Schneider On Pressure Situations, His Pride In Defense And His Reaction To Being Traded

Jeff Schuler at The Morning Call had a conversation with the Mets new Catcher Brian Schneider on various topics:

On Pressure Situations:

''I understand there's going to be a lot of people watching me closely,'' Schneider said. ''Expectations are going to be very high for this team, and there's going to be a lot of pressure on everyone, especially the new guys."

''But it's all mental, and no more pressure than I put on myself,'' Schneider said. ''People have told me, 'Just deal with what you did to get here. Do the job defensively, throw out runners, help out the pitchers.''

On Pride In HisDefense:

''I think sometimes people don't realize how important defense for a catcher is, and I feel I can bring that to a team,'' Schneider, who now lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., said at the time."

'I've known Omar for a while now and I think he understands how much passion I have and how much I love controlling a pitching staff, and taking care of them and helping get them through a game and controlling the running game. I love throwing guys out and I take a lot of pride in that aspect of the game.''

On His Trade Reaction:

''I knew they had been talking, but I thought I was OK when the Mets got [catcher Johnny] Estrada from Milwaukee,'' Schneider said. ''Then out of nowhere came the call, and I was shocked."

'But I understand why Washington made the deal,'' he quickly added. ''The Nationals are going in a different direction, loading up on prospects, and they got one of the best from the Mets. Omar and the Mets wanted me bad, and it feels good to know a team wants you that much.''