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THE RANGERS 2ND BASEMAN IS NOT IAN McKELLEN

He’s Ian Kinsler, and he’s not an actor. But he does e-mail, and the greatness that is Buster Olney has a Q&A with him posted on his (subscription needed) blog. I’ve posted it after the jump so you don’t have to give any more money to the Worldwide Leader.

Ian Kinsler took over second base for the Texas Rangers last year, and he will play against the Red Sox tonight, on Sunday Night Baseball. We e-mailed Kinsler questions, he e-mailed answers.

1. You face Curt Schilling tonight, and you’re 3-for-6 in you career against him. How do you prepare for a specific matchup?

IK: I never do anything different because of who the opposing pitcher is. If it is a pitcher I have seen before, then I go on past experiences. On the other hand, if it is a pitcher I have yet to face, then I look at video and ask the hitter most comparable to me — Michael Young (also right-handed).

2. On a cold day, which pitcher would you least like to face, because you might hit a ball imperfectly and your hands will hurt?

IK: My solution is to make sure the heater is on and hot before I go on deck, its almost like a bowler with the hand cooler. That doesn’t work all that great when you are facing Jon Garland on a cold day in Chicago. He has a good sinker.

3. Of the players on other teams you faced in spring training this year, who do you see as perhaps being ready for a breakout type season?

IK: Matt Murton of the Cubs looked very comfortable at the plate this spring. He could be an All-Star type of player, in my eyes. Adding another All-Star to that lineup is deadly. When we played him this spring it looked as if he could hit any strike out of the park.

4. How would you describe your new manager, Ron Washington?

IK: I see my new manager Ron Washington as a very baseball educated man and one thing that stands out in my mind this spring is the phrase “picking machine.” That’s what Ron loves to use when one of the infielders makes a great play. It stands for someone who can pick a ground ball up over and over as if they where a machine. He doesn’t use it in a sentence, he just shouts it out when ever he sees a good play by the infield.

5. Who, among the Red Sox hitters, do you find it most difficult to position against? Which hitter tends to hit against what you anticipate at second base?

IK. I’m going to have to say Coco Crisp, because of his speed. As a second baseman, speed is the toughest to defend because of the drag bunt threat. Also, it is very tough to turn a double play on someone that can run like him.

6. As a second baseman, you have a little more time to settle yourself before throwing to first base. Can you name an opposing hitter who is so fast down the line that you feel you have to get rid of the ball ASAP?

IK: Joey Gathwright can absolutely fly. I play him in double play position and still feel rushed.

7. A lot of position players, in messing around while playing catch, have a pitch they think is particularly good — a knuckleball, a cutter. If you pitched one inning of relief, what would be your repertoire? And what player, among the Rangers’ position players, has the best knuckler?

IK: Let’s be honest: middle infielders are the best athletes on the field, so their wannabe pitches are the best among position players. My best pitch is the sinker. If I had to throw an inning you wouldn’t see anything else but an 82 mph sinker. It would get it done, trust me. The best knuckleball on the team would belong to Michael Young. I told you middle infielders are the best.

8. The Rangers changed the pregame schedule at home this year so that they take batting practice second, instead of the visiting team. Will it be cooler at the time you hit?

IK: I think that is the only positive. The downside is I think that it is a disadvantage to us at home because of the heat, overall. Later batting practice means that after we are done we only have 30 minutes to get ready to get on the field. That doesn’t give you very much time to cool off when it’s July in Texas.

9. What is the toughest play for a second baseman?

IK: For me being an ex-shortstop the toughest play is a double play pivot (getting the ball from the third baseman or the shortstop on a double play) because of not being able to see the runner coming at you from first, as well as not being able to see the runner running down the first base line.

10. Reporters often focus on spring training results. How much would you trust spring training numbers as a barometer of possible success or failure, and what makes you feel that way?

IK: Stats don’t mean much to a player in spring. The most important thing I think is the way your body feels and how comfortable you feel at the plate and on the defense side of the ball. On the other hand, doing well does help the confidence.

11. Your teammate Kameron Loe has a pet snake. When he has it out and it’s crawling around, what is your comfort level, compared with your teammates?

IK: On a scale of 1-10 … my comfort level is a 10 — a 10 being the most comfortable — because I am in another room. The most uncomfortable man on the team is Jerry Hairston, Jr. Can we just start calling Kameron the snake man? I think it’s time for nicknames to make a comeback. Anyway, snakes aren’t bad, I’ll hold it every once and a while. Arizona is snake country.