Interview with Braves Second Baseman Marcus Giles

Many thanks to Marcus Giles for taking the time to speak with me several weeks ago. This was definitely my most interesting interview, as you will see, and one that at one point made me a bit nervous. But I had some questions I wanted to ask and I was going to ask them. My comments about the interview below are in italics.

Martin Gandy: I asked you in the middle of the year about the leadoff situation and your handling of that. As the year is almost complete now, do you think you can build on that if you're asked to do [leadoff] again?

Marcus Giles: Yeah, I guess I can, but the bottom line is I'd rather not be asked to do it again. Any way it works out, my main thing is trying to make this my last year in that spot.

Gandy: You know, this team in the past has been a lot about Smoltz moving to the pen, and Chipper moving to left field for the team. All you've been asked to do is move one spot up in the order, and you've made sort of a big deal about it. Do you think that's had any negative effects around here?

Giles: No, I don't know how I've made a big deal about it to be honest with you.

Gandy: Every chance you get you say you don't want to be there. That's expressing your opinion obviously but...

Giles: No, people ask me the question if I want to be there, so I say no. If the question is not asked I would never...you're kind of acting like I'm complaining about it. I've never once complained about it or made an excuse over it. Make that clear - that's for sure. This is kind of a mistaken article I think you've got going.

At that point Giles was pretty much through with the interview and walked away. I caught up with him several minutes later and apologized if my clumsy phrasing had led him to the wrong opinion of what I was asking him, and he agreed to continue the interview, though I figured I'd steer clear of the leadoff questions.

Gandy: How do you approach all the possible rumblings about them moving you in the off-season?

Giles: I don't even thing about, I don't lose sleep over it. It's just too much a part of the game. It happens, it's a business, and moves are made. I'm just going to wait and see I guess.

Gandy: How have injuries played a part in your season?

Giles: Not really bad. My left hand's gotten a pretty bad beating this year. And you know your hands are pretty important. One of the more important body parts you need for this game, but that's the thing. I've never been one to make excuses, and I'm definitely not going to start now.

Gandy: Got any plans for the off-season?

Giles: No, I'm just going to work out and get in shape for Spring Training.

Gandy: Thanks a lot Marcus.

Giles: You got it.

I must say I probably learned more about conducting player interviews from this interview than from any other I've done. I obviously started out the questions by going right for the jugular. In retrospect I should have asked some softball questions and gotten him a bit more comfortable with me before I sprang into the tough questions. I also could have phrased a couple of the questions a bit more delicately, but overall I wanted to ask him the tough questions and I think I did an okay job of it while getting some interesting responses.