AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v YANKEES

October 12, 2003

Joe Torre

Don Zimmer

DON ZIMMER: First of all, last night, we won a hell of a game, and the media gathered around me and I didn't want to be rude. I was hurting and I had to get to the trainer's room, and I didn't want nothing to take away from the win that we had last night. I'm embarrassed of what happened yesterday. I'm embarrassed for the Yankees, the Red Sox, the fans, the umpires and my family. That's all I have to say, I'm sorry.

JOE TORRE: No, I did not. We talk so much to the players starting in spring training, I mean not about fights with other teams, but staying focused on what we need to do, whether it's some fan or if you go to a restaurant and somebody does things, you're an easy mark. You know, Bernie and Mo have been here longer than I have. They certainly know the responsibility, but no, I didn't say anything.

JOE TORRE: I was asked by my general manager who was asked by the Commissioner not to comment on anything that went on yesterday other than the baseball game.

JOE TORRE: You're good.

JOE TORRE: I think he has so much respect for the game, and you know he spent a long time here in Boston, both as manager and coach. He loves the people here. His daughter lives close by. He's very comfortable when he comes here. And as I say, he has a great deal of regard, because he's been with the Yankees I think three different times. You know, I'm sure he wishes it didn't happen. But again, you get emotions, you get caught up in it, and as we all know, Don Zimmer is a very emotional, shoot-from-the-hip guy. I think we've all reacted to things and wish the next day or the next hour that we never did say it. I think he basically feels badly about all of the attention this has gotten. His overreaction , or reaction -- not overreaction -- there's no in between with him. He either reacts or he doesn't react. He's very sensitive. Someone asked me a good question yesterday. I didn't think about it at the time, but the fact that he got hit in the head a couple of times has probably set him off a little bit easier than with someone else.

JOE TORRE: He's an emotional guy. I wanted to be here for him, not with him. He's very proud, very independent, and yet all of that gruff exterior, people who do know him, understand what a softy he is. Again, he's here for these kids. He doesn't have to be here. He doesn't need the money. He just loves being around baseball and baseball players. You know, things like this that went on yesterday, that's not baseball, and I know that's what made him feel bad.

JOE TORRE: In regards to?

JOE TORRE: Well, I think baseball is very sensitive to all this. They have instructed umpires over the last few years to try to stop things before they start, even if the umpires at times may be overcautious. Some umpires, especially the inexperienced ones, maybe err on the side of safety, more so than not. I mentioned yesterday how I thought the umpires handled this very well, considering it was post-season and you want to keep all of the players and all of the participants in the game. I thought they did a good job. We have a veteran crew here. And again, it wasn't an easy situation. I think players probably react the same way they did years ago, but I think that baseball is probably taking a more active part in policing the game than leaving the players to handle it.

JOE TORRE: Well, again, I can't comment on that because that was all part of the non-baseball stuff that went on, even though it went on on the baseball diamond. As far as the safety of my players, I feel better that we're all here. I'm probably more concerned -- and again, I've said this many times and I honestly feel this way -- I love this city. I love the people. But it takes a handful of unsavory people to cause problems. So you are always concerned, especially with the emotional game last night, players go out to get something to eat, somebody makes a remark, those are the things that probably concern you more so than having what happened to the players here.

JOE TORRE: That's another one of those "no comment" jobs.

JOE TORRE: It's not from Brian. It's from the Commissioner. The Commissioner has asked both me and Grady, and I guess Brian and Theo, not to make any comments about the whole thing that went on yesterday, other than the baseball game.

JOE TORRE: I don't know. I really didn't ask. You know, Brian told me that, and I just shrugged my shoulders. He's the Commissioner and he's in charge here. If that's what he wants, that's what I'll do.

JOE TORRE: No.

JOE TORRE: I mentioned several times, I think there's a mutual respect. I think one incident happened last night, but I think number-wise, I think there's still a respect on our side for the players on their side and vice versa. Wakefield is a problem. And he's a knuckleballer, it's going to be a problem for us like it was the first day. When we went in the first day, we were ready to play. It was not like the first day against Minnesota and we were pumped up and that stuff. Not that I thought we weren't pumped up, but I thought we were under control. He was very good. So you just have to wait and see and hope we can break through.

JOE TORRE: He's going to miss tonight. I wanted him to play but his hand is somewhat swollen here on the pad and he's got a cut on that pinky knuckle. So he's not available tonight.

JOE TORRE: No. Not that I have heard. You know, I know that players and the staff usually frequent three or four different restaurants in the area, and everything seemed to be fine. I don't think anybody had any bad incidents. I know that several of our staff went to a restaurant and there were several Red Sox players and stuff, but nothing out of the ordinary.

JOE TORRE: I hope that whatever it is that we're able to concentrate on winning two more games. I mean, that's more important than anything else that's transpired here in the last couple of days. You work your tail off from February to get to the point where you can feel good about the way you're playing and you're playing well and all that stuff. But to have something like that, sort of a sideshow-type thing, to get your focus away from that is unacceptable. He's going to have to. We know there are a lot of problems, but I think these players are conditioned in New York with a lot of distractions and a lot of times these players come to the ballpark, have children who are not feeling well at home. So I'd like to believe they are conditioned somewhat to being able to just put that stuff out of their mind.

JOE TORRE: He is sore. He was sorer this morning than he thought he was going to be. When I saw the pictures last night on TV, on the stretcher going into the ambulance, you know, my understanding was he had walked there and they put him on that gurney before he got into the ambulance. I had a call from Dr. Hershon (ph) to say he was fine, he was out, in fact, he was at a restaurant eating dinner again. When he woke up this morning, he thought somebody came in in the middle of the night to beat him up. He had some soreness he didn't feel last night going to sleep.

JOE TORRE: I don't think so. (Laughter.)

JOE TORRE: I think we all bolted. When we left the dugout we left as a team, that's not instructions that everybody gets, we just reacted. Don is very protective of his players. It doesn't have to be Pedro. It could be anybody else he feels threw at somebody on purpose. He will scream and yell, and as I say, it may be a reaction to what he's gone through in his career. But he didn't -- he certainly didn't lead the charge last night. I think we all went out about the same time.