It was October 3, 2006, and the first playoff game since
Tino Martinez’s retirement. The Detroit Tigers were about
to take on the American League East champs, the New York
Yankees, before a sold - out crowd at Yankee Stadium. He
stepped onto the mound to throw out the first pitch, like
so many Yankee greats had done in the past. The crowd of
56,000 roared with delight. The stadium shook as they chanted
“TINO.” He threw the pitch, a strike, and the 2006 playoffs
began.
For the 39-year- old Tampa native, this experience was a
great honor. As a player, he saw men like Joe DiMaggio,
Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra throw out the first pitch. To
be acknowledged amongst some of the greatest Yankees was
to him an expression of appreciation for the accomplishments
of the New York Yankee dynasty of the 1990’s; the team that
brought New York four World Series championships in 1996,
1998,1999 and 2000.
Tino Martinez’s baseball career began in the 1980’s as he
took Jefferson High School (Tampa) and Tampa Catholic High
School to state championships. Though he was drafted third
round by the Boston Red Sox in 1985, Martinez chose to play
for University of Tampa. In 1988, he was drafted in the
first round by the Seattle Mariners.
During his 16 - year major league career, first baseman
Martinez spent time playing for the Seattle Mariners, New
York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Martinez earned a reputation for being a clutch hitter,
known for hitting with runners in scoring position. He was
also a team leader and integral part of the New York Yankees
dynasty from the late 1990’s. He is a career .271 hitter
with 339 home runs and 1,271 RBI’s. During his two stints
with the Yankees from 1996 -2001 and 2005, he hit 192 homeruns
and drove in 739 runs.
Now entering his second season away from the game, Martinez
is back in Tampa and taking on new endeavors like coaching
college baseball locally, working as an analyst for ESPN
and catching up with his family – a much needed venture
after traveling for 16 seasons as a Major League ball player.
A member of Lifestyle Family Fitness, Martinez recently
sat down with Lifestyle Magazine to reminisce about baseball,
chat about his fitness habits and talk about what lies ahead
for the two - time All Star.
LM: After playing for 16 seasons in the majors, what
was the transition into retirement like for you?
TM: It wasn’t that tough because my last year playing was
with the Yankees and I was playing part - time. Halfway
through the year I knew that it would be my last. I was
tired of traveling, tired of just working to find my swing
and stay consistent. You get to the point where you feel
your skills are diminishing and I didn’t want to embarrass
myself anymore. I thought it was a good time to walk away
and I’ve enjoyed being home so it hasn’t been that tough.
LM: Now that you have retired from Major League baseball,
what have you been up to?
TM: I’ve been involved with University of South Florida
baseball as a volunteer baseball coach. I took that job
because my brother - in - law Lelo Prado took the head coaching
job at USF this summer. I thought it would be a great opportunity
for me to stay in the game at the college level and allow
me to stay home at the same time which is a great opportunity.
LM: As coach, what have you been working on with the
players? |
TM: I help the hitters with the hitting, I work on the defense
and am there to answer questions for the kids and help them
understand the game a little better. I feel it was in college
that I really learned how to hit. It’s a good time for them
to make the adjustments they need to become better players.
LM: You also signed on to work as a baseball analyst
for ESPN. How did you enjoy your first season on air?
TM: I’m enjoying it, and plan to continue part - time. It’s
something I wanted to try to see if I like it, and I did,
but this summer I’m trying to cut down my days to take my
children on more vacations than they have ever been on,
because I played every summer for the last 16 years.
LM: Is it difficult to analyze and critique guys that
are your friends and that you played with for so many years?
TM: It’s easy to analyze the game and what I see and the
hitters, but it is tough to criticize. I’ve made the errors
and I’ve struck out with the bases loaded - I’ve done all
that, so it’s hard for me to criticize the players because
I know how hard they work. But that’s part of the job and
the only part of the job that I couldn’t get in to. I enjoy
analyzing the games and doing all the positive stuff with
the players.
LM: Throughout your career you had the opportunity to
play for 4 very different teams. What were the mental differences
between playing for the large market teams versus a small
market team like the Devil Rays?
TM: I played in Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and New York and
there is nothing like playing in New York for the Yankees.
When you play in Yankee Stadium, it could be a Tuesday night
against a last place team and there are 55,000 people expecting
you to perform at your best. It’s the greatest atmosphere
to play in because it elevates your game. You’re intense
every night and it makes you perform better, where as when
I played for Tampa it was a young and up and coming team.
