MLB WORLD SERIES: INDIANS v MARLINS

October 25, 1997

Mike Hargrove

MIKE HARGROVE: I don't ever recall being in a situation like this as a player, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I would think that that question best be asked to the players. When you are involved and you do have some sort of control over the situation it's less nerve-wracking, but it's still bad for mental health at times.

MIKE HARGROVE: If we get to Game 7, as of right now we have Charlie penciled in for the start. Again it depends on what happens tonight and who we have to use tonight, whether that happens, but Charlie is, as of right now, is the starter for tomorrow.

MIKE HARGROVE: No, I don't think so. I think that we realize that Charlie in the last month, month and a half has gone through a period that he went through a couple of years ago and came out of it well, and had a very good 1996 season. I think we're seeing Charlie go through that again. But as far as losing overall confidence, no, no, Charlie, we feel, and believe that Charlie Nagy is a very good pitcher and one of the top pitchers in the American League today.

MIKE HARGROVE: Brian Anderson has pitched very well for us out of the bullpen. We view, and always have viewed Brian as a starter. Anytime you see a kid come in and do well, especially in a pressure situation such as the World Series is and can be, it raises your confidence level in that individual and if that's what you're asking, yes, it has done that. Does it make us look at him any differently for 1998? No, not really. We've looked at Brian as one of our guys for a while.

MIKE HARGROVE: Oh, this is about the fifth time I've been asked that question, and I'll answer it like I've always been answering it. We have no reason to apologize to anybody, either team has no reason to apologize to anybody for being here. Atlanta, Baltimore, New York had good teams, they had as much chance to be here as we did, they just didn't get it done and we did, us and the Marlins. Whoever it's being trashed by, that's their problem. These are still very good ball clubs that had to play the same schedule as anybody else did, and we got here and they didn't, that's just the way it goes. Last year they got here and we didn't. So I don't think there's any reason for either organization or either team to have to apologize to anybody. They've both done a very good job.

MIKE HARGROVE: No, I didn't then, no, I won't do it tonight, and the reason is, I gauge the mood of our club in the clubhouse, and the mood of the club right now is very, very good. We're all big boys, we know what's in front of us and we don't have to be told, so it's one of those things after Game 4, I believe it was, the really ugly game, I felt that something needed to be said so I said something then to our club, but I don't have that sense at all with this club going into this game today and didn't have it when we went into Game 4.

MIKE HARGROVE: That's a good one, long one.

MIKE HARGROVE: The chemistry of the two clubs, in comparing it, it's the same. The chemistry in '95 with that club was very, very good, as it is with this ball club. The difference is in the personalities in this club and in '95. This is a less exuberant, outgoing, extroverted bunch. There is less obvious arrogance or cockiness, this team doesn't have the swagger that the '95 team had. Both teams I enjoyed. It's kind of like your children, you love all your children differently, and that's kind of the way I feel about those two ball clubs. I liked the '95 club, I liked the people on the '95 club and I like the '97 club, like the people on the '97 club. The personality of the club, this club suits me better than the personality of the '95 club, that's just the way I am. That doesn't mean I like it any better or less. That means the personality of this one is -- I like it better. It fits me better. How is it perceived? I've got the feeling that people like our ball club a lot more than they did in '95. I think we have more likeable people on this club than we did in '95, it's a much more media friendly team is what I'm trying to say. And it's like really trying to compare apples and oranges. I like apples and oranges, it's just that I like them differently at different times.

MIKE HARGROVE: From what both clubs had hit in the NLCS and ALCS and Division Series, if somebody asked me would this be an offensive series, I would have said no. Both clubs did not hit well in either their paths in getting here, but both clubs have good hitters, and so it doesn't surprise me that it is, it doesn't surprise me, but if someone asked me earlier I would have said probably not.

MIKE HARGROVE: No, I don't think so, I don't think it wears down, the pitching really has so far in this series has not been as good consistently as it was at least in our side, has not been as consistently good as it was in the ALCS individual series.

MIKE HARGROVE: Jaret is ready to pitch. His side work is today. And he hasn't pitched, but I think that -- obviously if we need him tonight he can pitch, if we need him tomorrow he can pitch. Everybody is available tonight, except you and me, we can't pitch tonight.

MIKE HARGROVE: If we don't win Game 6 we don't get to play, and have a chance to win Game 7. So, yeah, we'll try to take care of Game 6 and worry about Game 7 after this one is over. But we've got to win this one to even have a chance to worry about Game 7. So, yes, everybody is available.

MIKE HARGROVE: It depends on if we have to use Charlie Nagy tonight. We may have to use Charlie Nagy, may have to use Wright, Anderson, may have to use Juden. It depends on who we use tonight as to who is going to start tomorrow night. As of right now it's Charles Nagy, I say that leaving my options open, if may not be Nagy, also, but as of right now it is.

MIKE HARGROVE: No, we've got a couple others.

MIKE HARGROVE: He went through a period and I want to say the middle third of the season in '95 to where he was kind of like he was treading water, and he came out of that period and he was golden from then on. And that's kind of -- I feel like he's kind of at the end of that period this time, too.