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Kyle Farnsworth's softer side
BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Kyle Farnsworth and his fiancee, Shayla Pert, with their son Stone (l.), and her children, Taylor and Hunter.
Kyle Farnsworth might be more known for his fastball and meltdowns, but his fiancee, Shayla Pert, says he's also known for his peanut butter cookies. Cataffo/News
Kyle Farnsworth might be more known for his fastball and meltdowns, but his fiancee, Shayla Pert, says he's also known for his peanut butter cookies.
TAMPA - Anyone who has seen Kyle Farnsworth unleash his 100 mph heater, daring the hitter to take his best shot, knows one thing about one of the game's most aggressive pitchers: He is a competitor who puts everything he's got into each pitch, sometimes at the expense of his command.
But the mound isn't the only place where Farnsworth shows his competitive side.
"We have a bake-off every year and the kids are the judges," says Shayla Pert, his fianc�e. "He always wins; I think he pays them."
Farnsworth laughs upon hearing this, though Pert quickly clarifies, admitting to his superiority when it comes to their culinary skills.
"He's a great baker," she says. "He's Betty Crocker. He makes the best peanut butter cookies ever."
Peanut butter cookies? Are we talking about the same guy who has been suspended twice for slamming other players into the ground?
"People misunderstand him and think he's cocky or arrogant, but that couldn't be farther from the truth," says Pert, who became engaged to Farnsworth this past Christmas and will marry him in December. "He's quiet and shy."
A quiet and shy baker. Who knew?
Farnsworth's reputation around baseball is that of a serious, hard-throwing pitcher who has trouble handling the big situations on the mound. His first two years in New York have been scarred by inconsistent performance and a tense relationship with fans, many of whom have booed him at every opportunity.
But those who know Farnsworth best say his personality is far different from his on-field persona.
"Once the public labels you one way, you try to act the part even if it isn't really you," says Scott Proctor, Farnsworth's close friend and former Yankee teammate. "Most guys are two totally different people at the ballpark and away from it."
That appears to be the case with Farnsworth, who has never tried to draw attention to himself away from the field. Some players such as Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon enjoy the banter with teammates and reporters in the clubhouse, helping craft their good-guy images. Farnsworth has always viewed his job in a different light.
"I don't want to be a loud, 'Look at me!' kind of guy," Farnsworth says. "I want to get my job done and go home to my family. That's just the way my personality is. My daddy was the same way and my granddaddy was the same way."
Farnsworth, 31, and Pert have been together since 2000, the year after he made his big-league debut. They have one son together, 5-year-old Stone, while she has a daughter and son (Taylor, 13, and Hunter, 8) from a previous relationship. Nothing that happens at the ballpark compares to Farnsworth's home life, but it hasn't always been easy for him to separate the two.
"Early in his career, he didn't know how to handle it when he wasn't perfect," Pert says. "Now when he comes home after a bad outing, he's upset with himself, but he knows how to leave it at the field."
"Family is the most important thing in my life," Farnsworth says. "That's No. 1 for sure. Baseball comes in second after that."
Farnsworth is a little less in his element in the clubhouse than at home. That might sound strange for a guy who has been playing pro ball since being drafted in the 47thround by the Cubs in 1994. Over the years, teammates have come and gone, just a part of the culture for a player who has worn four different big-league uniforms in his career. He considers very few of his former teammates - or the current ones, for that matter - to be true friends, but rather co-workers with whom he has shared many memorable moments, both good and bad.
Proctor is the only former teammate Farnsworth has ever kept in touch with on a regular basis after they stopped playing together, and both men speak fondly of each other. Farnsworth and Pert even traveled to Proctor's charity function on Super Bowl weekend, a move that touched Proctor deeply.
"Farnsy's a guy who doesn't warm up to a lot of people," Proctor says. "He's very reserved and withdrawn at the ballpark, but once you get him away from that and get through that brick wall he puts up, he's one of those guys you can count on at a time of need."
However, not many players get that far with Farnsworth. His reputation has preceded him throughout his career, be it his brawls with pitchers Paul Wilson and Jeremy Affeldt, each of which earned him suspensions from the league, or his serious, quiet demeanor inside the clubhouse.
"People see me as the guy that wants to go out there and fight everybody," Farnsworth says. "That's not me."
Some who have approach Farnsworth with a clean slate, and haven't let his reputation prevent them from trying to get to know him, have been rewarded.
"I always saw Kyle as a guy who went out there and threw hard, worked out - and of course, I'd seen the highlights of him body-slamming guys," says Johnny Damon, whose wife, Michelle, is a friend of Pert's. "When we started hanging out a lot, I saw how different he is. Seeing how great he is with his kids, how laid back he is, he's an awesome guy. It's amazing how a reputation can follow you."
"He's got such an image in the public," Proctor says. "I didn't know what to expect from him, but once I got through that hard shell, I found out what a quality guy he really is."
But far from not caring what that public image happens to be, Farnsworth is taking PR steps to improve it. He recently hired Steve Fortunato, a marketing consultant who has worked with Damon, Alex Rodriguez and Bernie Williams among others, to assist him and Pert with some community projects they have discussed, as well as helping him with his image and potential marketing or business opportunities.
"A guy like Kyle, New York fans haven't really gotten a chance to know who this guy is," Fortunato says. "There's a lot more behind a person than a 100 mph fastball or one or two back pages. At this point in his career, Kyle is conscious of what it's like to play in New York and what goes with that."
When the boos were at their loudest in the Bronx, Farnsworth used to look forward to going on the road. Not anymore. Farnsworth believes the jeers he has heard during his first two years in New York have made him a better pitcher, allowing him to focus on the task at hand instead of concerning himself with fan reaction.
"If you get booed, if you have a bad outing, it's not fun, but it's not the end of the world," Farnsworth says. "I could be driving a garbage truck, waking up at 4 a.m. every day and working all day long. You have to look at it that way. I love playing the game, and nobody can take that away from me."
Farnsworth has had his share of October meltdowns - the Marlins blew open the Steve Bartman game against him in the 2003 NLCS, and he blew Atlanta's 6-1 lead in Game 4 of its 2005 NL division series in Houston, which the Astros won in 18 innings. Still, winning the World Series remains among his top career goals, which also include pitching in 1,000 games before he turns 40 (he's at 551) and possibly getting a chance to be a closer again - unless he stays with the Yankees after his contract expires this fall, that is.
"Setting up for Mo is totally different than setting up anywhere else," says Farnsworth, who lost his role as Mariano Rivera's primary setup man as the Yankees made their playoff push in the second half of last season. "You're setting up for the best, and the fans recognize that. How many people even know who the setup guys are for other teams? It's almost like closing."
When he was a free agent two years ago, Farnsworth, who has gone 5-7 with six saves and a 4.57 ERA over two seasons in the Bronx, had several teams interested in signing him as a closer. He chose the Yankees because he wanted to win, and even though he hasn't been to the World Series yet, he believes he made the right choice.
"I have no regrets about coming here. I love it," he says. "Anybody who gets a big contract has to expect that people will have big expectations. I expect that out of myself. I get paid to do my job the best I can, and that's what I've done. The numbers haven't been the way I think they should be, but I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I have given my all every single day."
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New York Yankees Kyle Farnsworth postgame interview 4/13/07