Although that was a great opportunity to help younger players
with the Devil Rays, it was tough going out there with 5,000
people in the stands every night. It was harder to motivate
yourself.
LM: How did you handle the media pressure of playing
for New York?
TM: The reason we had so much success as a team in the 90’s
was because everyone on our team handled the media so well.
If you want to play for the Yankees, you have to deal with
the media. I enjoyed it because when you play well, the
media is going to write something good about you and when
you play poorly they write negatively. You just have to
be able to balance it out and not really get to deep into
it when you read it.
LM: When the game is on the line and you are at the plate,
what goes through your mind?
TM: I am focusing on the “at bat.” You know that the game
is on the line but once you are at home plate or in the
on deck circle, you are focusing on your approach to the
pitcher. How is he going to try to get me out? You look
for a good pitch and put a swing on it. You don’t think,
“If I don’t hit here we lose the game, or if I do hit we
win the game.” You only focus on that moment, seeing the
ball and trying to get a good pitch and hit it hard.
LM: It seems it took mental prowess to climb to the top
of the game. But physically, how did you prepare your body
for the long baseball season?
TM: I would take a month off after the season ended. Usually
around December I would start lifting weights four times
a week to build strength again. In January I would go to
the track with (Yankee catcher) Jorge Posada and we would
do sprint work and agility drills to keep our quickness
going. Then we would hit the gym to lift some weights.
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LM: The first base position requires agility, speed and
flexibility. What position specific movements did you use
when getting into shape for the season?
TM: We did a lot of rubber band drills and different kinds
of lunges, extending the legs and twisting and turning,
so when the season came along you could go into spring training
and your body is already accustomed to stretching at first
base or diving for balls. LM: What was your recovery regimen
like post game? The older I got, it got a little tougher.
As I got older I learned to get to the ball park early,
get in the hot tub to get nice and loose and warm before
I took the field for batting practice. That allowed me to
stretch easier and get my arm loose. Post game I did the
same thing - if I had any kind of soreness. I would get
ice on my knees even if I didn’t need it to prevent any
swelling. As much as I hate being in the training room it
helped in the long run, and I was fortunate to stay injury
free for a long time.
LM: As you got older did the exercises change?
TM: My routine was the same. I lifted weights, stretched
and ran. Post game, I would also ride the bike for 10 -15
minutes and stretch.
LM: The baseball season is 162 games long. What toll
does the constant travel take on the body?
TM: People don’t realize how much traveling we do. The travel
is unbelievable. You are in planes, flying all night and
sometimes not sleeping well on the plane. It’s uncomfortable,
your neck gets out of whack and the beds on the road aren’t
very good. By the time the season ends, you’re mentally
and physically worn. When the season is over you cannot
wait to take a break and rest and recuperate because it’s
a long grind of a season. I think it is probably one of
the toughest in sports.
LM: What were your nutrition habits like throughout the
season?
TM: When I was younger, I’d have so much energy and burn
so many calories. The older I got, I had to begin watching
what I ate before the games. Then I started to eat more
protein and watched the amount of food I ate, so when I
got to the ballpark, I wasn’t sluggish during the game.
I found there were times I was stuffed and I felt it in
batting practice and didn’t have the energy I wanted during
the game.
LM: Now that you are retired, and not playing ball all
summer, is it harder to stay in shape?
TM: I got so used to working out every off season that when
I first retired I took a few months off and felt a little
sluggish. I felt I should start working out again because
I do have the time to do it and the only thing that has
changed now is that I don’t have to lift as hard and try
to be as strong for baseball. I just lift now to stay toned
and healthy. I also run on the treadmill and outside. I
don’t do the sprint work and lunges and the hard work I
used to do. Now, I work out to just stay healthy and in
decent shape.
LM: These days, who is your favorite young hitter?
TM: When I played for the Devil Rays (in 2004), I enjoyed
watching Carl Crawford. When I got there it was Carl’s second
season in the big leagues. He would ask me questions every
day. Whatever I told him, from how to approach a left-handed
pitcher or what I thought of a particular situation, Carl
went on the field and he did it. He did things I wanted
to do and things I couldn’t do. It was so much fun watching
him progress and become one of the greatest hitters around.
I think he is going to be the best player in the game in
a few years.
LM: Do you miss playing in the big leagues?
TM: Not yet. I don’t miss the travel. I don’t miss the plane
flights and hotel rooms and the 162 game schedule. I do
miss being around the guys. I think eventually as my kids
get a little older, if there was the right opportunity to
get back into the game I may consider it. I don’t have that
desire right now, but maybe down the line I will. |