A Few Minutes With Bobby Howry
The Cubs introduced right-handed setup man Bobby Howry at a news conference yesterday. Here's what the free agent had to say about signing with the Cubs:
It's good to be back in Chicago again. I appreciate the chance to come over here and try and bring a championship over to this side of town now. It'll be a little different - it will be nice to see how the other side lives after being on the South Side for awhile. I was always a little jealous of the attention the Cubs got with more on this side of town so I'll enjoy that for a little bit. I'm happy to be in Chicago and look forward to a good season with the Cubs.
Why the Cubs?
I looked around and probably had a handful of teams where I was interested in playing. I looked at the guys that were on this team, the chances of winning, and the make-up of the guys, and part of it is the city of Chicago itself. I spent four years here and my family enjoyed it here, so not it's not only coming back to a city I'm comfortable with, but a team that looks like it has a great chance to win.
Do you feel a certain amount of pressure coming to a bullpen which struggled last year and is revamped now?
Not really. The pressure of it is only what you put on yourself. For me, I am just going to a new city to do the same job I was doing. My role stays the same, my job stays the same, it's just a different location. As far as the pressure being put on it, no, not really.
Jim Hendry recruited Scott Eyre, he's done the same with Rafael Furcal, do you feel like he was recruiting you like a college coach?
I don't know if I felt I was recruited as much it was the things we knew from talking with them that they were interested. He pretty much told me to look around and see what's out there and when you're ready to discuss it, let me know and that's what I did. I looked around and I saw what I was likely to receive from the other teams and when it came down to it, this was the best spot for me and my family.
Bob, did Cleveland make a legitimate attempt at all to keep you, considering they are a team that's supposed to be on the rise?
Let's just say we had no formal offers.
How surprised were you with that?
A little. More so at the end of the season, I think I expected it more. I understand the market that they're in and their cost restraints. It was a great place to be and I enjoyed my time there. I knew they wouldn't be able to afford what the bigger markets could.
The last couple of years you've been back to where you were with the White Sox, throwing 93 with good movement. What transpired between the time you left the White Sox and the last two years when you've been back to yourself?
Getting healthy. Right after I left Chicago and got to Boston, I was hurt by September of the year I left in 2002. I tried to come back in 2003 and it didn't work. I had surgery in 2003 and ever since then, it seems to have taken care of the problem and things have gotten back to normal.
You can be used in so many roles in the bullpen, but you've become very successful at setting up. Can you talk about getting comfortable in that role?
You know it's not something where I had to get comfortable with it; it's the role they gave me. When I switched over to do that in Chicago in 2000, they said you're not closing, you're setting up. OK, so go do it. It wasn't a matter of having to get comfortable. If anything, there's less pressure that the fans and the media put on the setup guy than the others, so I think it's easier to get comfortable with that as opposed to switching from one to the other. I don't really think there's a whole lot to get comfortable with. It's just pitching in a different inning.
Can you talk about playing in front of 40,000 fans now and how it used to feel coming in here with the White Sox?
That's one of the things I took into consideration. It's so much fun to play in front of a packed house. To see the way this team is supported, not only in Chicago, but everywhere you go, you can see Cubs fans and Cubs hat, something. The Cubs are one of the most well-liked teams across the country. To play for a team that has that support, it will definitely be the team I play for that's got the most support.