MLB WORLD SERIES: PADRES v YANKEES

October 16, 1998

David Wells

DAVID WELLS: No. Not at all. It is put to rest.

DAVID WELLS: It is not a matter of me taking it back. It was out of context. I told nobody I was not predicting everything. Whoever wrote it, they had fun with it. So be it. I had a conversation with Howard Stern yesterday and yes, I do call him and B.S. with him from time to time, have some fun with it, but sometimes when somebody says something and he keeps coming at you, you have to say something just to make him go on to another topic, but no, I am not -- for the people out there, no I am not predicting anything in five. I think San Diego is an outstanding team, and I don't think it is fair to myself, my teammates or anybody else out there, even the Padres to predict anything like that. So that was not correct at all.

DAVID WELLS: Too many to go into. But I have had very fond memories of growing up in San Diego. I think it is one of the finest cities -- it is God's country to be honest with you, and I think that growing up there, watching Dave Winfield, Nate Colebert, Willie McCovey, guys like that, Randy Jones, and it was something -- it was a thrill as a kid going out there and being a Padre fan. So when I was a little kid playing wiffle ball, all that, I had a favorite American League team and that was the Yankees. I went back and forth. I had helmets for everybody in the lineup.

DAVID WELLS: No. I just go out there and try to do my job the best I can. Just because of, you know, the bad outing before that, you just have to be lucky. It is not something that, you know, that happens every year. I haven't really looked back on it. I have enjoyed it, yes. I have gotten a lot of recognition, you know, the City of New York has just been very, very good to me and I thank them for that. But it doesn't make me any other than what I am out there on the mound every five days. I just try to go out there and give it my best, win or lose.

DAVID WELLS: As a player, I don't think so. But in ever day life, yes, because I have been recognized a lot more than I have in my career. People, especially memorabilia people, my mail has just overflown and it is crazy, something like that because everyone is congratulating me on that perfect game, but you just -- just to go out into the public is pretty tough at times. But I manage. I get through it and I think I am very flattered by the comments and stuff that I get from the people from that game. But it just doesn't change me visually.

DAVID WELLS: Now we are getting into the weight thing. No.

DAVID WELLS: I don't know, but I think it is irrelevant to what we are trying to talk about here. I don't want to go into anything about that, I want to talk about baseball.

DAVID WELLS: I think it is always going to be a place in history for us as a team. As for individuals, I don't know. I don't think anybody has really keyed on that to make them any better than what -- than what we have accomplished. I think it is great because it takes a lot of teamwork and a lot of hard work to put that kind of -- those wins up. It is just going to go down in history until somebody else -- some other Yankee team tops that. But we are just going to ride it out and see how far this thing goes. It is an honor to be a part of so many wins in the season. To me, it is very gratifying because that just goes to show what we have done to get to that point.

DAVID WELLS: It has hurt, it has helped. But I could care less. I don't give a crap what people think or what they say. Sometimes I do give a crap what they write because a lot of it is -- I think it is just to throw shots at me because maybe that individual doesn't like me. But that is the way my mom brought me up. That is the way her life reflected on me and I think that it has provided for me to be a better individual in life, even though I am outspoken at times and -- but, you know, to me it is something that I can deal with -- the consequences. A lot of people can't. So I just take it as it comes. Take me for what I am, and if you don't like it, then, too bad.

him?

DAVID WELLS: Jorge has been very, very patient and very good to work with. Last year I had him a couple of times, and I think, to be honest with you, I think he got a good teacher in Joe Girardi and now that Jorge has come into his own, he has called unbelievable games for me and for others, other guys. And I think when you feel comfortable with your catcher, it just makes it that much easier for me because I know the hitters. Some hitters that I might not see them move in the box or something like that and that is his job to notice that kind of thing. So I pretty much let him call the game. That is my game out there when I am pitching, so I make the decisions, but it makes it a lot easier for him or for me to pitch a game when he is already, you know, on the same wavelength as I am. I think it is very exceptional to have a catcher like Jorge and like Joe to throw to because they know the game of baseball.

DAVID WELLS: For me, I just -- from the scouting report and what I have known on some of the hitters that I have faced in the past, you know, I just have to be very aggressive and just utilize everything that I throw at them. And just try to -- try to make good pitches. Because they are an outstanding team. I have been watching them for a while now and it is something that they are going to hurt you if you make mistakes. Look what they did to Atlanta. Atlanta was supposed to be one of the best teams in baseball, which I think they are, but they got beat by a team that they didn't think was going to beat them. So you know, putting that in mind, I just have to go out and just be confident in my ability and knowing what I have to do out there to try to keep these guys off stride because I will tell you, that is -- I faced them in spring training, that doesn't really mean anything -- spring training it is just trying to get ready for the season but you make good pitches and guys tee off on it, you keep that in the back of your mind.

DAVID WELLS: Putting me on the spot. That is a trick question. Two different cities. It would actually be like two different countries to be honest with you. I think -- I think just traditionally the Yankees have put together tremendous teams in the years past and present. And the Padres have always -- they have had good teams and when they have had good teams, they have let them go. They could have done so much for that city and it used to bug me when they would get rid of a lot of their good players, because I think San Diego deserves a championship team because of the support that they get out there when they did have good teams. But I think for me, I am just going to stay neutral and go out and do my job and hopefully we go out there and do the

job we have been doing all year.

DAVID WELLS: I have seen Kevin pitch for a while. He is nasty. But you can't take that if -- if I get an opportunity to Game 5 and he happens to be the guy, I am going to go up hacking. That is the only thing I can do. I know he is an incredible pitcher and I just can't, you know, I can't understand how his ball moves so much. Maybe I might have to ask him so maybe it works to my benefit because if he throws me that pitch, I am going to throw him the same. But, no, I would love to. I think a challenge is a challenge. If it is pitching or hitting, you know, I am ready for anything.

DAVID WELLS: No, nobody teased me. They just -- it was another writer that came up to me and mentioned it and something that like I told you guys yesterday, I am not predicting anything. You guys heard something on another show that I was on and keyed off of that. I think that is inappropriate because that is something that I talked to somebody and I told you earlier that, you know, you have to sometime -- when a guy keeps egging you on sometimes you have just got to tell him, yeah, just to shut him up. But I told you guys right to your face yesterday that, you know, I am not predicting anything. And I don't plan on predicting anything because I don't -- I don't think it is right. It looks bad. And if it is something that, you know, if I am going to predict anything, I'd rather predict it in four, not five. Why go five? Like I said you can't take anybody for granted. We are playing one hell of a team, and I don't think it is fair to them for me to do it because that is just probably going to pump them up. You know, we are not predicting anything. We will just see how it goes.

DAVID WELLS: I get back a couple of times a year and you know, I think to me it going to be very nerve-wracking, but I am ready for it. I think that this is, to me, a dream come true. It is just a lot of memories are going to be built up into one. For me, I know it is going to be hard because now that I am with the New York Yankees and am very proud to be here, but it is -- I have a job to do and I can't really worry about who is out there and all that. It is going to be great to go see family and friends, yes, but I have a job to do and I am going to do the best I can to help them out.

DAVID WELLS: I can't fathom it at all. I think this is -- history has been made here from the beginning and to up and move it, you are going to piss a lot of baseball gods off and I think that, you know, I don't want to be any part of that because if I do I will -- I will do everything in my power to tell them that, though, I am not part of this. But I do believe that life goes on and certain situations need to be met, but you know, unless they did move it and took this stadium without damaging anything, which is virtually impossible, then I don't know. I mean, to me, I think it should stay here. But a lot of people would think otherwise.