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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS v CARDINALSOctober 13, 2000Rick ReedNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Workout Day THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. You said last time you were a self-proclaimed video freak. You do a lot of studying. Has the homework started for the Cardinals, or are you going to do that tomorrow? RICK REED: Well, the video process hasn't started yet, but I talked with Al Leiter and Mike Hampton, and try to get an idea of what they did. So now I'm going to have to go look at the video and get a game plan together. Q. Obviously, Leiter and Hampton had great success against their left-handed hitting line-up because they happened to be left-handed, which you are not. How does that change your approach to their line-up? RICK REED: Well, it goes back to the video process of me looking at some tapes of what righties have done, and go from there. I know I'm not left-handed, and they've got a tough left-handed hitting line-up. So I'm going to have to go look at those tapes. Hopefully I can work something out. Q. Do you remember in your two starts against them this season maybe what you did wrong, and how will you adjust to that? They had eight earned runs in nine innings. What will you do differently? RICK REED: Hopefully, I can keep them off the board. (Laughing.) Those two outings weren't very good, so I'm going to have to go out there and make better pitches, obviously. But it gets back to that looking at videotape and I'm going to have to look at those games and just see the at-bats and make some adjustments. Q. How does it feel to know that you have two games up, do you feel more relaxed? Is it a cushion? RICK REED: Well, it's better than being two games down; I can tell you that. It is a cushion, I guess, but I'm still going to be nervous, like I usually am during the regular season. So being up two games or being down two games, it's going to be the same feeling for me. Q. When you look at video, are there certain right-handed pitchers in the League that you tend to look at and pattern yourself after? RICK REED: I don't look at all the right-handers, I do try to get some tape on pitchers who are not overpowering, like myself, and just see what they did and how they were successful against that line-up. Q. You guys know if you win two games here you don't have to go back to St. Louis. You hear all the Subway Series talk. How do you avoid the temptation of looking ahead at this point? RICK REED: Well, we have a job to do, and I know Tony LaRussa is not going to let his team roll over. We've got a battle on our hands. I know we're up two games, but we still have a battle. We still have to go out there and play. Q. Why do you suppose the Mets have played particularly well here, and you personally, what are the pros and cons of pitching at Shea? RICK REED: Well, it's an obvious reason. You get used to your home field, obviously. But I guess just the excitement of the fans, they're into every game. It's not just one particular inning that they're into. They're into every pitch. So that's a little advantage on our side. Q. How has Bobby handled the team differently this year, if at all, and how much did the players wonder about whether he's going to be back next year? RICK REED: Well, I don't think he's handled us any differently. I know we've got a group of veteran guys in that clubhouse that know how to take care of themselves. He's the manager; he's not the kind of person that's going to come in there and say, "It's going to be this way, it's going to be that way," he knows it's our clubhouse. We respect him; he respects us. So like I said, I don't think he's done anything different than he has in the past. Q. What about wondering about if he'll be back next year? RICK REED: I guess we'll just have to wait and see after the season. I hope he is back. Q. You said that you get nervous, a certain amount of nervousness before every start. How does that manifest itself? Are you emotional? Do you get more quiet? RICK REED: I get quiet. I'm usually sitting in my locker by myself, don't talk to anyone, just trying to get focused and trying to get rid of the jitters. But once I go out to the bullpen, I've got those jitters. But after the first pitch, I settle in and I'm okay. Q. Taking you deeper into your routine, how much video do you watch going in? Do you do hours, do you do it at home, at the ballpark? RICK REED: It's not hours. It probably takes a half hour, and I'll do it here. I'll do some here today after our workout, and then I'll probably come in early tomorrow and look at some more. But I'll try not to really get into it heavy. Q. It's not like a football thing where you watch for ten hours? RICK REED: Right, right. (Laughing.) Q. Do you sense a feeling of opportunity to really take this strangle hold on the series if, in fact, you are to win tomorrow? RICK REED: If we do win tomorrow, I know we do have the upper hand. Q. As a personal opportunity for yourself. RICK REED: Sure. If you go out 3-0, that's tough to come back from. Perfect example last year, us against the Braves. We fell back 3-0 and we did fight back. But that will be a tough road. Q. Going back several years ago, you had a brief stay with Texas. Do you recall why you declined the assignment to the Minor Leagues? RICK REED: I don't remember. (Laughing.) Gosh... I've been with so many teams. I really don't remember that. End of FastScripts.... |
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