AL DIVISION SERIES: INDIANS v MARINERS

October 9, 2001

Chuck Finley

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, first part of the season I was throwing the ball real well, and came up with an injury. But the last month and a half, two months I've gotten back to where I felt like I could be competitive, and compete at this level. I've been throwing the ball pretty well in the last 6, 7 starts.

CHUCK FINLEY: Yeah, I'm at top form. I can go out and compete and win ballgames. I came here last time we played Seattle, and I injured a rib cage muscle. After two weeks, I came out and was starting to turn the corner, after I came off my injury, but made a few starts after that and kind of got back to my old self.

CHUCK FINLEY: This is wonderful. You know, I spent a lot of my time in Anaheim battling with the Mariners to get to this point, and having to go over to the Central Division with Cleveland and to end up here is special. A lot of the guys in the League playing in playoffs probably don't have 16 years in the Big Leagues, more than waiting 16 years to get back to the Big Leagues. It's been a big ride. I've had an up and down year. To end up in this position I feel blessed and welcome the opportunity to go out Thursday pitching.

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, in a five game series, it comes down to pitching and whoever makes the least amount of mistakes. Obviously, the Mariners have been, from opening day until the last hit of the season, they've been the best team in baseball. You can't take that away from them. In these short series, anything can happen. They've got a well-rounded team, good speed, timely hitting, pitching speed, their road to this was a little bit smoother than ours were. We took the back roads and the dirt roads, but we ended up in the same place. So it should be an exciting series. I might be one of few guys that feel we have a chance, but I do feel we have a chance.

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, I was talking to John Hart the other day, and he was talking about '97, they were a low-seeded team, and ended up doing a lot of damage. Cleveland has always been known to be a very scary team. Our offense can go out and compete with anybody. We had a lot of games this season where we came back. We always have the potential to be a very dangerous team, no matter who we're facing.

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, probably the main thing I remember, I was talking to somebody the other day about that, was the fact that Anaheim Stadium, when they had it closed in, it was like 65,000 people, it was loud and I just remember how loud it was, and all the cops on the side of the field. And when that pitch went over the fence, that Dave Henderson hit, it got quiet, you could hear a needle drop, and everything settled back in. And we got up again after we had first and third and had a chance to win. But I remember going back to Boston on the plane trip, we only had to win one out of the next two games, but we didn't do it. Looking back on it, I remember thinking that every year you get a chance to do this, but it's been 15 years for me since I got a chance to get in this position, and you just think at that point in time it would be happening every year. I was saying the other day that this is one of those things that you should cherish and enjoy, because you never know when it might come again.

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, like I said before, they're a very good team. They have a lot of ways they can try to beat you, with their running, obviously Ichiro at the top of the line-up sets the stage for them, and McLemore is a very good situational hitter. And they've got Boone and Edgar, who seems to never miss. But it's a great challenge for us, it's a great challenge for our team. We're going to see where we're at right off the bat, playing the best team in the Big Leagues. I feel comfortable about what I'll be able to do to them.

CHUCK FINLEY: I don't know that I'll get too much out of the game. I don't know if the Mariners are going to play any different style baseball than they played all year. I don't know if they're going to totally change their game. I really couldn't tell you if I'm going to be looking for any certain thing to give me an advantage or what, so I might be able to grab onto it and work it. It's hard to tell. I have to wait until Thursday and see what I have to work with, and what's working well for me, and just stay with my strengths and go with that. But I don't expect any type of surprises from the Mariners.

CHUCK FINLEY: Well, as soon as I landed here in Seattle, that's all I've heard. Well, Seattle deservedly has been given the title of the best team in baseball. And I don't even know, the Yankees are probably getting second billing to the Mariners right now because of the season they've had. But I just think in a five game series anything can happen. If I was sitting here talking to you, and we were two games down, it might be a little shorter stick to grab onto. But I feel we have as good a chance as anybody, even if we didn't have 116 wins. But I think our chances are as good as anyone's in a five game series.