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+---- Thread: *Interview with s40 K/P Ray Baker (/showthread.php?tid=44058)
*Interview with s40 K/P Ray Baker - domffl - 03-07-2023
It is with great honor that I present to you, the reader, an in-depth look at one of the DSFL's rising stars. No, not Jason Steele, Ray Baker. Kickers aren't generally regarded as "sexy" positions, but when you have the swagger, talent, and confidence that Baker has, anything is possible.
Dom: Hey Ray! Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me and answer some questions from me and your fans. As with any star player, we want to get to know the you behind the helmet. So Ray, this first question comes from a fan. She writes in, "Ray, what goes through your mind when you are lining up a kick?"
Ray Baker: Thanks for having me and thank you to the fan for this great question. Before the season, I had the opportunity to train with legendary kicker Morten Anderson. He gave me great kicking advice. He came up to me and said “Ray, when you line up for a kick, disregard the game situation. No matter if it would be an extra point or a game-winning kick, treat every kick the same.” So I took that advice to heart and it has helped me tremendously. I go through each kick not worrying about the score or the noise but just go through my technique of knocking the ball through the uprights.
Dom: A well-spoken piece of advice! Without doubt, the hardest part of a kicker's job is not the mechanics of the kick, but the pressure they are under to make those kicks consistently. And you've shown that you can keep that poise as you lead the DSFL in field goals of forty yards or more! It's obvious that your team trusts you to make those kicks and consider you an extremely valuable part of the offense. What are your goals for your rookie season in the DSFL?
Ray Baker: I appreciate the stat about my kicking but my goals are team-oriented. I want to help Kansas City complete the Ultimini three-peat. I am working hard off the field to improve my game that will translate on the field. I want our great GMs to not think twice about sending Ray Baker out there for a kick. Kansas City and my fellow Coyotes mean a great deal to me. I want to make my teammates proud just like they make me proud when they take the field. Guys like Jason Steele, Jake Jefferson, Icepick O’Hullihan just to name a few, are all great rookies on this team and I would kick through a brick wall for them. And most importantly I want to make the fans proud. I would love to help deliver them a third title in a row.
Dom: Truly inspiring words, Ray. Most casual fans overlook the true importance a kicker adds to a team. Even just the confidence a team has in their kicker can help the offense to perform better because they know that they are covered. I've had the pleasure of interviewing several Coyotes team members and they all have the highest thoughts of their kicker.
This leads really well into our next question from a fan: "What's the furthest you've ever kicked a field goal (practice included)?"
Ray Baker: I can't say what my longest field goal has been but it was probably in a practice as you can get more of a running start. But as an accuracy kicker, one of my biggest accomplishments was in college at Georgetown, a fan brought a sign that said "KICK IT HERE" with a painted on target. One of my field goals I made lined up perfectly with that fan's sign. Gus Johnson was on the call and went ballistic over my kick lining up with that guy's sign. That's something I definitely won't forget.
Dom: No way! Did you hit the fan with sign with the ball?
Ray Baker: The kicking net was up that game but I did find the fan after the game and autographed the ball for him.
Dom: Wow, that a generous gesture! Generosity and compassion like that is what makes the fans adore you. It's so easy to want success from the players who you know are good people trying to make others' experiences with the sport more enjoyable. What has been your favourite fan interaction so far?
Ray Baker: This is an easy one. It was my final home game as a senior at Georgetown. Senior Night. A lot of fans brought signs and everything for all the graduating players. But there was one part of the student section who showed up wearing my signature goggles and had signs like “Baker Train” “We love you Ray” “Best of luck in the DSFL, Ray!”. Then they chanted my name after I made all my kicks in that game. I was able to meet up with the Baker section after the game and took pictures with all the students. That was definitely my favorite personal moment with the fans. I'm grateful for all the times I get to make the fans smile.
Dom: Man, that's special. You must have made a humongous impact at your school to have your own fan section as a kicker. If my sources are correct, you had a nickname at Georgetown: "The Pastry Chef," with a chant that went "Chef Ray Baker: Field Goal Maker." Is that right?
Ray Baker: My nickname actually was "The Sun". When you're outside going on a run under the Sun, you're out there with Ray Baker.
Dom: Well then, it looks like one of our intern researchers is going to be fired later on.
Most fans know that every team is in the weight room every day to stay strong and flexible throughout the season, but it's not uncommon to see kickers that are not quite as ripped as the rest of their team. So, what do you do as a workout? Do you focus on lower body only? Talk us through a normal workout or practice for Ray Baker.
Ray Baker: It's leg day, all day for Ray Baker in the weight room. I dominate the leg press and can go toe to toe with highest weights against the rest of our roster. In practice, it's all about reps. I'm working on making kicks from both left and right hash. I work on kicks within 35 yards so much that they call me Mr. 35. I may not be the most accurate from 50+ but I can nail the low-mid range kicks with ease due to the work I put in on the practice field.
Dom: Consistency is key for any good player, but no other position knows that more than kickers. I think it's particularly helpful in Kansas City that you actually get to split up duties of kicking and punting between two kickers. While they might look like similar motions, there is a lot of nuanced differences between the two. This way, you can focus on perfecting kicking from a hold and your counterpart can perfect the different ways to land a punt so that it sticks behind the 20.
Alright Ray, I won't take up too much more of your time. Entertain us with this last question: Would you rather live in a 10-bed mansion next to a landfill or a 300 square foot shack on a cliff overlooking the sea?
Ray Baker: I would go with the 300 square foot shack on the cliff. I would be able to find a good amount of rocks to kick off the cliff and get some practice in. Plus I definitely would not want to smell a landfill all day!
Dom: I couldn't agree more.
Well, thank you, again, for spending some time with me to talk, share some laughs, and answer a few questions from your fan club. I wish you all the best for the remainder of the season and in the upcoming ISFL Draft!
ISFL GMs, meet the league's best kicker. @jdc4654
Code:
Mr. Media Man, please pay the following:
@"jdc4654" = 80%
@"domffl" = 20%RE: Interview with s40 K/P Ray Baker - Yeenoghu - 03-07-2023
Very inspiring to see that Morten Andersen can still get it done at the ripe age of 95!
RE: Interview with s40 K/P Ray Baker - jdc4654 - 03-07-2023
Thanks for having me!
RE: Interview with s40 K/P Ray Baker - jdc4654 - 03-07-2023
(03-07-2023, 01:13 PM)Yeenoghu Wrote: Very inspiring to see that Morten Andersen can still get it done at the ripe age of 95!@Yeenoghu He looks great at 95 for being born in 1960 lol