This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Read the full digital edition.
Mile High Sports Radio’s Les Shapiro sits down with Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado.
LES: You’re typically one of the first guys to the ballpark. Do you get here that early to start working out [during Spring Training]?
NOLAN: Yeah, usually. Some days I like to rest and get some sleep, but for the most part I wake up around 6:15 a.m. and try and get here by 6:45. I go eat and try and get in the cage by 7:10 or 7:15. I have a routine that I like to do, and it’s just kind of the way I like to do it.
When you were first called up I’m watching you in the dugout, and you were bouncing off the walls. Do you still have that kind of energy?
Yeah, I mean it’s slowing down, I will say. My body is not letting me as much, but yeah the energy is there. I love coming to the ballpark, and that has never changed. If anything, I love coming to the ballpark more now that I am getting older than a couple years ago. I think when you’re young, you don’t take it for granted, but you don’t realize what you have. I think I realize what I have here, and how fortunate I am.
You also have some pretty good stats over the past couple years. Does that make you want to work even harder?
Yeah, exactly. I don’t want to let up, and this game is hard and this game will humble you quick. I think the best thing I can do is keep my mouth shut and just go about my business and work hard. The last couple years have been pretty special, but I want to continue those special years.
I was talking with former Rockies general manager Bob Gebhard last year. Before the game he said, “Do you realize that you’ve got not just the best fielding third baseman in baseball, but you’ve got the best hitting third baseman in baseball?” I wonder why it’s not recognized more nationally.
Well first of all, tell him I say “thank you.” I appreciate that. I think when you play for Colorado there is always a little asterisk right next to your name. I think that goes for me, for Todd Helton, Larry Walker and [Troy Tulowitzki]; I think that goes for everyone that’s played here. That’s just the way it is. Honestly, I don’t care what people say; I don’t care about what people do. I care about what I need to do and what I need to get done to help this team win.
Winning would help too right?
Exactly. Winning changes everything. The [Cleveland] Indians are not the most popular team, but when they win they become a lot more recognizable. I think they’ve always had good players, but now people are really noticing how good those guys are because they win.
Your family holds a whiffle ball tournament. More trash talk in whiffle ball or Major League Baseball?
I think probably in the majors with other teams and players, they always talk a little trash. Like [Madison] Bumgarner is talking trash to you. Actually, no – probably my cousins. I mean there is a lot of trash talk, a lot of pimping of homers, flipping the bat higher than ever and that’s just kind of the way we do it.
Why isn’t there more trash talk in the majors?
I think back in the day there used to be a lot of trash talk. I think trash talk has gone down just because I think they are trying to calm the game down – no takeout slides and no taking out the catcher. There a lot of little things that changed. There are some people that still have an edge and they’ll talk trash –Bumgarner and [Johnny] Cueto. There are guys that will let you know how they’re pitching and stare you down. Sometimes I’ll do it too, around the bases if I get a big hit.
