20 questions with Phil Stockman

MiLB: You played for Australia in this year's World Baseball Classic. How soon did you know you'd be on the team, and what was the experience like?

Phil Stockman: We had our National Championship in January, and we figured the roster would be close to the same for the WBC. I didn't officially find out until two or three weeks beforehand. Any time you can represent your country is great. Plus to play in the same forum as some of the best Major Leaguers is awesome.

MiLB: You moved to Australia when you were 8 years old. How did you get started playing baseball?

PS: I started baseball once we got Australia. One day my dad told me to grab the newspaper and find a sport to play (laughs). The paper had T-ball tryouts listed, so I tried it and fell in love with baseball.

MiLB: When did you know/decide you'd pursue baseball as a career?

PS: I played in the World Championship in Canada when I was 17. I loved it, and thought, "Man, this is so much fun. In the U.S. I can play all the time." Some of my friends were signed, and a scout from the (Arizona) Diamondbacks found me. My parents were behind me, which really made it a pretty easy choice to sign.

MiLB: How do you feel knowing you could work your hardest and still never make it to the Majors?

PS: You love the game so much, hopefully that drives you to play your hardest every moment. If you love the game, you keep going out there and it doesn't become a chore. Someone is bound to see you working hard, and it should pay off.

MiLB: What was the first thing you did once you came to America after being drafted?

PS: I sat down, called Domino's Pizza and ordered myself a good old American pizza.

MiLB: What did you think of that first pizza?

PS: I thought it was unbelievable. Now I'm a Papa John's guy, though. Domino's has dropped down for me.

MiLB: As a pitcher, what's the biggest difference you've noticed between each Minor League class?

PS: The higher you go up, the more grounded the hitters are. They exercise the game's fundamentals in every at-bat. There are no free swingers in Triple-A. Guys will wait for their pitch, and once they get it, rarely miss.

MiLB: What's the best baseball advice you've been given, and from whom?

PS: That's a tough one because you're always getting advice from people. As simple as it is, it would be: Work hard and stay out of trouble off the field. Make every time count because it could be the last time you pitch, or the last time you put the uniform on.

MiLB: How does winning a silver medal for Australia in the 2004 Olympics compare with working your way through the Minors?

PS: Just playing in the Olympics is a dream some work their entire lives for, and here I was doing it at age 24. It was the highlight of my career, no question. It's humbling to be in the Minors. Not a lot of people consider Australia a huge baseball country, so no one's really aware I've done that.

MiLB: When you were promoted to Richmond, you were the second Aussie on the Braves' roster. Was the adjustment easier because there was another Australian on the team?

PS: I liked it, it's fun knowing another Australian player. The guys are realizing we can do more than just play rugby and football (laughs).

MiLB: What advice do you give to young players in Australia trying to make it into professional baseball?

PS: Australia has nice development leagues now, so guys have good year-round programs, which we never had. When I do get the chance to work with them, I tell them the same things I've heard: Work your hardest and keep it quiet off the field.

MiLB: How did you propose to your wife, Leesa?

PS: (Laughs) She thought we had plans that night. I went to the beach and set everything up. I sent a limo to pick her up and told her to come to the gate. She called me lazy because I didn't want to come up, but she came down and saw the limo and came to the beach where I was waiting. The best part is her family was waiting in the bushes when we got back to take pictures.

MiLB: What's your biggest pet peeve?

PS: Alarm clocks . . . but I do love that snooze button. I wear that thing out.

MiLB: Being Australian, have the guys been giving you a hard time about the accent?

PS: Oh yeah, everywhere I go it's, "Put another shrimp on the barbie" or, "Hey mate, you want a Fosters?" They're always popping out the slang. It's great fun though.

MiLB: What's your favorite part about the Minors?

PS: Everything's fun. The road trips are cool because I get to see different parts of America.

MiLB: Who are your biggest baseball and non-baseball influences?

PS: My mom, without a doubt. She's the one who's always behind me. She only knows a little about baseball, but she'll still call me up and suggest little things I can do when pitching. I take it all in and have a little laugh, because it's cute how she cares so much.

MiLB: Who would you most be flattered to hear yourself being compared to?

PS: I was in big-league camp with Arizona once and met Randy Johnson. Somebody like that would be awesome, he reminds me a little of myself just because we're both tall. He's 6-foot-10 and I'm 6-foot-8, but to have him come and just tower over you, it was cool.

MiLB: What are your gameday superstitions you swear by?

PS: When I started, the night before a start, I would eat crushed peanut M&Ms and drink blue Gatorade. I'd eat the same Subway sub on gameday and wear white that whole day.

MiLB: What's the weirdest thing a fan has done to you?

PS: I was in Double-A a few years ago, and there was this guy who was all over me the whole game. He just kept yelling things like, "Hey mate, throw a boomerang instead of a baseball" or, "My name is Steve Irwin, crikey mate." Man, he just wouldn't let up with the "crikey mates." That was weird.

MiLB: What's your favorite Minor League park to pitch in? What Major League park would you like to play in?

PS: Round Rock was awesome. Memphis has a great stadium, too. For big-league parks, I'd have to go with history and say Fenway Park, because of the fans and the whole atmosphere.