NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES v DIAMONDBACKS

October 19, 2001

Greg Maddux

GREG MADDUX: No, not at all. I've done it in the past. It's not like I throw hard anyway. I'm not going to lose anything off my fastball. (Smiling). It's fine. It's not that big a deal to come back. If you do it a month or two straight, then it might mean something. But it doesn't mean anything, especially this time of the year.

GREG MADDUX: Not at all. Not at all. No. They don't. Not one bit.

GREG MADDUX: Well, yeah. I mean, I want to win. I want to do that different. Just want to locate, use both sides of the plate and change speeds and have it end up where I'm aiming it.

GREG MADDUX: You don't have to pitch as long in the games, obviously, which means you know once you hit around the 200-inning mark, you still feel pretty good. When you push yourself that extra inning or two, it shows up your next time out. I haven't been put in that spot. A lot of that has to do with Bobby. Bobby's real good about getting us out of there so we can pitch for the whole year, not just that night.

GREG MADDUX: I like our bullpen. I mean, our bullpen's good. We got some guys down there that are just good. It makes the last couple innings more enjoyable to watch. I mean, you're going to see guys being aggressive, guys throwing strikes, and the other team is going to have to do something to beat them. We're not just going to beat ourselves, so to speak. That's fun to watch. It's fun to watch guys that are aggressive on the mound and make the hitter try to get them.

GREG MADDUX: He's throwing harder. He's throwing harder, and I also think his location is better, because as a starter, there are times where you go out there the first couple innings and try to find it again. I think pitching two out of three days or two out of four days, whatever it is he pitches, his location's gotten sharper because he hasn't had the four days to forget between starts. So he has, he's gotten better.

GREG MADDUX: I don't know. I don't think we ever really looked past the first game, going in. I think just our concerns were, "What can we do against Randy? How do we get Gonzalez out?" I don't think it ever went past the first game. Then I don't think anything goes past tonight right now. I think we're trying to see what we can do to get some runs off Schilling and Burkett is trying to figure out how he can get those guys out. I don't think we're looking past today.

GREG MADDUX: No (smiling). I don't feel like striking out another two or three times (laughter).

GREG MADDUX: I think he shut us out when he was with Tampa Bay, right? He probably should have shut us out that day. Yeah, he throws good. He's got a good fastball, he's got a good breaking ball. If his location's on, he's going to be tough, just like any pitcher. Hopefully he'll make some mistakes and we can get good wood on it.

GREG MADDUX: I think he decided on his own. I mean, he asked me. I said, "Sure."

GREG MADDUX: No. Do you?

GREG MADDUX: Somebody knows. I don't know. You know... I don't keep score. I mean, you just... I've done it before. I think we did it a few times when I was with the Cubs. That I know. We've done it once or twice here with off days and stuff. I mean... It's no big deal.