NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GIANTS v CARDINALS

October 10, 2002

David Bell

DAVID BELL: I don't think so. I think it's important to come out and play a good game on the road and get a win. Especially against a team that's been hot and a great pitcher like Matt Morris. But other than that, it is just one game, and I don't think it's going to change any strategy.

DAVID BELL: Earlier in the year when we had a series here, it was my first time back here, and it was nice coming back then and seeing some people and things like that. Now, you're so focused on what you're doing. You don't have a whole lot of time to really enjoy the other things. But it's a great place, great city and you could not ask for a better place to play a playoff series.

DAVID BELL: You know, I don't think anyone takes it personally or anything like that. I think that we all know what kind of player Barry is. There's been teams that take a different approach on what to do with him. We just try to make the most of any opportunities we get. I think last night was a good example of that.

DAVID BELL: Well, he's been a consistent pitcher for us all year. In the Division Series, he came up very big for us. He's so calm, I couldn't ask for someone better to be pitching that fifth game. He's just consistent.

DAVID BELL: Benito Santiago has been just a huge part of our offense this year. Hitting behind Barry, really, it's the most important place in our lineup, really. I think the thing I learned about him is just how competitive he is and how bad he wants to win. There's nobody out here that wants to get to the World Series more than he does, and to have a guy like him -- he's a tough guy and someone that we all like to play with. He's just a great teammate.

DAVID BELL: Well, I think it's really important for our team to just take one game at a time. We're thinking about tonight's game. The good thing about having an off-day when you travel is we can get ready for playing them at home tomorrow, but tonight, we are just thinking about; even though we won last night, that's over with. Tonight is a new game.

DAVID BELL: I heard him say last night that he doesn't take it personal when they walk Barry. I think he also said that he'd rather them pitch to him because Barry is our best hitter, but when they do walk him, he doesn't take it personally. I think to Benito it really doesn't matter. He just takes the same approach every at-bat, tries to put the ball in play. He's just done a great job. I was going to say, it's a tough place to hit -- it's a good place to hit, but it's somewhere that's just really important in our lineup. He's done a great job.

DAVID BELL: I don't know. I've faced him in some big games, in playoff games, and I really don't know how I've done off him, other than he's a guy that -- he's a big-game pitcher, and someone that you really have to bear down against. He has a good fastball, and the split-finger is his pitch. I think we faced him last year when I was with Seattle in the Division Series; he was with Cleveland. He's just a guy you really have to battle. He's a good pitcher.