ESPN Buster Olney Blog

The gray in Jamie Moyer's hair is thickening above his ears. The man is 46 years old, after all, and he pitched to Tony Perez. When you stick around that long, you learn some things, and Moyer offers his grandfatherly advice when asked.

What would you tell a young player about how to extend his career? "Regardless of whether you're in spring training or in the regular season, you have to know who you are and how to prepare on a daily basis," Moyer said. "And it's an evolving thing. Who I am at age 27 or 29 is not who I am now. I don't run now. I don't do distance running anymore. If I run now, I do it in a pool. If I don't have access to a pool or a treadmill, then I use the elliptical machine or a spinning bike to save the wear and tear on the body joints. Any time you do in huge repetition can be detrimental.

"And whatever the occupation, when you're doing something over and over, you have to find a way to help you get through it -- even mentally. As you get older, you learn to listen to your body. Sometimes it's a good thing to back off. I'm not perfect with it, but I do try to communicate with the strength coach, and our trainers, and our pitching coach and our manager."

What advice would you have about competing? "Be yourself. Do not try to attempt to be something that you're not. I did it at as a young player, and I see young players do it now. It's part of the learning curve. You look back at the World Series a few years ago, when the Tigers were in the World Series. I don't mean to pick on them, but their pitchers made a number of fielding mistakes. I don't know what the reason or rationale was for the mistakes they made. … But it reminded me of myself, of trying to do more than I was capable of doing as a young player.

"I lost sight of what got me to the big leagues. Then I was on that road to get back and create that consistency, and slowly it came back."

How do you handle a bad outing? "You learn from it. Try to pull some positive from any kind of adverse situation you've been in. The playoffs last year, for example, against the Dodgers. I didn't throw the ball particularly that well, and they swung the bats well, and they kind of jumped all over me quickly. I never could recover. From that point forward, I was kind of champing at the bit a little bit. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but from what I understand, the media was talking to Charlie [Manuel] about me possibly not pitching again. I didn't know that, and I didn't feel that way.

"I use that adversity to try to fuel myself, to learn about the hows and the whys. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can't, but you try to put it aside and refocus on the next day. That's exactly what I try to do the next day. I said, 'OK, that game is over.' I was a little embarrassed, but I knew my teammates were behind me. You think, 'OK, are you going to sit here and sulk, or are you going to do something about it?' For me to do something about it, what I need to do is go to the park the next day with my head up in the air, and work hard and prepare for my next potential outing.

What if a young player were to ask you about performance-enhancing drugs? "I'd tell them the same thing I tell my kids: Don't do it -- you don't need it. Let your natural ability take over. Don't become reliant on steroids. Don't put it in your body -- you don't know the effect it has. I've never taken them, never seen one in person. I think maybe some of the people who do take them might view them as a magic potion."

What would you tell a young player about dealing with the media? "The media can be a great tool that can be used to help your career -- to allow the fans to get to know you. Be honest, be up-front. Learn what you can say, learn how to say things. … You don't hide from reporters. You don't avoid them because people then are going to create their own opinions.

"I've been around players who, when they are performing well, they stand in front of their lockers like Superman. And when they're struggling, they're like Casper the ghost; there's nobody in front of that locker. I wasn't happy about it, but I also know the people who did it, and it kind of fit their personality. That was their choice, but maybe at some point, the opinions of the reporters changed about those guys -- and they're the ones with the pen in their hand. That's how you can get yourself run out of a town, through the media."

What would you tell a young player about dealing with success? "It can be a great thing, but remember that going up the ladder of success, at some point, as you come back down the ladder of success, you're going to pass the same people you passed on the way up. If you treated all those people badly, they're probably going to remember that. Treat people in your success how you would want to be treated."

What would you tell them about dealing with fans? "On the day of my start, I don't have much interaction with them. As much as I want to say hi to people, I would hope that they would respect that it's my workday, and I only work one out of five days. On the other days, I try to go out every day and sign some autographs. I try to set a half hour before game time, other than days I am pitching, to go down the right-field line to say hello, sign autographs, take pictures. I enjoy the fan interaction. I've done it a lot since I've been doing it. On those rare times it gets ugly, then I just turn around and walk away."

Want more from Olney, including notes on Joe Mauer, some Marlins' health issues, which pitchers are trying to learn Brad Lidge's slider and whether the Reds can contend as the Rays did last season? That's for Insiders. You should sign up.