Q&A: Jeff Samardzija

[Tux of Borg]

Q&A: Jeff Samardzija

Posted: Thursday July 20, 2006 4:45PM; Updated: Sunday July 23, 2006 12:48AM

from: si.cnn.com

 

A star on the gridiron, Jeff Samardzija has proven to be equally imposing on the mound.

AP

 

Last week SI associate editor Richard Deitsch interviewed Jeff Samardzija for the magazine's Q&A. Notre Dame's preseason All-America receiver is pitching this summer for the Cubs' Class A teams in Boise and Peoria. Here are additional excerpts from their interview.

 

SI: You recently said that quarterback Brady Quinn's arm ranks third on the team behind yours and safety Tom Zbikowski's. Has Brady gotten wind of those comments?

 

Samardzija:I don't think so. Or maybe he has and he just won't say anything. Natural arm strength is different from throwing a football. If you put a football in my hands, it'll flop all over the field. But I can throw it real hard. And Zbikowski has a cannon. But Brady has a lot of good things going for him, too.

 

SI:So how's life in the minors?

 

Samardzija:I like it. A lot of times when people change locations they get caught up in that and forget about playing the game. My pitch count keeps going up and the command of my fastball is getting better. My off-speed stuff is working. I'm liking where it's going. I only have a short amount of time here, but I'm trying to make the most of my time.

 

SI:How many pitches do you throw?

 

Samardzija:I throw three pitches, but it's really four because my four-seam fastball is different than my two-seam fastball. So I throw a fastball, slider and changeup. My out pitch is any of them, but I have to get ahead in the count to have an out pitch (laughs). I'm throwing the ball who knows where half the time.

 

SI:When do you report back to Notre Dame?

 

Samardzija:I plan on returning around July 31 and practice starts Aug. 7 or so. I'll probably get with Brady beforehand and put some long days in running routes and conditioning. I've been running every day in Boise, football-style workouts, so I'll be right on schedule.

 

SI: More than anything else, what does Charlie Weis expects from his players?

 

Samardzija: Charlie Weis expects to get back what he's given you. He gives you a $160,000 scholarship to Notre Dame -- and he expects you to earn that scholarship, whether that's being on the scout team or special teams or making big plays on offense on Saturdays.

 

SI: Zbikowski is your roommate, and like you, he's a two-sport athlete. [He made his pro boxing debut last month.] Have the two of you ever sparred?

 

Samardzija: I've never gotten in the ring with him, but I don't need to. We have plenty of times where [we're playing around, and] the fun turns into a nice little brawl. Now that he has Angelo Dundee in his corner, he might have a mental advantage. But that's where my physical attributes come in (laughs).

 

SI:Do you and Zbikowski compete in any sports?

 

Samardzija: Everything. Anything we do will be competitive, whether it's buying things or playing video games. In fact, if you watch us play video games, it'll turn into a fight 100 percent of the time. Everything we do is competitive. But it's for all the right reasons. We're not trying to one-up each other. It's just how we are. And that's what makes us close. We can go from being competitive to laughing about how stupid something is. He's a great guy. I can't say enough good things about him.

 

SI:Is your ideal scenario to play both sports in the pros?

 

Samardzija:Of course. If things can fall into place with the Cubs and the Bears, well, that's what I think about every day. I think about the cool things. Do I understand I might have to make a decision in six or seven months? I do. But right now I'm just trying to have some fun and live it up while I can.

 

SI:The floor is yours. Tell the Bears why they should draft you next year.

 

Samardzija:To be a Cub and a Bear would be unbeatable. If that were to happen, there would be nothing stopping me from giving everything I have to make it work. Making a commitment like that is risky, I know. But I'd put everything I have into it. There would be no way that I wouldn't make it work out. Of course I'd do it anywhere I'm drafted, but the Bears would be a dream come true.

 

SI:How many baseball teams approached you and your father and said if you would forego football, they'd take you in the first round?

 

Samardzija:A lot. Not personally to me, because I tried to stay out of it because I'm still a college player. From what I heard from my advisor and father, it would have been cut-and-dry that I'd be a first-round pick. But again, remember what I'm doing this for. I'm doing this because I love both sports. And there's nothing that could buy me out of playing football for this next year.

 

SI: You threw 45 pitches in the Wrigley Field bullpen when you met the media after the draft. What was that like?

 

Samardzija:It was ridiculous. Greg Maddux sat and watched me. What can you say about Greg Maddux watching some 21-year-old punk kid in the bullpen? Not too shabby. I caught a lot of heck for being an ND guy because, well, we always do. [Former Trojan] Mark Prior gave me a USC shirt. But I didn't wear it.

 

SI:How difficult is it for an athlete to play both sports at the collegiate level?

 

Samardzija:At the collegiate level it's tough. Forget about the competition for a moment. Just time-wise, there are so many demands in college that you put upon yourself, whether it's school or community service. Your time is going so many different places. School means a lot. If you screw around with that, you're not going to be playing sports.

 

SI:When do you end up doing classwork?

 

Samardzija:I try to do it during the day before practice. You might have 50 minutes between classes. That's a great time to get it done. You're in the mode of classes because you went to one during the day. Obviously, papers you have to do at night.

 

SI:You're from Valpo, Indiana. You and Bryce Drew are walking down the street. Who gets recognized first?

 

Samardzija:Probably Bryce. He's a hometown hero. He went to Valpo. I'm a little different. I left for Notre Dame, which is a few hours away.

