AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v YANKEES

October 13, 2003

Todd Walker

TODD WALKER: Well, I think number one is I think I feed off these fans a little bit. What I mean by that is I'm more focused now than I've ever been in my life because you're battling every at-bat, and more specifically, every pitch. And so, with a guy like Mussina, he's so tough that you can't help but focus in like that. With that being said, I'm getting some good pitches to hit. I'm getting some good counts. I can't explain the home runs, but I'm trying to hit the ball hard and I'm trying to square it up as much as I can.

TODD WALKER: It might have been the greatest questions I ever heard and you understand what I'm coming from; that would have been my answer. I said that earlier. The college world series to me was as big of a deal as this is, even though to everybody else it's not. I've been through this before, personally, and what I mean by that is the nerves and excitement and everything that goes with what the college world series brings. Absolutely it makes a big difference. I remember the same feeling it there, and that experience helped.

TODD WALKER: I know what you're about to say, too.

TODD WALKER: I think when it's all said and done, it might. But as you put it, when you think about all of the great home run hitters and all of the great hitters that have come through here, it's such a special thing for me, and I know this isn't over yet. I'm going to continue to try to do the best I can, but at this point, it's just been such a blessing. I think everybody feeds off of everybody else in there. Whoever we put out there, we've got nine guys in the lineup that can hit. And based on that, I think we feed off each other. I've just had some good pitches to hit. I came across a verse of the Bible before this whole thing that says "not by power, not by might, but by the power of the Holy Spirit." And I'm a six-foot, 180-pound guy dripping wet, so how can I do that? I don't know. I just go up with as much focus as I can and hopefully it works out.

TODD WALKER: Well, I mean, it's been firing us up, what Tim has done in Game 1 and now. He's just been outstanding. A lot of people asked about the day off yesterday and we don't know what Burky could have done. He could have dealt. The fact that we came out still down 2-1 and have Wakefield do what he did, it's hard to argue. He was as good as anybody possibly could have been today. It's hard to argue that the day off didn't help this ballclub get even.

TODD WALKER: Frankly I didn't like it. I don't like the days off when you have more time to think. In your own mind, you think more negative thoughts than you do positive thoughts, at least I do, and I've got to fight it. You know, it was the same thing when we went out to Oakland before Game 1 and you had two days off or whatever. It's tough. I would rather just roll through it and play. Now we have the opportunity to do that. I think it's been difficult for me personally, I don't know how anybody else feels.

TODD WALKER: In New York, Mussina threw me a 1-0 change up and then a 2-0 changeup that I hit down the foul pole. Tonight was my approach was I didn't think that he was going to throw me a whole lot of changeups like the other night. It's a big chess game with Mike Mussina because he's a thinking pitcher out there, and I've faced him enough to know that that's what you've got to do is think along with him. That's what I tried to do. I got two strikes in that at-bat and just eliminated the changeup, just based on what happened in New York, and got a fastball that I could hit and I was looking for it.