Despite little fan-fare, Byrd leads Indians

Paul Byrd lead the Indians past the Yankees and into the ALCS. (Kathy Willens / Associated Press)

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball.

Indians right-hander Paul Byrd gets no respect.

"I'm not tall. I'm right-handed. I'm balding. I don't throw hard. And my breaking ball isn't that great," Byrd jokes.

Could Rodney have said it any better?

...His own son is — or was — one of his biggest skeptics.

Two years ago, Byrd was pitching for the Angels when his younger son, Colby, 7, made an observation that left him reeling.

Colby, as unimpressed with his father as only a son can be, told Byrd that if he was any good, he would be pitching for the Yankees.

Rodney, pick up the routine...

"He would play this baseball video game and say, 'You know, dad, your stuff's not very good,''' Byrd recalled Tuesday in an interview with FOXSports.com.

"He asked, 'Why are the Yankees always so good? Every video game we get, they've got the best team.' I explained to him that they spend a lot of money on players. If a player is really good, they try to trade for him. Usually, they have kind of an All-Star team.

"He kind of tucked that away in his memory," Byrd continued. "About two months later, I was signing autographs. He said, dead serious, 'Why would anyone want your autograph?' He said, 'You're not any good, you're just average.'

"I said, 'I've been pitching in the big leagues about 10 years. I've done this and that.' He said, 'Dad, if you were any good, the Yankees would have traded for you.'

"You talk about an all-time low. I kept waiting for the punch line. But there was no punch line. Nothing."

...

Byrd, an intense, fearless competitor, took great pride in the moment. His agent, Bo McKinnis, jokes that Byrd is a strong Christian, but has gotten into more fights over the years than any of his clients.

As Byrd spoke by phone from Cleveland on Tuesday afternoon, he had one more bone to pick. He was waiting for Colby to get home from school so he could call him at the family's residence in Alpharetta, Ga.

Colby, who once thought his dad only could be good if he pitched for the Yankees, was about to be taught a little respect.

"I'll have to remind him of that," Byrd said, laughing. "I'm going to harass him."