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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ANGELS

October 6, 2004

Manny Ramirez

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Game Two

Q. (Inaudible)?

MANNY RAMIREZ: We feel we have a lot of confidence in ourselves, especially because Pedro is going to pitch the second game, and we know Colon had a hell of a season, but we are going with the best pitcher in baseball, so we are pretty confident.

Q. Manny, you have been through this so many times with Cleveland and Boston. How is the post-season different for you than regular season? How is it different for you than it was when you were young?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Some of the same, especially we take a lot of pride, when you are in the playoffs. You got to take advantage of any little things out there, because you know that the Angels, they playing great, too, so we got to go out there and take advantage of the little things.

Q. What do you like about hitting in front of Ortiz?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Ortiz has been an MVP candidate out there, you know, so he's also a great teammate out there, and he is having a great season, and he is one of my best friends on the team, and I think he is also the best hitter on the team.

Q. Manny, last month David said that he wishes that you will be the MVP. Could you elaborate more on your friendship, and just what it's been like to have a guy like that, is he one of your best friends in baseball and just what it's been like on and off the field with him?

MANNY RAMIREZ: He is great, man. He is a guy that you could go and talk to him when you have some problems, like off the field and on the field, you know, so we always talk about a lot of things out there, so, you know, I am very proud to have Ortiz behind my back.

Q. Manny, can you talk about Fenway Park, how you are getting along with the fans there, how you guys play there, what it means to you.

MANNY RAMIREZ: Oh, man, let me tell you about Fenway. I played in Cleveland for seven years, you know, and it's not even close, you know. We got the best fans in the whole world out there, man. Especially when I am running to left field, I point to the fans and they just love that, they love me a lot there.

Q. Manny, can you talk about what Orlando Cabrera has meant since he came over here both in the clubhouse and on the field.

MANNY RAMIREZ: Cabrera, he is a great person, especially he brings so much energy to the team, and he also, you know, brings his glove and his bat. He's got a gold glove out there, so we really need him out there.

Q. Manny, have you had a chance to talk to Guerrero since you have been there, and if so, what would you say about what type of season he has had?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Vlad is one of the best kids out there, and I think everybody's talking about Arod, but I think the best hitter in the league is Vladimir, you know, he is such a nice guy that he deserves the kind of season that he is having right now.

Q. All of your teammates talk about how you come to the ballpark very early and you are always working on your hitting. What drives you to be one of the first guys to the ballpark everyday? What drives you to keep pushing it?

MANNY RAMIREZ: I don't know, you know, for me this is something that I wanted to do since I was a kid, so I always come early to work on the things that I need to do. And you always want to get better in things that you need to work on, so that's why all the time I am early at the ballpark.

Q. You were saying just a minute ago that Vladie is such a good guy. You hear a lot more of that talk about you this year, maybe than you heard other people say last year. What's the difference in the way -- what made you decide to approach everything different this year?

MANNY RAMIREZ: I think like sometimes you want people to really get to know you, because sometimes when you don't talk to the press, or you say, no, I don't want to talk, guys, or whatever, maybe people write things that are not true, so I want to be open to the press so they can really get to know me and see what kind of guy I am.

Q. Just to follow up on that, were you born a hard worker or was it family, friends?

MANNY RAMIREZ: I don't know. I have been working my whole life, you know, even before I got drafted, so I just got to kind of have it.

Q. Manny, this is clearly something you would not have done a year ago, sitting up here in a press conference voluntarily. How much more comfortable are you in this situation, and if you could talk a little bit more about why you decided to open up and how that's been for you.

MANNY RAMIREZ: I decided to open up more to the press because before I was kind of shy, you know, because it happened like to me and David Ortiz and Pedro, sometimes we are not comfortable in our English, you know. But you guys -- try and give you guys 5 to 10 minutes, at least guys are going to say, well, I think he's not that good, but at least he is trying to talk to us and get to know him.

Q. Manny, you guys -- when you go home this series, no matter where this series is at, you guys played so well at Fenway this year. Can you talk about what it's going to be like playoffs again at Fenway?

MANNY RAMIREZ: We are going to go home, we got a lot of confidence because we are home, and we play so great at home that anybody who goes to Fenway, we think we could beat, so we are going to go out there with that kind of confidence because we know we are going to have our fans behind us.

Q. Manny, you talked a little bit about this season and how you have opened up and what have you. How much of that has to do with your teammates and the guys on this particular team that you now maybe feel a little bit more comfortable just being yourself on this team?

MANNY RAMIREZ: We got a lot of guys that really make it easy for me. We always joking around, like Johnny Damon said that we are a bunch of idiots because we just go out there, we joke around, we pick on each other, and that's how baseball is supposed to be, it's supposed to be fun.

Q. (Inaudible)?

MANNY RAMIREZ: No, Kevin Millar is such a nice guy, he keeps everybody laughing in the dugout that you just want to go out there and play the game and go out and have fun.

Q. (Inaudible)?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Positive.

Q. Manny, there are groups on the team, last year the cowboys and this year the idiots. I notice you and Ortiz, you guys don't have a name, but do you have a name for your career?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Not yet, not yet, but we are working on it.

Q. (Inaudible)?

MANNY RAMIREZ: Not yet.

Q. (Spanish question)?

MANNY RAMIREZ: (Spanish answer).

Q. I asked him about Superman and he (inaudible). You made some good defensive plays this year. Is that something you have worked on or is that something that was overlooked in the past, your defensive abilities?

MANNY RAMIREZ: I am so happy that I went to Boston. You know why? Because a lot of people thought oh, Manny is going to Boston, he is not going to be the same player that he was in Cleveland, it's going to be hard for him over there, but let me tell you something, it just makes me better because I know I got to go and play hard because we got such good fans that they want to win, and I want to win, also, that it makes you get better out there, so that's why all the time I am working on my defense.

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