 

SI:Every profile written about you says you're a White Sox fan.

 

Samardzija: I knew that you were going to bring that up. You're going to put that in SI?

 

SI:It's in. So what happens now?

 

Samardzija:You know, obviously I grew up a lot closer to the Sox' stadium than Wrigley. And Wrigley is nearly impossible to get tickets. So yeah, I did go to more Sox games as a kid, but I didn't root against the Cubs. I've always been a fan of Chicagoland teams. My Dad is a Blackhawks fan, and we love the Bears. So I love the Sox and the Cubs. If you go by attending games, yeah, I went to more Sox games, but I always watched WGN during the day. I'd fall asleep in the second inning and wake up in the ninth.

 

SI:You set a new Notre Dame single-season record for yards receiving (1,190) and touchdown catches (15) and were the first Notre Dame receiver since 1970 (and Tom Gatewood) to gain 1,000 yards receiving in a single season. Who is the best Irish receiver ever?

 

Samardzija:Derrick Mayes. There was a lot of attention drawn when I was trying to catch his touchdown mark. He was a great receiver and had a lot of skills. Met him a few times. Great guy. Tim Brown is obviously a Heisman winner and he's one of the best complete football players. So if you asked that question, I'd go with Brown.

 

SI:Are the places in piece for Notre Dame to win a national championship?

 

Samardzija:In my opinion, Notre Dame can be in the national title game every year. I think no matter what, Notre Dame is going to get the athletes who can play football. If certain things fall in the right place, it could work out. Every year I've been here we have had the same talent we've had in the past years. This year we're getting more attention after a 9-3 season and a BCS game. There has always been the same amount of talent at Notre Dame. That's why it irks us when we hear that Notre Dame doesn't have talent or speed, or this and that. It's here. It's always here. It's just a matter of putting it in the right spot.

 

SI:Has Charlie Weis seen you pitch?

 

Samardzija:He's seen me pitch a few times and from what I heard, he likes it. He's a huge baseball fan and so is his son. Hopefully, I've impressed him a little bit. I've kind of had to do good when he's watched to give him the peace of mind to let me keep playing.

 

SI:You dropped basketball in high school. Could you make Notre Dame as a walk-on?

 

Samardzija:Right now? No way. If I was still playing, who knows? I enjoy basketball, but I can't play too much now because I'd get in trouble on both sides.

 

SI:How many times have you seen Rudy?

 

Samardzija:I've seen it a few times in my day, but I haven't seen it in a while because of all the heck you catch for it in the first place. But it's a good movie.

 

SI:Where does the nickname "Shark" come from?

 

Samardzija:From baseball. I showed up in the middle of the year and I didn't know any of the guys. There was a lot of ragging from me playing football and I looked like a shark according to one of the guys. So they started making fun of me. Once Coach [Paul] Manieri caught on to it, it kind of a stuck from there. It could be a lot worse.

 

SI: Ever lobby Brady for balls thrown your way?

 

Samardzija:No. I would never do such a thing. With the guys we have on our team, the ball could go four or five different ways. If Brady feels there are different times in a game where he can go to me, I hope he has the confidence to do that. Ultimately, if I can supply the confidence to Brady that if he throws me the ball things will get done, then that's success right there.

 

SI:Coolest thing to do in Boise?

 

Samardzija: We don't have much too much time, but everyone around here goes and floats in the Boise River. From what I hear, it sounds like the thing to do. Maybe I'll try to get over there. You get a tube and float down the river.

 

SI:Where did you live in Boise?

 

Samardzija:I lived with a host family. They are a great family and I could not ask for a better situation. You hear a lot of time, "Man, I've got to go to my host family's house." But it's not like that at all. I enjoy being there and they stuff me with food. People are calling their house to ask for interviews with them so that's funny.

 

SI:Do you have a curfew?

 

Samardzija: I like to think of myself as a nice guy and I've been raised right so I treat people with respect. But I can't say I have a curfew. And if I did, I might break that a couple of times. They are good about leaving the door open for me. I enjoy their company.

 

SI:Are there parallels between Boise and South Bend?

 

Samardzija:Once you get out of Boise, it's a little more barren than the South Bend area. But it is similar in that it's a bigger town but it has a small-town mentality. Boise loves the Hawks the way South Bend loves Notre Dame. Maybe Notre Dame is a little bigger scale, but it's the same concept.

 

SI:The best athlete you've ever faced?

 

Samardzija:Reggie Bush. What he did against us on that Saturday was unbelievable. What he did every Saturday was unbelievable. You probably won't see another guy like that for a long time. I played against a guy named James Banks in high school. He went to Tennessee. This guy was an amazing athlete. He killed us in the state game in Indiana. The third guy is Zbikowski. Not only is he a great athlete, but he has everything else including what's inside his heart, a head on his shoulders and a knack for sports. Sometimes it's about things you can't teach.

 

SI:The female athlete you most want to meet?

 

Samardzija:Great question. There are so many of them I don't know where to go. Probably the young tennis player, [Maria] Sharapova. And we don't have to talk about sports. We can just go out and talk about whatever.

 

SI:Sadly for you, there's no WTA tournament in South Bend.

 

Samardzija: Well, I just might have to leave South Bend, then. To be that young, with the world's spotlight, what she does is amazing. Then to be God gifted in every other aspect (laughs)....