MLB WORLD SERIES: INDIANS v MARLINS

October 25, 1997

Jim Leyland

JIM LEYLAND: Yeah, I really don't -- as long as he throws strikes, I don't have any problem. You've got to give the Cleveland hitters some credit, he hasn't been under any consistent work program. Basically the only reason I didn't bring him in the other night to start, because the other guys that are going to try to work for walks, and Hershiser was throwing strikes good, and that's why I waited until something happened. He got a couple of bigger targets up there. I feel totally comfortable with him.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I don't really know the answer to that. It wasn't just too long ago everybody was complaining that the strike zone was too big for a particular game. So I don't really know the answer to that.

JIM LEYLAND: What did I do yesterday? Well, I slept for a while and then I came in and had to do one interview over at Coulder. I brought my wife and my babies here so they could get their pictures taken by the World Series logo for our Christmas card. I went home, took my wife out to dinner, and then I went to the airport and picked up my nephew and his wife of about two months. My wife and I flew them down for a wedding present for the game, and picked them up about 11:30, 11:15 last night from the airport and went home and went to bed.

JIM LEYLAND: Some recognize me, some don't. Some are probably glad they do, and some are probably glad they don't.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I'm going to say this, we win this game tonight, you be the first guy by my side and I'll show you how much I enjoy it. I think there's a lot of pressure during the World Series, we've talked about this before, but I'll repeat it, but most of the pressure is off-the-field pressure. Most of the pressure is trying to figure out how I'm going to get 16 people in 12 beds in my house tonight and get tickets and making arrangements for everybody, and trying to make sure everybody has got a good seat, and how come I got a good seat and your other brother got a bad seat, all that kind of silly stuff. But that's the pressure. The other part in the game is the actual fun part. And even though that's pressure packed, that's probably more relaxing than all the little extras that go along with the World Series.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, we obviously think this would be great for South Florida. I think all cities get wrapped up in this and I think the one thing I think is it's really good for is -- I think everybody -- when you have championship teams, believe it or not, this is my own opinion, a lot of people probably disagree with it, but I think everybody goes to work happier. I think the bosses all around town feel they get better production, everybody is in good spirits, everybody is in a great frame of mind, everybody loves one another. And I think it does something for a community. So hopefully we can pull that off.

JIM LEYLAND: Yes, we did. I think a lot of credit goes to the scouts, the guys have done their work all season long. I obviously knew that Wayne was going to spend some money, I was told that when I was courted here. When we had our winter meetings after I joined and brought my particular staff in, on-field personnel, we went to the scouts and Dave Dombrowski and we had lists and I can tell you that we did real good on our choices, all those people we got we had very high up on our list as people we would like to acquire. And we were basically fortunate enough to pull it off.

JIM LEYLAND: I don't know, I don't see the other League very much, obviously. And so I saw a little Interleague play. They're playing more offensive over there. I'm not shocked at all, but I'm very impressed with Cleveland's line-up from top to bottom, when Marquis Grissom is hitting 9th with the DH situation, that's unbelievable. I think one thing we've got to remember, we've made no excuses and we have none, we don't have Alex in the rotation, and Hernandez started out in Triple-A, Saunders right out of Double-A, so I think that's had something to do with it, but overall I think you're seeing two good offensive clubs. And I've really been impressed with Cleveland's line-up from top to bottom, they're very, very impressive.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I didn't really ask for anything, I just gave my opinion on what I felt the club needed, having managed against this club for the last few years. And Dave kept calling me with great news throughout the entire thing, once he swung into action and started talking with the agents and acquiring some of the players. And he did tell me, I was on my way to Mountaineer Race Track one Sunday afternoon with my wife when I got the news about Alex Fernandez. And not long after that I got a call that Dave said, well, we got Moises Alou and that's it. And I almost hung up, other than saying anything else, he almost hung up the phone on me, he said we've got Moises Alou and that's it, and he pretty much hung up. I felt like that would be enough to make us real competitive. I had no idea we'd be in this situation today but I felt going into Spring Training that we would be able to compete and I think we've proved that.

JIM LEYLAND: I think we already had him earlier.

JIM LEYLAND: Jeff Conine is playing first base tonight and I always play him when Kevin Brown pitches.

JIM LEYLAND: Well, I don't like to put the cart before the horse. But I think if anybody told you they didn't think about what it would be like to win the World Series, I think they probably would be fibbing. So I don't know exactly what I'd do, I don't know if I could predict what I'd do. I have a lot of family here, my wife and son and my daughter, and all my wife's brothers and sisters are here, her parents. So I guess you share it with the people that you're close to. But like I said, I don't want to put the cart before the horse.

JIM LEYLAND: Not on the days he's pitching, no. I shouldn't say that. I've seen him in a good mood after he's pitched on days, but I just think that a lot of people get ready for ballgames in different ways. And I've always said this, and I really don't care what it takes or how you go about getting ready. Some guys can watch TV, they can watch a tape, other guys might pray, other guys are just doing nothing. Some guys meditate, whatever, whatever it takes. And I think Kevin has to have that frame of mind to be good. I think it works good for him. I think -- I managed the best player that I've managed has been Barry Bonds, and Barry Bonds was always a little better when he was angry before the game. So I think whatever it takes for a player to get ready they know. And I don't try to infringe on their privacy as far as how they get ready for a ballgame, that's up to them.

JIM LEYLAND: That depends on who buys the club and what they do with it. I think this is going to be a solid club for the next five years. We have good players, I don't think that -- we're not out looking to get rid of players. I think most of that will depend on the financial situation of the new owners that come in and purchase the club. So I guess it's kind of a wait and see. But I'll also add that we had several young players. We got pretty good reviews in the Minor Leagues this year, with the Gonzalez', and the Dunwoodys, we got some real good players, we got some real good young players, so the combination of what we have here, and some of those guys ready to step in in the not too distant future, this organization looks real healthy to me for a few years.