Q&A with Khalil Greene

[jacs]

Interview by Bill Center / UNION-TRIBUNE

Position: Shortstop | Years with Padres: 4th full season Khalil Greene has already equaled his franchise single-season record for home runs by a shortstop (15), and his play in the field is frequently worthy of highlight shows. Yet he rarely offers outward displays of emotion, letting his game speak for itself.

Q: Away from baseball, your passion is?
A: “I don't know if I could say. Baseball takes up a lot of energy. I do like music.”


Q: What is your favorite music?
A: “I find almost all of it interesting. I just enjoy music and nothing in particular. From country to rap to jazz to some classics. I enjoy all of it.”

Q: Do you play an instrument?
A: “No. I played saxophone in middle school. It was not easy at the time because of everything else going on and the opportunities to play were pretty much limited to a marching band. I wish I had continued. I probably should have kept playing.”


Q: What got you into sports?
A: “My parents dragged me into soccer. I didn't want to play. I was introverted. They thought it would be good for me socially.”


Q: Pushed into sports?
A: “My parents recognized I was good at sports. It was strictly a matter of 'you need to get out and socialize' and see what works. Sports was one thing I really enjoyed doing. When I focus on something, I focus on it. It worked out well.”


Q. I've heard you were a very good soccer player.
A: “I had good foot speed and I pushed it forward all the time. I was better than average. I was good for where I was and it was a pretty diverse population. We had players from the Bahamas, Poland, Italy, Haiti. I played for 11 years up to my sophomore year in high school (in Key West, Fla.). Our baseball program was solid and nationally ranked. I had to make a choice.”


Q: You liked baseball more?
A: “I liked both sports. I had more friends playing baseball. I played soccer just for the game. I associated more meaning to baseball. There was more interest among my friends playing baseball about winning and playing better.”


Q: What motivates you?
A: “Continuing to grow as an individual. I want to be as good as I can be. To me, a good play in practice is just as important as in the game because you should strive to do it right all the time. Satisfaction is in giving it your best, no matter the circumstance. It doesn't make any difference if five people are watching you or 50,000.”


Q: Your lack of emotion has become a topic with Padres fans.
A: “I try to be devoid of ego as much as possible. It gets away from who you really are. I haven't changed much over the years, but my surroundings have changed a lot. Where there wasn't an audience, there is now an audience.”


Q: You almost show more emotion when you make a mistake.
A: “Frustration comes out easier. But how I feel on the inside doesn't need to be manifested. And there's not a necessity to read too much into that. I just try not to show ups and downs.”


Q: Do you think about your image and how you come across to fans?
A: “How someone views me has more to do with them than me, or anyone. Like the (camera) man standing at the rail. I see one dimension of him. But I really don't know. You can only be who you are. Forming opinions of someone, anyone, off a small sample is not healthy or unifying.”


Q: Are you tired of being compared (physically) to the Jeff Spicoli character from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”?
A: “I'm kind of indifferent. I get it. I don't read anything into it.”


SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Padres -- Q&A with Khalil Greene

[JayDawg27]

I love Khalil, but damn he has no personality, I would love to see him at a party or something, it made me laugh when he said he WAS an introvert. WAS???

[padrefanforever]

Q: Do you think about your image and how you come across to fans?
A: “How someone views me has more to do with them than me, or anyone. Like the (camera) man standing at the rail. I see one dimension of him. But I really don't know. You can only be who you are. Forming opinions of someone, anyone, off a small sample is not healthy or unifying.”

LOL.............So if someone is a mass murderer, and you form the opinion that they are a bad person......it's your problem not what was put out there by this mass murderer ?

Someone needs to get ahold of this guy and talk some truth to him.......you are who you put out there for people to receive.......it's not on them to decode your inner issues.........See Bonds if needed

[HollywoodLeo]

LOL.............So if someone is a mass murderer, and you form the opinion that they are a bad person......it's your problem not what was put out there by this mass murderer ?

Someone needs to get ahold of this guy and talk some truth to him.......you are who you put out there for people to receive.......it's not on them to decode your inner issues.........See Bonds if needed

I believe what he was saying is you can't judge a person on his outer demeanor that you see on television when you don't really know the guy.

I believe that is a valid point.

[JayDawg27]

Yes thats what he meant it is a valid point, I am going to start calling him Confusious (sp?). Very deep person.

[padrefanforever]

.......and if you've met him a few times, both in a baseball setting and not, and your opinion is essentially the same ??

Some books you CAN judge by their covers........the old wives tale is a myth.....reading people isn't that hard, and while you may be off, chances are you aren't off by much

[HollywoodLeo]

.......and if you've met him a few times, both in a baseball setting and not, and your opinion is essentially the same ??

Some books you CAN judge by their covers........the old wives tale is a myth.....reading people isn't that hard, and while you may be off, chances are you aren't off by much

If that were the case half of those serial killers you made reference to wouldn't be described as nice individuals that nobody would've thought of doing such a thing by their neighbors.

[padrefanforever]

If you knew who they really were they sure would

[JayDawg27]

So in other words you'd have to read the book. What Khalil is saying is

"you dont know me fool, so if you have a problem with me I say its a problem with you, step off Beaaaaach"

[padrefanforever]

Nope......not what I'm saying at all.......sometimes enough information is on the cover or available via Cliff Notes ......so much so that you need not read the book to know what the book is going to be about.........

[HollywoodLeo]

If you knew who they really were they sure would

But in order to know who they really are you have to get to know them.

Isn't that what Khalil was saying?

[JayDawg27]

Yeah okay, well when we are talking about people and personalities, unless they are wearing a blue unitard with a red cape, an orange jump suite with numbers on the back, or have needles hanging out of their arms, I dont think you can get a truly good read on people without actually talking to someone and getting to know them a little better which is what Khalil's point was.

I mean when you see a morbidly obese person walking down the street do you instantly think they are slobinly and eat too much?

[JayDawg27]

Yes

[FmrFresnan]

It begs the question, what is his wife like?

[JayDawg27]

It does???