MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES v DIAMONDBACKS

October 27, 2001

Bob Brenly

BOB BRENLY: I did sleep last night. I'm extremely proud of my freshman son, Michael. He got an 87 on his math test and an 85 on his vocabulary, so we are good to go next week.

BOB BRENLY: They are a little relaxed, maybe even a little more so than we are usually. I don't know how you grade relaxation, but guys just seem to be very anxious and ready to play. Looking forward to what's about to happen.

BOB BRENLY: I don't know if it was one of the goals, but it was just one of the things that I felt contributed to a more relaxed way of playing the game. I've said it many times in these gatherings over the last week that relaxed and confident is the way to be successful in anything you do. And baseball, I don't think is an exception. I think if you go out there, obviously, prepared physically and mentally to play, but if you are relaxed and confident in your own abilities to get the job done, you have got a much better chance of being successful.

BOB BRENLY: That's just the style of pitcher that Randy is.

I mean, everybody does that against Randy, and it's the smart move to make. He's tough for anybody to hit, righty's or lefty's, but he's particularly tough because of his wing span and his low three-quarters delivery; and when he strides towards home plate for a left-handed hitter, it looks like he's throwing towards first base. It is comforting to know that we have somebody that can force a team to alter what is a regular lineup to combat what Randy brings to the table.

BOB BRENLY: Well, that probably would be a question better asked of hitters. I don't remember facing Randy at any point and I think that would be the kind of thing I would remember. I cannot imagine it is too much fun, especially the Randy Johnson of this season. He really has pitched well this year. He has not -- he has not just gone out there and tried to overpower hitters. He's made pitches, hit spots and he's changed speeds; that's the Randy Johnson I would be a little more fearful of facing, than the one who rears back and tries to throw fastballs by people. He's not that kind of pitcher anymore.

BOB BRENLY: Well, there are not many expectations on Andy, I don't suppose so in that respect. I don't think it's something he's looking forward to, but again, there's 28 pitching staffs that would love to have an opportunity to face Randy Johnson this time of year.

BOB BRENLY: I seriously doubt it. (Laughter.) I mean, I'm not going to deny the fact that I felt like a smart manager every fifth day when I got to pencil in those two guys. They make a manager look very smart. But they have just been two guys on a mission all year long. I think they fed off each other very well. They learned from each other, and they one-upped each other all year long.

BOB BRENLY: Well, the guys that cover this all year know my answer to that. Every game is a must-win game for this team. That's the attitude that we had coming out of spring training and served us well throughout the season, even in the post-season. Every game we take it like it is a game we must win, and we are going to continue to do that. We don't look too far ahead. We never look back and we just concentrate on the task at hand.