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Pat's impressive rookie season of 2002 (0.99 ERA, 15 saves in 23 games for Elizabethton) was followed by a three-level swing in 2003. In 2004, he was part of a crowded Double-A bullpen scene in New Britain - with Beau Kemp, Travis Bowyer, and Bobby Korecky among others. Pat was sent back to Ft. Myers in 2004 so he could be the full-time closer, and ended up leading the club in saves. Back in Double-A in 2005, he was 6-4 with a 2.19 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings pitched; his 24 saves were tops in the Twins system. He is expected to be the stopper for Cliburn in Rochester this season.
RedWingsBaseball.com: A great season at New Britain as the closer in 2005, after what could be literally referred to as an up and down season in 2004 – when you began the season at Double-A, then headed back to Class-A Fort Myers. What are your goals for 2006?
RWB.com: And now coaching in Rochester, two guys you played for in New Britain: Stan and Stu Cliburn. What’s it playing for them, and what it’ll be like having them in Rochester? PN: They’re baseball gamers, the game is their whole life. It’s going to be fun playing for them again, and I’m really glad they’re getting the chance to move up too. RWB.com: You’ve had your web site, PatNeshek.com, for a while and it’s a really interesting look at a minor league player’s life. How did you get started with the whole web site thing – did you put it together yourself, did you have a techie geek friend html it for you?
RWB.com: What software do you use to update your site? PN: I just use eteamz, it’s a site and not specific software. It pretty much does all the coding for me. RWB.com: How many domain names do you own? PN: Two. Neshek.com and Pat Neshek.com RWB.com: Any plans to buy up all the other domain extensions, like PatNeshek.org or .biz? PN: No. I just want to own the dot-com names. RWB.com: You’re from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Governor Jesse the Body Ventura – wasn’t he the mayor there? PN: Yes, I voted for him. RWB.com: Some Minnesota questions for you…the state nickname “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Is the actual number of lakes closer to 8,000, 12,000 or 15,000? PN: I think it is 15,000. RWB.com: That is correct according to the Automobile Association of America. The Mayowood Mansion was the home of which brother, William or Charles? PN: Don’t know. RWB.com: It was Charles. Your state has many nicknames: The Land of 10,000 Lakes, The Gopher State, Land of Sky Blue Water, and Star of the North. Which is your favorite? PN: Land of 10,000 Lakes RWB.com: Greatest pro wrestler from Minnesota: Verne Gagne, Jesse Ventura or Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig? PN: Mr. Perfect. RWB.com: Who’s more of an athlete: a pro golfer or a pro wrestler? PN: A pro golfer, I guess. RWB.com: What is the first thing you look for in a new town: a good steakhouse, yoga class, golf course, or library? PN: Probably a library.
PN: Fruits and vegetables. RWB.com: Conan O’Brien, or Jimmy Kimmel? PN: Conan O’Brien. RWB.com: Leno or Letterman? PN: Letterman. RWB.com: True or false: The Ramones are the greatest American rock band ever. PN: False. RWB.com: “American Idol”or “Survivor”? PN: “Survivor.” RWB.com: Would you ever work for Donald Trump? PN: Maybe. RWB.com: How many e-mail accounts do you have? Four. No, five. RWB.com: Your favorite holiday? PN: Christmas.
PN: Half-full. RWB.com: Your favorite pizza topping? PN: Pineapple. RWB.com: You usually come out of the bullpen with a crunching, crazy metal-ish song by….what is that band name again? PN: Chimaira. RWB.com: Are they a Japanese death thrash band, are they progressive alt-new metal, how do you describe them? PN: It’s the new wave of North American heavy metal, they’re from Ohio. RWB.com: Who are the bands you listen to the most? PN: Lamb of God and Chimaira. (Editor's Note: If you'd like to get a feel for the type of music Pat's into, check out this excerpt from Lamb of God, a tender ballad called "Purified"....Note: this song contains extreme high-speed guitar sounds, gut-wrenching vocals, and is more like Metallica than Manilow) RWB.com: What was the last animated show you watched? PN: “Beavis and Butt-Head.” RWB.com: When they eventually make a live action “Beavis and Butt-Head” movie, name a couple of clubhouse candidates to play Beavis and Butt-Head. PN: Kevin Cameron and me. RWB.com: Food Network or The Discovery Channel? PN: Discovery Channel. RWB.com: “CSI” or “American Idol?” PN: “American Idol.” RWB.com: Should Madonna continue making provocative videos, or should she stick to writing children’s books?
PN: Books. RWB.com: iPods…how do they actually get all those songs into the iPod? PN: I can’t figure out how they get on there. RWB.com: What’s the worst reality show you’ve ever seen? PN: That “Sweet 16” show on MTV. RWB.com: The Chinese New Year is this week, fill in the blank: it’s the Year of the …….. PN: Chicken…..no, I think that was last year….monkey….I’ll go with monkey.
PN: I don’t sing karaoke. RWB.com: Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh? PN: Howard.
Coming soon. |
Reliever Pat Neshek is an interesting - yes, that's the word we'll use right now - young man with an equally interesting pro career so far, and a delivery that's a bit more difficult to define. New Wings manager Stan Cliburn described Neshek as having "a real awkward, funky delivery that's unorthodox" in an 2004 Red Wings yearbook article about Twins prospects. 
Pat Neshek: Getting to the big leagues would be the number one goal, and I know I can’t do that without pitching really well at Rochester and showing I can get people out in all kinds of situations. 
PN: My college roommate was a big autograph collector and he thought it would be cool if I just did a journal, and just update it with weird stuff. We had one for Butler baseball, where I went to school, and it was just all kinds of wacky insider stuff. Since I’ve had the site as a pro pitcher, I’ve had a lot of reaction from fans that they like the site a lot.
RWB.com: Favorite pre-game meal?
RWB.com: Is the glass half-empty, or half-full?
RWB.com: This is in fact the Year of the Dog. The last karaoke song you sang?