Kelvim's pitcher perfect

waymoresports.thestar.com Mar. 18, 2003. 08:42 AM Geoff Baker

Jays closer Escobar on the best and worst cities to visit and what it's like to be rich and famous

Plucked out of the sandlots of Venezuela as a teenager, Kelvim Escobar has overcome homesickness, shyness and a poor grasp of English to become one of the Jays' most recognized players.

Baseball observers feel Escobar, armed with a devastating forkball, is on the verge of becoming one of the game's elite closers. He is also one of the team's more sought-after bachelors — he'll be 27 next month — and enjoys the singles' life.

Unplugged caught up with Escobar as he lounged by the swimming pool at the Florida condominium he's renting this spring after signing a one-year, $3.9 million (U.S.) contract over the winter.

Q What's the best pitch you've ever thrown?

A My second game in the big leagues in 1997, facing Wade Boggs. It was in the last inning of the game, there were two outs and I was very, very excited. All the fans were on their feet and I struck him out.

Q What's the worst pitch you've ever thrown?

A In Boston last year, I threw a very bad pitch and Nomar Garciaparra hit a home run (to the opposite field). I don't even know how he hit it. I was like, `Wow, what's going on here?'

Q If you hadn't become a baseball player, what would you have been?

A I used to like international languages, so I would have been a teacher, or a tourist guide down in my country, in Venezuela.

Q What was the last book you read?

A I don't know how to translate it in English. It was called Who Stole My Cheese?

Q Do you remember the author's name?

A (laughing) Some mice, three or four mice. It's about how, as a person, you have to be ready for anything that comes your way. It's about what you have to do to get better, to stay strong. It's more about staying positive.

Q Should the United States attack Iraq?

A Wow. I don't really know what's going on. I'm from Venezuela and I don't really ... I mean, it's bad for the world. Hopefully, they can come up with something so they don't have to go to war.

Q What was the last movie you saw?

A My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was a funny one.

Q Who's the worst dresser you've ever played with and what's the worst thing they wore?

A I remember (relief pitcher) Randy Myers. He used to wear the kind of hat you use to go hunting with. And I think he wore the same pants for six months.

Q What's the item you'd most like to see on a menu in a Toronto restaurant that you can't get right now?

A In Toronto, they pretty much have everything. From Spanish, to Indian, everything. They have a place in Toronto, from Venezuela, called Momentos, and they have my arepas, my chicken, rice, black beans. All the kinds of stuff that I really like.

Q Did you ever fear for your own safety when you were living through the trouble in Venezuela this off-season?

A Yes, I did. When I saw the Venezuelan people killing each other, I thought we were going to have a civil war or something.

Q If Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was sitting here right now, what would you say to him?

A First, I would ask him why all of this is going on, why don't the people like him and why are they going to the street to protest? Second, I would tell him to find a way to fix it.

Q What kind of car do you drive and why?

A Right now, I have the Mercedes-Benz SL 55. It's so fast and comfortable and nice. It's just incredible. It's very sporty.

Q What is your favourite type of music and who is your favourite singer?

A I'd say salsa. Salsa, salsa, salsa. And my favourite salsa singer is Oscar de Leon. He's from Venezuela.

Q What do you do to impress a woman the first time you meet her?

A Wow, that's a good one. Just be myself. Be myself and be nice. Don't try to impress anybody. Just go over and if you want to say something, say something. But you don't have to impress anybody. There are some guys who do it, but I don't think I can be like that.

Q Do you ever tell women you're a professional athlete?

A No. I try to stay away from that sometimes. That question, sooner or later, is going to come up. What do you do for a living? And sometimes, you don't want that question to come up right away. You want to get to know the person. You want her to get to know you and think, Oh, this guy's nice.' And you don't want to let her know you're a professional athlete because the first thing that's going to come to her mind is, This guy has a lot of women. He makes a lot of money.' Stuff like that.

Q What's the biggest difference, personality-wise, between women in Canada and women in Venezuela?

A I think in Toronto, because the culture is different, the girls are more open-minded.

Q How are they more open-minded?

A Maybe because of the culture, they're a bit more ... wow ... how can I explain it? Maybe sexually and as far as being easy-going. They're very easy-going. In Venezuela, sometimes, they're very conservative.

Q How often is your first name misspelled by people?

A Oh, lots of times. And even myself, having a Spanish accent, I'll say Kelvim and it sounds like Kelvin. ... I have to spell it for them sometimes.

QWhat's the best city to visit on the road and why?

A New York is very interesting. Everybody wants to go to New York. I mean, it's a beautiful town, the people are all different. There's good shopping, it's good to go out, good to eat. You just have everything in New York. New York is New York.

Q What's the worst city to visit on the road?

A Oh my God, Detroit. There's nothing to do there. And we stay away from everything. I don't like the downtown. It's ugly and there's pretty much nothing to do.

Q Are you going to read the new book by your former teammate, David Wells?

A No, because I don't care. Whatever he says in there, I don't care. I don't think I have time for that. If somebody says my name is in there, I might read it. But if not, there are too many important things going on in the world right now that you have to worry about. So, I don't need to worry about that book.

Q Now that you're a millionaire, what have you bought that you used to dream of buying while growing up in Venezuela?

A I always wanted to have a boat because I grew up by the beach. And now I have a nice boat. And a nice car. First of all, I wanted to get a nice house for my Mom. And I got it. That was the first thing. To be able to make enough money to buy a big house for my Mom and treat her like a queen. And next, I thought of having a big house for myself, a boat and a car. And to support my family, because I really support my family and help a lot of people in my family.

Q What do you miss most about Venezuela when you're not there?

A Being around my family. I'm very much a family guy. Then, the second thing I miss is the Venezuelan ladies. The girls. That's one of the things I miss most. They're so beautiful, man. I just miss them.