Buddy Carlyle: I have been Buddy my entire life. My dad claims it was him, but I've heard that my maternal grandmother claims that she gave me the nickname. I think it was my dad who called me Buddy as a baby. I've never been called anything else. I was called Earl on the first day of school, and that was it.

CT: And your dad is an "Earl," too?

Carlyle: Yes, I'm the third.

CT: Is your son, Carter [age 4], an Earl also?

Carlyle: No, the chain is broken.

CT: Why did you decide that Earl was no longer a viable first name?

Carlyle: I don't have a kingdom, so I figured after three, we should shut it down.

CT: Was there any special attention paid to you from striking out the side on nine pitches in San Diego [on July 6]? Did you get a ball from that inning?

Carlyle: No, I didn't even know about it. After the game, a reporter told me how rare it was [40th time in Major League Baseball history]. I honestly didn't know the significance of it until a few days later. During the game, I wasn't even aware of it, so I don't have a ball or a keepsake, just the memory.

CT: Are people from your past coming out of the woodwork now that you're a starting pitcher with the Braves? Do people recognize you when you go out?

Carlyle: (Laughs) No, I have loyal friends and family members who have been with me all along. There are probably people who are following me more carefully than they used to. It hasn't changed anything as far as friends from home. As far as being recognized, with two children [Carter and 1-year-old daughter Kennedy], we don't get out much. We're pretty much at home or at the stadium. I keep a pretty even-keel. I've played long enough to know that a few good weeks can be coupled with a few bad weeks really fast, and everyone will forget who you are.

CT: When you played in Japan or Korea, people probably recognized you.

Carlyle: Yeah, that's a little different. You really stick out. My wife, Jessica, and I would walk down the street, and we're usually taller than most of the people. Lots of times, I think they thought we were basketball players, though I'm not nearly that tall [6-foot-3].

CT: How was playing in Japan [Hanjin Tigers] and Korea [LG Twins] different than here in the U.S.?

Carlyle: It's interesting, because it's different from Japan to Korea. In Japan, they play our old-school way, pretty much the way baseball was played in the early 1900s. There are a lot of customs that you have to adhere to, bowing at certain times and things like that. But as long as you respect their culture, it was fine. Sometimes it irked me when [American] players go over [to Japan or Korea] and think they're big time and don't respect their culture, because it is their country and their way of playing baseball. Who are we to go over there and say they're playing the wrong way? Korea plays a little more similar to the way we do, because they haven't been playing as long, only 30 to 40 years. They've modeled their league after the contemporary American baseball game.

CT: Did you like playing the Japanese way, more traditional?

Carlyle: Sometimes, but I found Japan wasn't really a culture of change. They still have pitchers throwing 180 pitches [in a game] and throwing on back-to-back days -- crazy things like that -- but things that we used to do a long time ago.

CT: Were there ever any wacky things that happened that you thought, "That would never happen in the U.S.?"

Carlyle: That happened pretty much on a daily basis. I couldn't begin to explain all the things. The best advice I got about playing in Japan was, "Never ask, 'Why?' Don't ask, 'Why are we stretching for an hour?'" Just accept what you're told to do.

CT: Was your family over there with you?

Carlyle: My first year [in Japan in 2000], I was engaged. The second year, I was married and we were expecting Carter. Kennedy was born last year in the U.S. I was in Korea. I signed with Korea in May, flew there for two weeks and came home for Kennedy's birth. I went back after two days. Jessica and Kennedy didn't come over to Korea, but a friend of mine brought Carter over for 16 days. It was great to have him there. We were in Seoul. I think the thing he liked the best was that he got to ride the subway every day.

CT: You've been a free agent for the last five offseasons. Did you ever feel like your career was over or that you should just pack it in?

Carlyle: No, I never thought my career was going to be over. People have asked me that question a lot, but I've felt competitive wherever I was. I didn't expect to be starting for a team like the Atlanta Braves at this point in the season. But every baseball player believes they're capable of doing this. Maybe they don't have the opportunity.

CT: How much of your confidence is physical, trusting your pitches and your ability, and how much is mental or maturity?

Carlyle: It's both. I think I feel stronger than I did when I was younger, but pitching is a hard thing for anybody to do. When you're young, it's hard to know how to handle yourself over 162 games. The older you get, it's easier to manage your body and your mind. I think your body grows numb to the long season.

CT: How did the deal happen that made you a Brave?

Carlyle: Two things: John Coppolella, Braves director of baseball administration, used to work with the Yankees when I played there in 2004, and he initiated the contact with my agent and me. I also had a prior relationship with Roger McDowell as a pitching coach in the Minor Leagues [2005 with the Dodgers' Triple-A team], so I called him in the offseason and he told me if I came to Spring Training, I would have a chance to pitch. That's all you can ask. Some places you go and pitch one inning, and they send you down. That doesn't do anyone any good, but they were true to their word, and I got to pitch a lot of innings during Spring Training [16 innings, 1.69 ERA]. They gave me every opportunity.

