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Offseason Chat With Right-Handed Pitcher Tim Dillard

February 1, 2011
Where do you live in the offseason and where do you call home?
I live only 10 miles from Greer Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, but with all this snow recently, it feels like Alaska. I made this my home immediately after my 2007 season with the Sounds. I came from a small town, so I love how Nashville is a big city with the small town feel. It has everything.

What was the first thing you did when you got home following the season?
I took a long nap. Woke up and took another nap.

Were you able to take a non-baseball vacation? Did you travel someplace exiting?
My wife, son, and I drove to Mississippi to visit our family and eat some fried okra. Okra is not okra unless it's made in the Mississippi Delta or by a grandmother.

How do you spend your offseason?
I spent this offseason welcoming my newborn daughter, Camryn, and playing with my two year old son, Brooks.

Did you keep in contact with any of your teammates?
After six months of being together every day, most guys don't keep in touch much. Mainly so we will have new stories and information to share for spring training and next season.

Considering your workload in 2010, how much baseball work did you do this offseason?
After setting a Sounds franchise record for the most hit batters in a season, I've been working hard on improving my control.

Do the Brewers have a workout regimen that you follow or is it your decision?
We do have a workout manual that the Brewers give us every year. I use some of the routines, though after eight offseasons, I have a good idea of what I need to do to be ready for the upcoming season. It's a combination of what you like and what works for you. For my workouts, I attend a bootcamp class at D1 in Franklin.

What are your goals and what are looking to improve in 2011?
My goal is the same every year: to do the best I can wherever I am. The rest takes care of itself.

Can you give a brief review of a TV show you have seen lately?
I've recently started watching the TV show Fringe. It's extremely interesting. I had a TV void since LOST ended last year.

Did you enjoy how LOST ended and did it justify all the time spent watching it over the years?
I loved Lost. Every season changed your perception of what the show was. The ending was good. Obviously guessing what happens is impossible.

What does it mean to you to be one of the longest tenured Brewers in the organization?
I'm the fourth longest tenured Brewer to my knowledge. I'm behind Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, and Manny Parra. In this line of work where people could be with a different organization every year, I've been blessed to be part of such a great organization.

Your new throwing motion. With new pitching coach Rick Kranitz taking the helm in Milwaukee, do you know if you will continue to throw sidearm in 2011?
I was told last year in spring training that Assistant General Manager Gord Ash and then pitching coach Rick Peterson watched film and decided I could benefit from lowering my arm angle. Gord has seen me throw over these many years, and for him to be behind this decision, I knew it was the right career move. I'm looking forward to coming into spring training a bit more polished and effective than last spring.

You ended last season throwing four consecutive quality starts in the rotation. Do you know whether you will be a starter or in the bullpen in 2011?
I enjoy the starting rotation and the stamina and consistency it requires, however, there are not many right-handed side-arm starters in the baseball world. With that against me, I was told the bullpen is where I'll be looked at this spring. That means the chance to pitch everyday which is very possible with the less straining arm slot.

Are you aware of how close you are of setting new Sounds career records for wins, games, and innings pitched?
I had no idea. If it comes to pass and I have an opportunity to get in the Sounds record books, maybe they should retire my number.

What's the first thing Don Money is going to say when he sees you?
"You again?!"