	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND TWO

March 11, 2006

Luis Sojo

POOL 2: SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Q. When they set up this tournament, I imagine they're looking second round could be Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominica. Now that we're here, what does that mean for somebody who's never seen a Caribbean series or something like that?
LUIS SOJO: It means a lot. This is a huge tournament. Everybody expected this to happen. Everybody is excited. I mean, Orlando, we feel like we were in Venezuela. Here in Puerto Rico, this Puerto Rican team can play and it's a big country so it'll be crazy. Everybody expected it. Australia, they gave us a hard time, and Italy, they came over to play. They've got a lot of young guys, but everybody expected these four teams to be here.
Q. It seems to me like in the States, they'll be happy if the United States wins, but if they don't, they've got the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cubs. But it almost seems like in these countries, you'd better win. Is that fair?
LUIS SOJO: People in Venezuela, they get all over me because I don't want Big Papi in the first game, and I bring Lefty. There's a lot of passion in our countries. I think people in Latin countries, they don't go to the States to watch a team; they go to the States to watch your team win. Sometimes it's not that good.
We've got a job to do. Unfortunately sometimes you make a wrong decision. In my case I don't think it was a bad decision. But, you know, it happens to good hitters. Every time you hang something to a good hitter, they're going to hurt you. That's what happened with Big Papi.
After winning the second and third game, everybody loved me, and we're on the same page now.
There's a lot of pressure to be honest with you because guys -- that's what they expect from Venezuela. When we come to Orlando, they all want to win. When you see Bobby Abreu, Cabrera, all those guys, they come to this tournament to win, so we don't want to make mistakes, and hopefully that's going to be the case.
Q. You've already seen the Dominicans but you haven't seen Cuba or Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is playing very well. Are those the teams to worry about because you don't know what to expect from them?
LUIS SOJO: Well, we had a couple of scouts. We had Jesus Mendez, he's been around for a long time. So he gave us stuff about the Cuban guys, a lot of young guys, but they're hungry. They want to win and they know how to play the game. You know, we've got Johan (Santana) and they've got to be worrying about him, too. I don't got to worry about that. We've got to perform on the field.
In the Puerto Rican case, we basically know most of the guys. I've got to catch like Victor Martinez, Ramon Martinez and (Henry) Blanco. We know very much these guys. On the field we've got to do the little things, execute, and we haven't hit the ball good, but hopefully in this round it's going to be different because our pitching has been great.
Q. Which pitcher are you going to be using against Cuba tomorrow?
LUIS SOJO: Johan Santana. I already said that.
Q. Is it possible that Santana is going to be able to pitch the 80?
LUIS SOJO: There are about 80 pitches. What they're going to be doing also depends on the very first game. It wasn't really necessary for the 65 pitches for the first one.
However, I think that Johan is actually doing pretty well. What I'm going to try to do is use him to the max, and I hope that it will be 65, 68 pitches and so forth. He's going to be following up. We still haven't decided that yet. However, we are still believing in Carlos Silva. He's on a five-day break. He's resting right now and we have a lot of versatility here in our lineup.
From Puerto Rico it's Carlos Zambrano, and we can play with Kelvim Escobar, and everything, (Gustavo)
Chacin, there are many people, Tony Armas.
Q. There are many openers that you could use for this game in Puerto Rico to have a no-hit shutout against Cuba? Do you think that it was a bad game? Do you think that maybe you are overconfident with this match of Puerto Rico? How do you see that?
LUIS SOJO: I'm not overconfident. I think that what is most important here is to go onto the field and to try, to reach and obtain your objective, which is to win. With baseball you cannot really foresee, nobody really knows what is going to be happening. For us we have a very good team and at the same time we have to do things on the field completely when there are no runs or no hitters, as well. It's very difficult to do so. You have to bear that in mind. Nobody knows ever what is going to be happening. You have to remember that it is a very important game.
Q. What is the probable line-up that you have? What have you thought about?
LUIS SOJO: Well, there, in that regard, later on Carlos Guillen is going to continue, he's going to be on first or he may be the designated. (Bobby) Abreu, (Miguel) Cabrera, (Victor) Martinez, (Ramon) Hernandez, and I'm also forgetting another one. I want to put on Endy Chavez, he's the best outfielder that we have for this case, but I do not want to move one of the center fielders. I don't want to move them.
If he's a good outfielder I can put them in any position. I can probably put him in left field but tomorrow I'll make that decision.
Q. How is the team doing health-wise? Do you see any problems?
LUIS SOJO: They're perfect. They're great, except for Victor Zambrano, who had a small problem on his back because the doctors requested that we sent him to Port St. Lucie, but he's back on the team now and he's ready to pitch.
