AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v YANKEES

October 16, 2003

Grady Little

GRADY LITTLE: Well, I certainly think that the experience of anything is always better. If it's a factor here, I think we can benefit from it, from what we've been through already. I think the largest factor with our ballclub is that they don't quit. They just keep going, keep playing, having fun, and they never feel like they are done. They just keep grinding until it's over.

GRADY LITTLE: Well, we don't necessarily hope it doesn't come to that. He's available and he'll be out in the bullpen with his spikes on if we need him.

GRADY LITTLE: I think that the reality is much different than the perception of that. My perception of pressure is nothing that goes on on a baseball field here tonight. I think these boys are ready to play. We've done everything we can do. We'll start the game at 8:20 or whatever it is, we'll play nine innings and we'll come back in afterwards and see how we did.

GRADY LITTLE: Just having fun. We had our backs against the wall three games against Oakland and we've had our backs against the wall here last night. I feel nothing different in that clubhouse when I walked out of there three minutes ago than I felt when I was walking through the clubhouse at spring training and we were getting ready to play Boston College the first game, to tell you the truth. This group is a unique bunch of individuals that love to play and not a lot bothers them.

GRADY LITTLE: They were two good ballclubs. They battled a long way to get to that point, to play in a Game 7 of their series. Both those clubs are good. Somebody had to win and somebody had to lose. Florida did a great job, they are the winners and they are waiting to see who they are going to play.

GRADY LITTLE: It's been incredible, all right. A lot of us that are involved in the ballclubs right now, I think in the dugout, it's a little bit different than the fans' perspective of the whole thing. We are down there trying to focus in on each particular game and trying to win that particular game. It's like the series we played against the Oakland A's; a lot of people have told me since then that it was a great series, a classic series in post-season play, but it's something that we never realize in the dugout. We are so busy trying to take care of business there that we don't really get to step back and appreciate the whole thing like we will in the wintertime when we look at it on video completely and kind of get the feel of it. Probably the feeling for fans in the New York area and the Boston area, all of the Red Sox fans, all of the Yankee fans all over the country, they are getting a big thrill out of this and they are anxious for this game to get started tonight just as we are.

GRADY LITTLE: We feel confident every time this kid takes the mound, just as the Yankees do when Roger Clemens takes the mound. There's two good competitors going out there. Saturday is behind everyone. Today is a big game. Both teams are proud of the guys they have on the mound, so let's play.

GRADY LITTLE: I think it doesn't matter to me. (Laughter.) I think it's going to come back looking like yours, anyway. (Laughter.) I did have some color in it before, but I think I'll let it grow back. It comes back.

GRADY LITTLE: She doesn't care. She cares about me on the 1st and 15th. She doesn't care what I look like (Laughter).

GRADY LITTLE: We have been very impressed with what we've seen here in Yankee Stadium since we arrived back here and I don't think that there will be any problem here tonight. There's a lot of security, good security. We just want the kid to get warmed up, go out there and pitch and see how he does.