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MLB WINTER MEETINGS

December 7, 2005

Mike Scioscia

DALLAS, TEXAS

Q. Are you getting any kind of sense that your team is going to do anything here?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: You know, you hope things are going to fall into place. If it doesn't happen now, then there's a chance to improve, and Bill's laid a lot of the groundwork it won't be all for naught.
Bill's going to be very careful at what he's going to do to improve our club. I don't think his effort is going to jump into something unless it's going to make us significantly better. If it doesn't develop now, and it develops down the road to help our team, fine. But we still feel very, very good about where our ballclub is.

Q. What did Joe (Maddon) mean to this organization?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, Joe was an Angel and he spent his whole year as a player and in player development at the Major League level in our organization. And he really had an impact on a lot of areas and not only on the philosophy that we would carry forward, but in a lot of the fundamentals that were applied. He's got the opportunity to do the same in Tampa Bay and he'll do a terrific job.

Q. Does Roenicke feel about a lot of the things that he did? Did you feel comfortable with that transition?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, I think one thing about our staff that was great was we all shared ideas. Everybody was really -- had input in every decision that was made, in forming not only philosophies, but implementing the application of the fundamentals and making sure that our club is moving in the right direction.
So Ron, he's got a great baseball mind and he's been a part of things that have been done with and Dean coming up, we'll have baseball discussions that we always have. It will be hopefully continue to move in the direction we've been moving in.

Q. The catching situation, are you getting more comfortable with the idea of Jose and Jeff Mathis and how you might go into the year, what you are thinking in terms of splitting?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think if it comes to that, it's obviously an important position. And if Bengie is not going to be back with us, then, you know, obviously we have to have the confidence in filling that void, and we do in Jose and Jeff. And if that comes to pass, that's the direction that we're going to go. We'll see how all of this plays out.

Q. Do you envision sort of a split?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, I don't think you have to target any playing time with anybody. Obviously if Bengie is back, it's going to be a situation where he's going to have the lion's share of it. If it's Jose and Jeff and Josh in the mix, also, I don't think we have to target anything. We're going to end up being -- our priority is on defense at that position and so if he's doing the job he will get the playing time.

Q. Can you say how much input you have on these personnel decisions?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Our input is purely on evaluation, opinions on players.
As far as the movement of players, as far as the salary structures, as far as the budget and what Bill has to work with, that's his -- that's purely his decision.
You know, Bill, he certainly leans on us very heavily for our input and expertise on the evaluations and options that might be available to him and what voids might be created if he thinks a player might not be with us to get input on something that he thinks we're going to be able to fill or not.

Q. What kind of pitcher did you think Byrd was and how he pitched for you?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Significant stretches for you, he was our best pitcher. That's saying a lot when you've had Bartolo Colón, the year he had, he was terrific. There were times when Paul threw the ball as well as anybody in the League. He was pitching deep into games, he was consistent. That's going to create a void that we're going to have to fill because he did a terrific job and I know Cleveland is excited about the prospects of having him in the rotation, or having him in the rotation, I should say.

Q. Are you comfortable right now with Carrasco as the fifth guy?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: If you look at the depth we have in our rotation from Colon, Lackey, Santana and Escobar returning with Carrasco, Weaver, Saunders, Bootcheck, Kevin Gregg, we're probably nine-deep, and that's important because I think there are some years we've come in maybe five or six deep.
Definitely the rotation is there through the organization, so I think that's going to be a plus and we're going to have to pitch as well as we did last year.

Q. Is there any problem or drawback about not having a left-hander?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think it's probably more important to have, if you're looking for balance, to have a lefty in the pen, which we haven't really been able to secure. But we've had some power arms there so we've been fine. A lefty in the rotation is something that you always are looking for balance, but at the end of the day, you know, you're going to take the best talent and the best pitcher and right now, we're deep in pitching but we're the only ones that are left-handed, you throw in Wood who has a possibility of starting.

Q. How competitive do you anticipate the fifth spot to be?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: It's going to be competitive. There's nothing that's been given that role, and none of those guys are going to approach it any differently other than going out there and trying to win a spot.

Q. With Carrasco, if one of the other guys steps up and wins the fifth spot, do you think he can be effective in the bullpen, his versatility?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think that is what a lot of teams were drawn to Hector about. I think that's what last year he showed was a strength for him. I think he opened up some eyes when he came out at the end of the year and started.
So I think some situations he was going to come in, and I know he was talking to some teams about just being a starter. In our situation, I know that we're going to give him that option to win that spot, but he can get to the pen if need be.

