aside?

JK: I don't know. You know, I've seen great hitters, and I've seen players, I've seen great pitchers, I've seen great runners, great fielders. I don't know if there's one guy who's better at all those than everybody else. I hit behind Barry when he hit 70 home runs. I've played with great shortstops in Omar Vizquel, great pitchers in Roger Clemens. It's just disappointing in the era that I played in for a good period where there were some great players that I just don't have an answer for you.

BK: It's too hard to say because of all the questions that surround everything?

JK: Yeah, probably so. It's disappointing that I don't have an answer for you. And I have my reasons.