Q. Pertaining to the colder weather in Orlando and the climate here, do you think that could impact it somewhat, the way the pitchers pitch or something like that?
LUIS SOJO: Well, look, hey, I think that it's -- it's actually going to be in our favor because we're going to basically be in our home climate. Maybe during the second game it was a little bit rather cold, but here I don't think that is going to be the case. We're here in a very warm climate zone, and we hope that this is going to help us because we're going to be in our element here.
Q. George Steinbrenner has been pretty vocal about being against the WBC. After a week of play what's your opinion of the tournament?
LUIS SOJO: Well, I respect his opinion, but I can't think about that right now. I've got a job to do here. We're in the WBC right now and we've already played three games, and my mind is thinking about what we have do.
Q. So far the experience has been enjoyable for you and it's been successful, do you think, the tournament?
LUIS SOJO: It's been great. To be able to go to Orlando and get all the superstars together, I mean, that's one of the biggest highlights of my career, to be the manager for these guys. They've been great. They've been like little kids because they want to participate. They want to represent their countries, and they're happy. They're really happy and they enjoy every moment.
Q. Who's tougher, George Steinbrenner or Venezuela fans?
LUIS SOJO: No contest, Venezuelan fans.
Q. Did you also have a scout over there in Phoenix to be able to see the United States and Mexico? What do you know about this group now?
LUIS SOJO: Well, no, honestly speaking, no, but currently I think that they are going to be sending them so that they can see, so the Asians, the U.S. and Mexico, and we already have a report here in this case already how the work that we have received from the scouts has been excellent, and we have also been able to use that to our advantage.
Q. You played three games on the first round. Did you learn something during those first three games that you're going to be applying here in this tournament?
LUIS SOJO: Well, look, we learned something new every single day on every single game. Maybe during the second round it's going to be a calmer round, and during these short series, the very first round is incredibly difficult because if you miss two games you lose and you're out of it completely. It's like if you never come here.
Now, when we're here, I think that the guys have more confidence to try to achieve the objectives. You know, I think we're always going to be learning something from this game.
Q. This is interesting because you say we're going to be calmer, (Victor) Zambrano said the same and Bernie Williams - it's like playing a World Series in March. How could so many people with so much experience, those of you playing at the World Series level, how could you possibly be nervous? I don't understand why is that?
LUIS SOJO: Well, because we all know that the importance that this championship has for the various countries in our case. For the entire time we have said, "Gee, I'd like to create a dream team." We're going to create a Venezuelan dream team and we're actually able to do it here at a world championship. Imagine the responsibility we have, not only the manager but the baseball players that this is work for the entire country. This is maybe why they feel a certain level of pressure, because the pressure does exist, but the baseball players shouldn't be putting the pressure on themselves, and maybe for some of them they are putting pressure on themselves, but there's a lot of motivation, momentum, happiness, and this is something that is unprecedented because there are so many stars that are participating in this championship, and I hope that -- this is the very first one and I hope that something like this happens again.
Q. Were there some members of the Venezuelan government or was there some type of conversation with the minister? Did you commit anything from your team to him? Can you make a comment on that?
LUIS SOJO: Well, the fact that they actually did hand over the flag of your country and then you surround yourself with that flag, it means something with the competition. But they were very welcoming with us. They spent a very wonderful pleasant time with the minister of education, the minister of sport. We have the support of the entire country, and there are a lot of expectations because we have one of the very best teams in this tournament. It would be a wonderful present for all of Venezuela that we give them this championship.
Q. You've played several Caribbean series. This will be the very first true one of the Caribbean because the four parts of the Caribbean are here?
LUIS SOJO: Yeah, without a doubt. There should be eight that should be participating. I don't remember how many will be participating, but maybe, not at this level -- well, of course it's not that I want to be disrespectful of the other baseball players who are here and participating, but with this amount of baseball players, when you see the Dominican Republic and then you go and you see Puerto Rico and then you see the baseball players that are on that team and then you look at the Cuban team, which is a major stronghold, a major power in baseball, and then you go and you look at Venezuela, as well, imagine the amount of baseball players and superstars that are playing and here. It's going to be probably -- if you will, it's a type of advanced semi-finals because of the talent and the high level that is going to be achieved in the second round.

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297