AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ANGELS

October 6, 2004

Terry Francona

TERRY FRANCONA: I am not sure it did. The reason we changed originally was when David got suspended, it was after the incident out here, he lost, what, five games? And talking to both of them, and talking to our coaches, when David came back, we thought that it was a little bit -- it made it a little bit tougher to pitch to Manny, and we thought we could protect David a little bit better; he is left-handed. I think they both really would prefer to hit third, but as you know, we can't do that, so this is the way we decided we would do it, and I think they have both done very well, and that's obvious.

TERRY FRANCONA: Not a whole lot different. Trot's in the lineup hitting fifth behind David. Millar is sixth, Varitek seventh, Cabrera is eighth and Bill Mueller is ninth. Top four guys are the same, just basically Nixon for Kapler.

TERRY FRANCONA: In August, and we were actually playing very well, but I don't think anybody thought Trot would be back playing. I think the thought was if he came back, we might have him as a pinch hitter. We were trying to figure out how to give him enough at-bats where he could be a good pinch hitter. For him to be doing what he is doing is pretty amazing. We tried very hard the last month of the season to get him to the point where he could be productive, and also healthy and playing, but he deserves the bulk of that credit because he did a great job to make himself available for us. Well, he gives us a couple different -- first of all, he is a good left-hand hitter, and the harder you throw, sometimes the better hitter he is, but he also brings some fire in the dugout and he has got a little edge to him at times during a game, which is good. He competes, he likes to win, he is a good defensive player. That's why we signed him to a three-year deal. He is a good player. It's nice to have him back.

TERRY FRANCONA: I have said this before, been asked it a lot, I think we wish we could take credit for how he plays the game, but somebody taught him well. He knows how to play. You see the things defensively he can do, he has got great range, very good arm, very accurate instincts, but besides that, he knows how to play, he moves runners, he can get a bunt down, hit the base, hit the ball to the gap area, out of the bullpen. I think he is exactly what we were thought we were getting. I think the situation in Montreal with him being in limbo, he was having a little bit of a tougher year, I thought maybe we were getting a better player than people thought, and I think we did.

TERRY FRANCONA: The last couple weeks he has actually said somebody is going to get bunted on. He said "They are not playing me in enough." He goes, "I am going to lay a bunt down on somebody." When it happened, it happened so quick, I think it got everybody. I thought it was a great piece of baseball but, yeah, he it got me, too, and I even had a little advance warning.

TERRY FRANCONA: I think what's happening with Manny, and I actually think it's very simple, is that as people grow up and mature, I think he opened himself up to your side of the game a little bit. I think with the players and people that know him, he has always been Manny and always been very personable, very warm, and then he was a little bit -- he just didn't let other people into his world, and so their perspective of him was what they saw, and this year he decided to be a little bit more open, especially with the media, in allowing you guys to see in to his world, and because you are seeing and hearing what he has to say, all of a sudden it's not just the people on the inside that see what a great kid he is, but everybody else. I don't think he has changed, I think he has just maybe matured a little bit and communicated that to other people besides his teammates.

TERRY FRANCONA: Not until this game is over. He is in the bullpen tonight. He better not be. No, he is in the bullpen tonight, and depending on how he is used or not used, then he would be the Game 3 starter, but we will get to that after the game.

TERRY FRANCONA: I actually saw him going to the bathroom when I was up here. Is that what you are looking for? That's his business. However he prepares. I don't care what he is doing right now. Those pitchers get into their routines. I don't need to get in the middle of that. Everybody has a different routine. I know he is here. He is usually a late arriver on days he pitches. He has already been here for a while. Other than that, he will be okay without me two hours before a game.

TERRY FRANCONA: Well, I like it. I would never call them idiots. I think they are a bit unique in a kind of a lovable way. What I cared about was that they -- you want your club so bad to have a personality on the field, and it doesn't just happen. Last year was the cowboy up thing and it took off. The reason it took off is because they played good. The same thing happened this year, second half of the year, we started playing good, and if you want to call it a swagger, or whatever, they came back and they started with the hair. What matters is we played good. And our ball club formed a personality, and you saw it come together on the field. That's what it's all about.

TERRY FRANCONA: Well, we were even during a part of the season when we weren't as good as we wanted to be. Our record at home was very good. And then we really took advantage of it later in the year when we actually played good home and on the road. I think it was important for us at some point to break through on the road, or regardless of how well we played at home, it wasn't going to be good enough. But we are a better team at home. I think we acknowledge that. I think we are built for our ballpark better. I think you will see most hitters are better at home just because they have 81 games there. I don't think it's a coincidence our hitters are better at home. The left-hand hitters are used to the wall, they know how to use the field, things like that. But just when you are familiar -- the familiarity, it's got to help, and I know I have said it before, because coming into this I didn't think I really believed in the home field advantage, besides the fact that you hit last, but at Fenway we have a true advantage. When you see -- could be the 7th inning, if somebody throws ball 1 for the opposing team, that place erupts like no other place I have ever seen.

TERRY FRANCONA: He is definitely a free-swinger. We handled him yesterday. As far as -- I am not going to say -- I don't want to say another word. I saw him drove in -- drive in 10, 9. We have seen both sides. Sometimes he is free-swinging. You can't throw the ball far enough out of the plate. And if the guys ahead of him get on base and you can't pitch around him, as what happened in that game, that game where he drove in all those throws, Figgins, was it nine, ten times? There was nowhere to put him. That's not good. What we will try to do is get the guys out ahead of him, certainly expand the strike zone with him, but that's that doesn't ensure he is not going to get hits, we just like to keep it to hits and not homeruns.

TERRY FRANCONA: Certainly, certainly. I think yesterday somebody actually asked me a little bit about that, and I think my reply was that we show up to win. In that sense, nothing is different. But sure, we have a day off tomorrow. We have Foulke in the bullpen. We would certainly go to Foulke under the correct circumstances and lengthen guys like that out. If you lose in the post-season, you just go home. You lose during the regular season, you can show up the next day, so we certainly -- I understand the urgency to these games.

TERRY FRANCONA: We don't ever want to waste out ever. I don't want to waste anything. If we -- if you are getting to the point of bunting and things like that, if we think a bunt is more advantageous to us winning, we will do it. Does that answer your question? Yesterday -- I will expound on that a little bit. I think yesterday Bill Mueller was in a bunting situation. We didn't bunt. We scored seven. That's why we don't bunt. Big innings help you win games.