AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v YANKEES

October 16, 2004

Orlando Cabrera

ORLANDO CABRERA: It's important because we have to feel good from the beginning. But if we don't, we have to keep our composure and just go through the game and just get a win somehow; we've got to win tonight.

ORLANDO CABRERA: Well, you know, I think everybody on the team realized when Nomar was gone that we have to step up, you know, and do a better job. You've seen the numbers last couple of months, this season, they really increased the numbers, the average, everything was better. But the defense was better. So you know, you put that together and then you have one of the best few months of the season.

ORLANDO CABRERA: Well, now that I see a team that likes to win and wants to win, so much, that you have to add to a team in order to have them to win. There are so many teams that they have had here, we didn't have that in Montreal, all of the stuff that you need to beat the teams in the post-season. You don't have a lot of stuff in Montreal that I've seen here, and I mean, like I said, they do everything they can just to win the World Series. That's important for me, too.

ORLANDO CABRERA: You guys. (Laughter.) I mean, it's a short series. Everything is important. You know, every pitch, every move, every sign. You cannot let anything go by you without knowing. So, I mean, you have to be focused the whole entire game, even on the bench, you have to be focused. And it's exciting, it's a good feeling. It's something that drives you all through the 162 games every year just to get there.

ORLANDO CABRERA: I think because it's so small. You know, you've got the people right on you all the time. I mean, that's the way I feel when I came here to play. And I mean, it's a full house every night, people cheering for the team. They don't give you anything. But it's exciting just to have a winning team, you know, it's more exciting. And you're playing at home, you have to play good at home. It seems like everybody had a better average at home just because of the atmosphere Fenway Park gives them.

ORLANDO CABRERA: I was talking to a couple of people last night about that. But, I don't know, either way, I think it's important for us. Because, you know, it's one more day of rest for Pedro, for everybody, and just to think it through all night, yesterday, myself personally, in my apartment, just how we're going to start the game today, more relaxed, taking more pitches. I mean, everything, just knowing that we're at home right now and it's our territory, so we're going to make them respect that.

ORLANDO CABRERA: I don't know, it was kind of tough. I mean, the first week, because I want to -- not because of Nomar, but because playing for a new team and, you know, I become a free agent after the season, I want to give a good first impression. And I was trying to do too much, like every game, I want to just do everything and I realize that it's impossible, and the type of player that I am, you have to see the whole picture, it's a process. I knew it was going to take a little time for everybody to realize the way I play and the way I help the team.

ORLANDO CABRERA: Well, I haven't talked to nobody from the Expos yet. It's a sad situation, they have to leave Montreal. But hopefully they have something better in Washington and they keep the team over there. But, you know, you just -- it's sad. It's a sad situation. I haven't even thought about calling nobody because I know the way they feel. But some of the guys, they are really happy to have an owner now and it means so much over there. You can see all of the guys that are getting traded, three of the guys got traded, they are in the post-season; they went into the post-season, Vladi, Vazquez and I. So you can tell by that, that there's so much talent over there, they need an owner to spend some money so they can be a competitive team.