Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — John Smoltz has spent his entire 21-year major-league career with the Braves and never had a spring training like this. He plans to rely more on off-speed pitches this season and was permitted to spend the early weeks of camp honing those pitches in simulated games on back fields. Smoltz is set to make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday with a start against Tampa Bay. On Friday he discussed his spring, the upcoming season, and his future with AJC Braves beat writer David O'Brien.

Q. You've been through so many spring trainings, prepared for so many seasons under different sets of circumstances, how would you compare this one, and how do you feel about it at this point?

Phil Skinner / AJC (ENLARGE)

John Smoltz is adding more off-speed pitches to his repertoire.

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A. I've made changes every year, made adjustments, and the one thing I've learned to do is listen to my body and learn how to do the necessary things you have to do to get ready. Because once the season starts you don't really have time to go through a bunch of changes. So this spring training has been really good in accommodating what happened last year and the changes I could make. The way to get better, I felt, was to put in this program this year.

Q. Does your stature and your relationship with the manager and the other players allow you to have maybe a little leeway as far as kind of distancing yourself from the team with your spring program and there not being any danger that there might be with another guy doing that?

A. Yes and no. The thing is, this is done in conjunction with the team. They feel, and I know, this is best for us, to get me through the first few weeks of spring training and do what I wanted to do. Having been here 20 years, having a manager know me, this is really not special treatment. He can appreciate that I've been able to communicate over the years what I feel might work for me. So far, so good.

Q. How has your relationship with Bobby, and the things he allows you to do — you've mentioned golf being so important — how has that relationship helped extend your career and keep you excited about baseball, where some your age might be burned out or not as motivated to get ready for the season?

A. He is the single-most reason why I've stayed here and the reason why we've been so successful. There are circumstances that come up that he realizes, allows a player to be at his best. He has simple rules and understands when a player needs a day off or needs a certain situation to keep fresh. This is a long year. . . The goal is to have players be as fresh as they can for as long as they possibly can, which would allow them to be as successful as they can. He understands, so if it's a special occasion, or a family occasion, Bobby's one of the best at recognizing it. ... And player knows there's no sense taking advantage of one of the best managers in the world. Just do what he tells you to do, and you'll be fine.

Q. With Craig Biggio retired, you've got the longest tenure of any player with any team. Does that feel special, or do you think in 5-10 years when you're retired you'll appreciate it more?

A. I'm learning to appreciate it more every year. There's mornings I get up and go to spring training and don't feel like going. But every day that I come here and every day that I get to do certain things, I realize how long and how special this has been. I don't think of it any other way. With other guys coming and going, this team having gone through the success it has, it's never dimmed the desire to come to the park and really try to strap it on for another championship. That has kept me going. I can honestly say, there's days where to go out and do these things, are tedious and you could find ways to cheat the system. But with the guys we have here, and the manager, you don't ever want to do that.

Q. Has this program you've had this spring served to rejuvenate you? Some people wonder if you are making concessions or changing your routine after having so much success. Is that a misperception?

A. Yeah, I've actually thrown more in this situation than I would have in games. I could get three- and four-pitch outs, maybe one-pitch outs, sometimes in the games. This has just allowed me, in the early going, to fine-tune some of the things that I'm looking to do. And I have a different mind-set about things — I can create pressure, create tension, in situations that normally wouldn't be there. So if it's a simulated game or an actual spring training game, the only difference is there's a lot more people watching. I've never been one that's worried about my statistics in spring training. I've always been one that understands what I need to be successful, and so far this has been a great camp for me.

Q. Looking at it statistically, the last couple of years, observers might wonder why you would you mess with success and change your repertoire, add more off-speed pitches, etc. But is that you knowing your body so well, knowing that it's time, and that if you want to continue to have success you can't just continue going out and doing the same things?

A. Absolutely. I've made more changes probably than anybody, even when things are going good, that people didn't notice. This is just a little more noticeable. ...

Q. Did the changes the team made in the offseason make it easier for you to get excited about this season? You seemed a little leery going into the last couple of years, perhaps knowing there were some flaws there that might be exposed — and were exposed. Are you more confident about this team?

A. No doubt we did the best job we possibly could this offseason. Now, whether or not we tweak it, whether or not we're in position to add a piece here or there — when you leave spring training you always like to feel the team doesn't need many changes. And we feel like we have that. This is potentially our best pitching staff in the past three years. That eases the burden across the board.

Q. Can you see the end of your career, or do you look at it like Bobby [Cox] where you still feel good and are going to take it year-by-year?

A. Pretty much year-by-year, day-by-day. Three or four years ago I had a plan of how many years I wanted to play. But now it's just to the point of, I don't know what the future holds. I don't control any of those issues. Each day, I'm just pressing forward trying to finish my career, as much determined as I was when I came into the career. And as soon as that determination ends, I'll walk away peacefully.