CT: How has your family adjusted to moving from city to city, country to county?

Carlyle: I think we've all done really well with it, because we all like to travel. In the offseason, sometimes we'll sit around and feel kind of bored because everything's the same. When Spring Training comes around, we're ready to go. That might change when our kids get a little older. Carter loves to go to different places, and I think he's lived in 10 different cities and he's only 4 years old. We're so used to it that it feels normal. Certainly without Jessica being as adaptable and willing to sacrifice as much as she has, this wouldn't be possible.

CT: Carter's had an interesting life for a 4-year old.

Carlyle: He really has. That's why I think he's so perceptive to his surroundings and people. He likes to talk to people.

CT: Has he made friends with [Andruw Jones' son] Druw? They both like to talk baseball.

Carlyle: Yeah, when they get together, it's like listening to an ESPN broadcast. They're always talking about the game, the details of the game. It's amazing to hear those two guys talk about baseball.

CT: Has your perspective on being a Major Leaguer changed since you made your debut in 1999?

Carlyle: You have a better understanding of how lucky you are to be [at the Major League level]. You could be gone next week, and no one would miss you. You tend to be very realistic. I'm grateful for the two months I've had here. I've said it before, "If this was the end of my career and I didn't pitch after this, I'd be OK." Some people might say, "You played for so long and only played in the bigs for a year." They might consider it a failure, but in no way do I consider my career a failure. I consider it successful that I was able to do what I wanted to do. Coming from Bellevue, Neb., and getting a chance to play in the Major Leagues is special, no matter what happens from here on out.

CT: What were your emotions like after pitching that incredible game on June 5 vs. the Marlins [a one-hitter for seven innings], then being told you were being sent to [Triple-A] Richmond immediately after the game?

Carlyle: It just seems normal to me. Some people get really bothered by things in baseball, but I honestly can say that if they said, "You're not starting this week, you're going to the bullpen," it wouldn't bother me. You care, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. When you've been doing this for so long and been sent down in so many different places, you grow numb to it. It doesn't really bother you anymore.

CT: What was your reaction when you got the phone call to come back while you were still driving to Richmond?

Carlyle: It was just more of the same. It wasn't a big deal. I realize that if for some reason I can't play baseball, my life isn't over. I have a beautiful wife, two great kids and know I'm fully capable of doing something else. I've worked as hard as I can when I'm pitching, between starts and during the offseason. If I've done all that and it's not good enough, what else can I do? And how could I be angry about that?

CT: Are you surprised by your success this season?

Carlyle: I'm not surprised. It's just hard to get an opportunity. I felt strong all last year and felt I was capable of pitching in the big leagues. That said, if someone told me at Spring Training that I would have two months of Major League work, I would have been surprised. Obviously, I'm very happy and grateful that I signed with the Braves, an organization that gives guys like me an opportunity. It makes a huge difference. The older you get, if you have a bad game that might be it. Here, it's almost funny. You have a bad game and they give you the ball again and say, "Go get 'em," almost like you're a 21-year-old prospect that they've groomed. It makes you perform better, because everybody wants to feel useful, no matter where you work.

CT: What's different about you now as a pitcher compared to early in your career? Have you altered the way you pitch?

Carlyle: I've changed my delivery over the years to make it more consistent, just little things that no one other than me would notice. A baseball player, whether a pitcher or a hitter, needs to be consistent with his motion. I added a new pitch, a cutter that Roger McDowell taught me in 2005, so I've gone full circle in these past two years now that I'm back with him. You realize as you get older that making a small change can get you to the next level.

CT: You've thrown 93-94 mph at times. Have you always thrown hard?

Carlyle: My velocity has gone up a little in the past couple of years. But I really have pretty average stuff. I'm not going to awe anyone with the stuff I have. I have an average fastball, average curveball, average cutter and average changeup. I'm a realist. I realize what I have, but having a more consistent delivery has probably made my velocity go up a tiny bit.

CT: What was your favorite team when you were growing up? Who was your favorite player?

Carlyle: I was a big Cubs fan and a Braves fan, because I watched a lot of TV and they were always on TBS and WGN. I was a huge Ryne Sandberg fan. I used to get very upset when he'd have a terrible April, then turn it on the rest of the season.

CT: Have you met Sandberg?

Carlyle: I have never met him, but I'd like to. I thought it was pretty cool getting to meet Skip and Chip Caray and Steve Stone. When you're a kid and you get to meet someone whose voice is echoed into your head, it's very cool. I was such a huge Cubs fan, and when Harry Caray died, I was very sad. Listening to his and Steve Stone's voices pretty much taught me the game of baseball.