NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARLINS v CUBS

October 14, 2003

Juan Pierre

JUAN PIERRE: No, I wouldn't say disadvantage. We're used to playing in warm weather, but it's the playoff time, so you just go out there and forget about it. I think the adrenaline will be so pumped up you won't realize the cold and the wet weather. Just our style of play, with our ground balls, we can have some throwing mistakes by the Cubs.

JUAN PIERRE: No, he hasn't said anything. I think the most we heard about it was on the news and stuff like that. Because I didn't realize it until I heard it on the news. He hasn't said nothing to us personally or anything. But we're all professionals in there, so it doesn't take too much to motivate us right now.

JUAN PIERRE: I think we're just going to take it one game at a time. You definitely can't overlook Prior, because the success he has been having after his injury, and the way he's been pitching all postseason. If we get this one out of the way, we like our chances a little bit better. We can't by any means look past this game.

JUAN PIERRE: No. Everything has been pretty much self-explanatory. He hasn't talked to us about coming back and things like that. The most we heard about it is due to media and watching TV and things like that. But we are just looking at it one game at a time. And I guess he feels we're going about it the right way, because he hasn't spoke about any of those past incidents.

JUAN PIERRE: Yeah, I guess you can say it gives us a little bit of motivation, because you hear nothing good, really, about our team. Beckett did a great pitching performance the other night, but the main talk was still about the Cubs, coming back with Prior and Wood. It's good. I guess you can use it as a motivation that no one wants to see us be here, number one, and to beat the Cubs. So without a doubt you take that a little bit personal, but you know the Cubs have a history. I grew up watching the Cubs, because WGN and TBS was about all you could see baseball when I was growing up. It would be a good feat for us to do it. I think we would shock everybody in the world, because I don't think anybody thinks we can beat Prior, let alone Wood, also.

front, to try to keep them at bay?

JUAN PIERRE: It will be big. That's something we've been trying to attempt all series. It hasn't gone our way, but I think if we go out there and have Pavano go out with a lead, maybe the first inning, and actually have Prior pitching behind. I don't think he's been pitching behind too much lately. And it would be good to probably set the tone early, but it's going to be tough. Nobody said it's going to be easy. That's the good thing, Luis and I haven't played our game yet and we're still in it. So one thing about the playoffs, you're probably as good as your last game. So if you go out and have a good game, then that's all that will be said about the other ones.

JUAN PIERRE: Without a doubt. I was watching CNN today and they were talking about the Cubs, and before other things going on in the world. Yeah, it's a big feat. You feel like everybody is against you. And that's the way we look at it. I would say 97 percent of the world probably want to see the Cubs, probably want to see the Cubs and the Red Sox in it. It's one of those things where you can't get mad at people, because it's the history of the Cubs and things like that. But we look at it as a good situation to go shock the world, have them wait. I don't think it's a bigger stage right now than playing the Cubs right here and going against their top two, and to go out there and complete this feat will be great for the Florida Marlins, it would make a lot of people mad.