AL DIVISION SERIES: MARINERS v WHITE SOX

October 2, 2000

Jim Parque

JIM PARQUE: It really hasn't. I mean, you know, I figured Game 2 is going to be my game anyways, and everyone's making a big deal about Game 1 and it is a big deal, but at the same time, you know, you got to approach it with the same mentality, you know. Every game, I mean, throughout the year, I've always approached it that I'm gonna win and keep my team in the game. So, you know, why change during playoffs?

JIM PARQUE: You know, as Jerry said in the meeting today, we have a lot of guys on the team that have contributed that aren't mainline starters, and everyone stepped up. As far as patchwork, I don't think there really needs to be any patchwork. We've got other guys who stepped up this year and made spot starts. There is a lot of emphasis being put on the games being playoffs. But I think as a team we're just approaching the game as another -- the series as another game. You know, we've proven all year we're the best team in the American League and we can beat anybody at any given time. So, you know, we're gonna go out there with what we've got. Whether someone goes down, we'll just deal with it then.

JIM PARQUE: I'm not Skip, so I don't know that. If we get in trouble, he decides to pull me, then so be it - or pull anybody. That's his decision. You know, I'm just paid to go out there and throw strikes and get people out; I don't worry about those things.

JIM PARQUE: Obviously, you're gonna have some adrenaline flowing, but, you know, it's -- like I said throughout the entire time here and previously to the guys that have been around all year, it's -- I'm just approaching it as another game. You know? And I think a lot of my teammates are in that aspect. Okay, you're gonna have 40-plus there and national TV and all that, but baseball's baseball. It's the same game. It's not like the Seattle Mariners are going to bring out some secret weapon and play entirely different baseball than they have all year, or their guys are gonna all of a sudden be able to hit every ball out of the park. It's the same; everything's the same. And, you know, it's a good team that we're gonna be playing. You just take it like that.

JIM PARQUE: Alex is definitely one of the premiere players in the game, and Edgar pretty much is too. So, you know, you obviously got to go after them. I mean, you know, I'm not gonna -- I'm gonna try to put myself in a situation where, you know, when he's up, nobody's on. Hopefully I can do that. If I can't, then, you know, you just got to just do your thing, you know? You know, game-plan wise, you pretty much just got to get ahead of this line-up, you got to throw strikes. You know, it's the same as throughout the entire year, you know, the name of the game is throwing strikes and getting ahead. If you fall behind in the Big Leagues, you're gonna get crushed. So tomorrow when I come in here, if I feel down, the reason why is probably because I didn't get ahead; I got crushed.

JIM PARQUE: No, I haven't pitched against them this year.

JIM PARQUE: I wouldn't say "an advantage." An effect, maybe just the effect that I haven't pitched against them this year. They haven't faced me. I got some new pitches this year. They haven't seen them. I'm sure they've heard about them or done their scouting reports. I've faced them quite a bit in the past, I think six, seven times in the past two years. So, you know, I'm sure they have a general idea of how to hit against me and I have a general idea how to pitch against them. It's basically the same core line-up. They don't have Junior anymore, they've filled in a few other guys. But the other guys I've pitched against before, just coming from different teams, you know, through trades and stuff.

JIM PARQUE: I don't know. You guys ask me. You guys are the ones writing the stories about us, so I think as far as you could say, my colleagues, they all feel that we're a formidable team. Anybody can beat anyone at any given time. But, you know, it just seems like the media's put a damper on our season a little, you know, just saying we're kind of stumbling into the playoffs rather than going into the playoffs. Frankly, the team hasn't really been affected by that by any means. We've had to deal with it the entire year, being last on SportsCenter and all that. But it doesn't really matter at all anymore, we're playing this game for one purpose, and that's to go to the World Series and give Chicago a championship.

JIM PARQUE: You know, I don't know if I'd take that approach, if I feel I match up well against that line-up. I take more the approach that, you know, I'm a Big League pitcher, I've had success up here and the reason why I've had success is by making my pitches and, you know, if I make my pitches, I'm gonna do well. It's not really -- you know, obviously there are some teams that you pitch better against like Toronto. And in the past I've pitched real good against Seattle. Tampa Bay just crushes me. So, you know, I don't really take that approach, that mentality doesn't enter my mind. It's more of just if I make my pitches, then I can get anyone out. That's how I approach the game.

JIM PARQUE: Repeat the question. I wasn't listening that time. (Laughter.) I'm sorry, Bruce.

JIM PARQUE: Me and my fiance danced.

JIM PARQUE: It definitely has a factor when you go out there. You know, throughout the year, we've pretty much stayed okay, you know, stayed away from the injury bug, and coming in the playoffs all of a sudden the injury bug came back to hit us. But throughout the entire year you have a lot of little aches and pains that bother you and you work through those, whether it's something that you actually hurt yourself, you know, I've never hurt myself so - knock on some wood - but I've never hurt myself where I can't, you know, pitch for a prolonged period of time. So I wouldn't be able to comment on something like that. Just, you know, being around the guys, it's kind of a -- you can tell that they're more anxious to get back, you know. I definitely commend Cal for putting a metal screw in his arm, trying to get back as soon as possible. And JB, it seems like his arm's back. He's a little rusty right now, but he's had signs of the old JB that we know out there. Last game obviously he didn't pitch the way he wanted to, but he threw, you know, it was one good inning, one bad inning. So, you know, I think it's more of a mental toughness. You just got to be mentally strong if you have a little ache or pain or something that you can maybe pitch through, then it's more mental than physical.