Q: Thanks for taking time, Brian. Talking to Ryan Drese yesterday morning, I know your practice was rained out on Tuesday. How was it yesterday?
Lawrence: "Yesterday was good, no rain. We got to get on the field for the first time, so that was good. We got to pitch off the mound, and had an all-around good first day. We'll move on from there."
Q: So, what did the first Riversharks practice of 2009 consist of?
Lawrence: "Well, we got there and warmed up, threw, that sort of thing, then went over some team fundamentals. Bunt plays, that sort of thing. Then, we moved into batting practice, and few of us pitchers threw off the mound, in what they call live BP, so the hitters get to see a pitcher, and we get to throw with a hitter in the box. Then, we just moved on to what we call pitchers' fielding practice, and that was much it, we wrapped it up from there. That was a pretty good first day, because we got a lot covered in a short amount of time. We'll probably do something similar today."
Q: Weather still looking good today?
Lawrence: "Yeah, yeah. I think we just had the one day of rain, and it's nice here, not too hot, kinda just right."
Q: Since you were with the Riversharks last year, have any of the other guys been asking you what it's like?
Lawrence: "Well, pretty much everybody's been around. A few guys ask me what the league is like, as far as where we go, and the stadiums, and that sort of thing. On the baseball side, everybody's been through similar leagues in the minor leagues, and they know what to expect. They're just curious on the other amenities, as far as hotels and the travel."
Q: Ryan talked yesterday about how it can be hard to develop much chemistry with your teammates, since spring training is so short. Do you agree?
Lawrence: "Yeah, and it's even more difficult because you have 4 or 5 teams in the clubhouse all together, sharing a clubhouse there, where we work out. So, that's different, because you have not only your own team, but the other teams in the league sharing a clubhouse with you. But some of the guys are staying in dorms, so they're all in there every day together all day, hanging out and getting to know each other. I am actually with my family, and we're staying in a hotel, so I'm not with [the other guys] at all times. But you get to know everybody. It is a short time, and we're gonna have to band together pretty quick, but it's the way the league is, and you just have to deal with it."
Q: What's the number 1 thing you personally try to get out of training camp?
Lawrence: "You just get your arm in shape. That's the number 1 thing. With this just being a week, you have to get good on your own before you get here. Just have to make sure that arms' ready to go once the season starts. The rest...you'll find your location and all that stuff along the way, but you just have to make sure your arm's ready to go. If you're behind, then that could be bad. As long as you're in shape, and your arm's ready to go, and you get a couple innings here at the beginning, you can kinda build up from there."
Q: How valuable are the four spring training games you'll be playing, starting tomorrow?
Lawrence: "You can't duplicate game situations in practice. You just can't. The intensity is not there. So the games are good, they're key. So that'll be good, being able to get on the mound in a game situation, because it's really difficult to duplicate that without a game being on the line."
Q: Last question. What are you looking forward to most about this season?
Lawrence: "It's just a chance to play, that's the biggest thing. Just the opportunity to come play, and be able to show that we can still play this game. And we're gonna be looked at. That's the biggest thing about this league, and it's a really good league for that."
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