Back in the summer of 2007 I had Kevin Kouzmanoff on my radar to feature for a One on One. But, because he was a rookie, I didn’t know if I could quite make a whole half hour show on him. So, I got resourceful. Mike Cameron’s story had debuted in 2006 as half a One on One show with Eric Young. Once Eric was no longer with the team, I couldn’t run that edition. Just didn’t make sense. So I had this great Mike Cameron story that needed an update. Perfect. Update Mike and feature Kevin Kouzmanoff. Two halves make a great whole.
Mike was fine with an update. He even suggested we go out IN center field for the interview. Done. Now, all I had to do is get Kevin on board.
I didn’t know him well yet, but I knew he was someone fans wanted to know about. So one day at batting practice, I told him my mission and that we needed to set a time to do the interview. I didn’t really give him the option of not doing it, it was just a matter of when! He said to me, almost embarrassed or perplexed by the interest “why do you want to interview me? No one wants to know about me.” To which I responded, “you just do the interview and let me worry about who wants to know about you. Because, they do.” He quietly agreed and we set a date for the shoot. It all went well and I only had to twist his arm a little to hop on his bike and demonstrate how he rides to Petco. He still seemed a bit shy or unsure of being “out there” with cameras etc. He wanted to stay close to home so we did. His mom, of course, was great in getting me pictures. All of which are in the show.
Fast forward to 2008. Mike Cameron is no longer a Padre and is still playing, of course, so, another 2-in-1 show that I couldn’t air. But I felt Kouz deserved his own half-hour by now and I put him back on my list. And finally by this summer of 2009 seemed the perfect time to do it. At first, he asked, “can’t we wait until the off-season?” And tried to talk me in to not doing it. I almost thought he was serious. And maybe he was. But a little extra nudging and encouragement, and figuring out that sometimes he just likes to make me work for my interviews… and he agreed. We picked a time for later that homestand. All was set, and then at batting practice, he acted like he was calling it off. What? No! We have to do it! He was kidding. But with his expressions, sometimes, I still get tricked into thinking he’s serious! He has a smile almost like a Cheshire cat. I’m getting better at reading him, for sure. Kouz gives me a hard time here and there. It’s just how he is. Never in a bad or mean way, but rather just to show, I think, that he’s actually engaged in the conversation and with the person.
He is a man of his word and is quite responsive and certainly responsible. He was there and awake when we rang his doorbell at 10AM. He followed up to give me pictures he had on his computer. He returned calls and texts when I needed to double check facts. And during the course of the interview itself? He listened. He’s thoughtful. He’s honest. Even when I had to bring up some baseball stuff… as in reminding him about his 22 errors in 2007 and asking him if “streaky” was a good way to describe his hitting. I didn’t want to make him feel bad, but was just trying to explore the life and times of a Gold Glove contending third baseman!
The first time I interviewed him at a community event April 2007, he barely knew what to say. Fast forward to asking about a charity event in 2009, and he knows all about it. Kouz is a good guy. He appreciates my interest in him for a show, and certainly, appreciates the fans that watch it and watch him. So, as I say in the show, along with his work ethic and numbers, mix in humility and good humor, and he’s just a guy you love to cheer for. Enjoy.
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