NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS v BRAVES

October 3, 2003

Matt Clement

MATT CLEMENT: The rest of nice. I guess the way this has worked out lately, it's been good. The groin is improving, and, you know, I don't think it's perfect, but I don't think it's something that going to hold me back at all while I'm out there pitching.

MATT CLEMENT: Weather conditions tonight, probably it will be worse tomorrow. They say in Chicago you don't know until that moment, I guess. I'm not too concerned with the weather conditions as I don't think anybody really is other than the fact of getting the game in period. Like I said yesterday it can't be colder than the opening day when I pitched here. It's not possible this time of the year. If it is, I've done it before.

MATT CLEMENT: All the games are going to have the same amount of stress on them regardless whether you're going for a fourth game or third game. These are big games period for me. I'm not going to go about it any differently. Hopefully we're in a position we're going for the series. If not, I'll go out there the same way and keep this team in the game as long as I possibly can.

MATT CLEMENT: Most definitely. I think all four of us do. We want to go out there and have the opportunity to -- it's nice to be in the game that could clinch it obviously. I'm not going to get ahead of myself. We've got our best and they've got their best. I'm kind of excited to get to watch this game tonight. Hopefully we'll come out on the topside tonight and we'll be going for a clinch tomorrow. Definitely you obviously want to be in that game where you can clinch it. Hopefully that's how it works out.

MATT CLEMENT: I think all of us respect their lineup. You're looking at a lineup that's pretty powerful and strong. With Javy and Andruw Jones, you know you're in for a battle from number 1 through 9. We've faced each other a lot before. If I did have something I learned, I wouldn't be saying it right now anyway. I'm not the same kind of pitcher as Mark, but we do have some similarities. I wish I could take away the way Mark uses control, but I'm not quite there.

MATT CLEMENT: I think at this time of the year what I am learning, and I'm not a veteran of this time of the year, but it seems like you tend to go over more minor details about the batters and probably how a pitcher pitches against you. Myself, I try -- I'm prepared as I'm going to be, but I think to try to overprepare and analyze every situation, my fast ball moves, so for me to sit there and try to be in a certain situation and a certain pitch and try to get my -- I think I hurt my movement sometimes if I try to do that. Obviously I want to be prepared, but I still have to let my movement work for me and to over -- go overkill on the preparation had worked against me in the past, but we'll be as prepared as any pitcher going out to the mound in the playoffs and knowing what the gameplan is and what we want to do.

MATT CLEMENT: That would be about 50, 55 more or 1,000 than when I was there. I'm not surprised. When they started getting rid of the players, I guess you didn't know which way the managers were going to go. You have to give them credit. Regardless of what intent they had, they worked out, and I'm not surprised, because there was a lot of young talent there. It was a fun team to play for because we were young and hungry. There was a lot of talent and a fun group of guys to watch play. It doesn't surprise me also that the fans are there. From the history of last time they were in the playoffs, the place was sold out and it was like a raucous football atmosphere.

MATT CLEMENT: I don't know. You will probably have to ask those guys more than myself. We're confident but respectful of what the Braves have and what they've accomplished. Their wins speak for themselves. Maybe the pressure is on them because of what they've accomplished, and over the years playing against a team that hasn't been there for such a long period of time, I tend to doubt they're putting any extra pressure on themselves. That's something you will have to ask them. The teams like the Twins and us are young and upcoming and pretty fired up to be here. Maybe that adds a little pressure. Like I said, you would have to ask them to know that question.

MATT CLEMENT: I wouldn't say it's specific like coming up to you saying, this is what you've got to do; this is what happens, but you can watch Lofton and Karros and see what they're doing, and Moises. They have been here before. If anything, you watch them, and it is more than a normal game, but they aren't acting like it is. They're playing the same way. I guess that's the best advice, and for me to watch and see how they're doing it. That's how I plan to act tomorrow. These guys are proven veterans who have through the wars before and guys, if we didn't have, we wouldn't be here. For me it's great to be able to be teammates with them.

MATT CLEMENT: Well, Dusty to me is the -- I don't think I'm willing to say how good a manager he is, I don't think I deserve to be a judge of that, because I haven't been around long enough to see how managers manage that way. As far as a communicator, I've never been around a manager even close to what Dusty does. It's all positive. It's belief. You'll here him say believe many times. You know, a guy -- you guys have been talking to him all year and how much bad does he say about anybody's players? Players respect him for that and they follow the positive energy he puts out. You take it on the field and when you're in the dugout. I have had so much fun getting to play for him this year. When you come in, you know how great of a manager and reputation he has, but you don't see it until you have been around a couple months and being around how positive he is and what a great person he is.