AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS v YANKEES

September 29, 2003

Mike Mussina

MIKE MUSSINA: No.

MIKE MUSSINA: Well, you know, there are certain clubs that over time, you end up having good numbers against, and it just so happens that this team is one of them. But I don't think it really means anything in this situation. These are the playoffs. Having good numbers against a team, we've played two years in a row now in April, I don't think this is at all the same team as it was in April, and obviously it was not the same team it was in April last year. I'm not really looking at any of those numbers. I still worry about what's going to happen now.

MIKE MUSSINA: Well, I think the challenge is to keep him off the bases, obviously. I think that's what he brought to the Toronto club and that's what he's brought to this team, somebody else that can get on base. He's a good baserunner, first to third, first to home on a ball in the gap, all of these things that good baserunners can do. He's a veteran player. He just fits in well with what they were doing, and whether it's entirely him, the reason that they ended up where they are, I don't know. They are doing a lot of things right, and we have to try to slow them down.

MIKE MUSSINA: I think we're comfortable with the way you're playing. I think everybody believes that we're a good ballclub. We have had things going on all year which we always seem to have. Somehow when it's all said and done, we end up with a pretty good record and end up in the post-season. I don't think we are concerned about what's been behind us and I don't think we are concerned about what's in front of us. We know what it takes to be a successful team. We know everybody that we go out there and play is prepared to play us and we are prepared to play them. It's going to be a good series, and we're going to have to play good baseball. I think all of our guys are prepared to do that.

MIKE MUSSINA: Most of us have been playing this game a long time. We have all been in situations where we are in the other team's place and it's loud and you can't hear things. It's an advantage for them at their park. It's certainly an advantage for us at ours. I've just been asked to pitch the first game, and if I pitch -- if I have to pitch again in the series, then we'll see where that ends up being. For right now, we are only worried about this first game.

MIKE MUSSINA: I'm not sure we hung on to it that long a period of time. I think the year before, we hung on to it a little longer because of the way the World Series ended before. We were obviously disappointed and frustrated that we were out that early last year. When you come into spring training with a new year and new ballclub and new players, everybody is starting fresh again. It was just like starting over. In this business, you have to learn to let the negative things go and move on and try to do something positive. I think that's what we did.

MIKE MUSSINA: I don't know if I really fear anything. I have certain things I'd like to do and certain people I'd like to keep off base and certain people I'd like to not give them a good pitch to hit in a big spot. But I think every lineup has that. You try to keep them off the bases. They like to run; they like to put people in motion. I just have to be prepared for that and try to pitch the best game I can. Hopefully we'll make some good plays on defense and do some things offensively, and the game will move along smoothly.

MIKE MUSSINA: Well, I think there's some things that you go out there and you wish your stuff was better than it is and you have to find a way to be effective for as long as you can. Some days you have to pitch a little differently than maybe you would otherwise, or use pitches in counts you would not otherwise. So if that's improvising, then I probably do that half the time I'm out there.

MIKE MUSSINA: No. We play all of them. I get my share of day games and other guys get their share of day games as well. So, I don't have any preference.