Pirates Q&A with Gerrit Cole

How important is March Madness to you as a UCLA guy?

“It’s a big deal being a Bruin fan for sure. I grew up, not really watching as much college basketball as maybe some other people, but we had the Lakers and they were pretty good when I was growing up. So I’m a big Kobe and Shaq guy. But when I went to UCLA, the basketball program is just so entrenched in the legacy of the school. You can’t help but just fall in love with Pauley Pavilion and root for the Bruins.”

Being from the West Coast, what was it like learning how to surf and it being something you still like to do today?

“It took me a long time. It’s not an easy sport. I grew up with my buddy, Ryan, surfing. His dad would take us all the time and my other buddy, Tyler, his dad would take us surfing, too. I just kind of fell in love beach and have never really left.”

How did getting married to your longtime girlfriend, Amy Crawford, change your perspective on life?

“I think you view it through a little bit of a different lens once you tie the knot, but I’m lucky to have a really good one and we’ve been together awhile. We always joked that things haven’t really changed that much. But it’s been a tremendous offseason and it was a lot of fun.”

Faces of LECOM Park

Jack Conarchy

Job title: Camera operator

Residency: St. Petersburg

Hometown: Chicago

Years at the park: First year

Fans of the Game

Bill and Bev Van Duzer

Residency: Sarasota

Hometown: Pittsburgh

How long they’ve been fans: 60 years

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Pirates Q&A with Gerrit Cole."