Q. Have you talked to Millen at all and said, "I think we need a left-hander in the bullpen going into Spring Training"?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: I've had these discussions for six years with our pen. You don't need to get hit with a brick in the head to know that for balance, you would love to have a lefty. If you look at the lefties in our division, you certainly would like to have a lefty in the pen. But not at the expense of, first of all, you have to get that good lefty, which has been tough. And you don't want to take a mediocre lefty over what we really have is a lot of power arms from the right side that are -- that have very, very good numbers against lefties. That's not the whole story, sure, you'd like lefties that can get lefties out, which are a precious commodity. You'd like to get your hands on one of them but it's a situation where we've proven we can win without that lefty in the pen. Are you going to be a better team if you can get the balance to have one there? Sure. But those lefties are tough to find.

Q. Talk about your next season the prospects right now going in, obviously there's going to be some changes.
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, Bill is working very hard to improve the club in any area that we can. A lot of focus on our offense and we certainly are looking to have better continuity and a deeper lineup, and then the pitching end of it, with Paul Byrd not resigning with us and then Carrasco and some of the other kids that are vying for that position, we've got some challenges ahead of us.
But we're very, very confident that we are going to be a better club next year and we have to be a little better to get to that final hurdle.

Q. Everybody is talking, Manny, Manny, he's definitely going to be an Angel; it's not that easy.
MIKE SCIOSCIA: No, that's something that is -- I think it's been talked about. But I don't think there have been discussions that Bill has had with other clubs where he has highlighted as much. There would be some real challenges to acquiring a player like that, and that's something that Bill will have to pay a lot of attention to.

Q. Would you have any objections to him being on your team in your clubhouse?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: No.

Q. How much homework have you done?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think that Manny is a special talent. We talked with Orlando and Jose most and guys that know Manny better than some of us, there's nothing that this guy wants to do more than to win. That talent would be welcome -- certainly welcome in any clubhouse in baseball, and we would -- there wouldn't be any issues.

Q. You guys go so hard, first to third, the way you are so aggressive, he usually doesn't even run hard to first.
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, I mean, I've seen -- he can run and I've seen him when he applies himself be able to play. Certainly anybody coming into our system would have to understand the importance we put on going first to third because it's what our offense has had to implement because we don't have the lineup deep enough to drive the ball with a lot of clubs. So that has to be part of our structure, and it is.

Q. Would a guy like him, and probably with Jose Guillen, isn't there also something of -- I mean, not to build Manny into some kind of problem?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: The guy is a perennial MVP candidate that puts up great numbers.

Q. He needs a mental day off here and there, but isn't there -- be it him or somebody else, isn't there always a feeling like, hey, we can get this guy right, we can get him to play in our system, we can make sure we can fix it?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: It's tough to comment because you really don't know a guy until you're in the situation with him.
But Manny, like I said, he would be welcome in about any clubhouse in baseball because of the talent he brings. And guys that know Manny talk about what he wants to do is win.

Q. Seems like most of Jose's transgressions were a lot in the clubhouse, except for the one obvious one. With Manny there's occasional periods on the field where he will not hustle. Have you tried to project what it would be like to have this guy and how you would handle a situation like that?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: It's impossible for me to comment because when I've seen him, I've seen him play well and he plays hard, so I haven't -- I don't see a guy every day and I haven't seen some of the things you might be talking about.
It's really something you would weigh with any player if they are going to fit into your team on the field first and foremost, and he brings a special talent that is obviously coveted by any club and would be a piece of the puzzle that would be something that would -- our club would look at.
But like I said, there are some real logistical challenges to try to acquire a talent like that, and first and foremost I think will be the ability to have a team deep enough in the lineup to be putting that much money into one player. That's what Bill and Arty are going to weigh very, very carefully if there's going to be any major acquisition.

Q. It sounds like you still need to picknit with a guy who puts numbers --
MIKE SCIOSCIA: You mean "nitpick"?

Q. Only reason I bring it up is knowing the culture you've created in your clubhouse and with your team.
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Our philosophy is very simple. There's probably three principles that you have to abide by, and that's that you have to practice the game hard, you have to practice with focus, and, you know, everybody that's been coming to our clubhouse knows that you have to get ready to play the game mentally and physically and it takes all forms. Some guys use visualization. Some guys watch videos. Some guys relax. Some guys are in the cage. Whatever it's going to take to get for you to play mentally and physically, that's something that has to be in place in your game and you have to play the game hard.
So those three things, I haven't run across any ballplayers that have really had issues with that, and when you do, you know it's been minor or you've dealt with it. But that's -- I don't think those demands are that great. I think most guys will be able to play under that umbrella. You're targeting one guy, so a lot of the questions maybe are not real fair to target one guy and say that he's going to be molded to a situation or not because he's very, very talented.
Like I said, I think he would fit. He would fit. But the logistical challenges of acquiring talent like that are formidable.

End of FastScripts...

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