NL DIVISION SERIES: METS v GIANTS

October 6, 2000

J. T. Snow

J.T. SNOW: I think it's a little bittersweet still. It gave us a chance to get back in the ballgame; we tied it up. I think I've had some time to reflect on it. I didn't start so sitting around for three-and-a-half hours and coming into the game and facing one of the hardest throwers in the National League, and being able to hit a home run in that situation, I wasn't looking to hit a home run, obviously, but it happened. I think it just gave us a chance -- got the excitement going. Gave us a chance to get back in the game and we tied it up. Unfortunately we ended up losing, but it's hard after the game to sit down and really think about what just happened, because it happened so quick. I was telling some of the guys, I played in one inning and I feel like I played in all ten of them, just because of the emotion of the game. But I think Dusty had a great comment today. We lost a game, but I think the way we lost it shows a lot about the team, and it would have been easy just to roll over and lose the game 4-1. I think they would have had a lot more momentum going into tomorrow's game, I think by doing what we did, it kind of said, hey, we're not done yet. We're not going to roll over and lay down. In that aspect, I think it was a big hit. Even though we did lose the game.

J.T. SNOW: I don't recall one specifically. But I can remember us playing well all year after tough losses. We have done it all year long. I don't expect that tomorrow will be any different for our team. I think that we've had the ability to put those games behind us. We have kind of a short memory. We come out with a day off today, the travel day, and coming out tomorrow and basically now, it is a three-game season. It's the best, two-out-of three. And we'll take it one at a time, like we've done all year, and try and win tomorrow against Rick Reed and see what happens on Sunday.

J.T. SNOW: I was just reading it today in one of the articles on the plane as we were flying out here. It was a quote, something to that effect. I thought it was a good quote. Kind of made a lot of sense. At the time, like I said, after the game, probably didn't seem like if he would have said it right then and there, it would have been tough. But after reflecting on it for a day, I think it was a pretty good statement.

J.T. SNOW: I think we were 2-0 against him this year during the regular season. I don't know if that means a whole lot right now in the playoffs, because these games are -- you know, a lot different than a regular-season game where it is one out of 162. I think you throw everything aside in the playoffs. You throw the records out the window against each other. We're now playing in their ballpark. We played well here last time we pitched and scored a lot of runs, but every day is a new day in baseball. We've just got to come out tomorrow and be aggressive. I don't think there will be any worries about us playing hard or anything like that. So, we'll just try and come out and do the things that we have done all year and hopefully we can beat them.

J.T. SNOW: I think we feel that way against anybody. It might be a little bit of cockiness or confidence, but we feel that whoever is on the mound, we are trying to figure out a way to get to them or beat them and we feel like we've got the lineup to do it. We've been shut down in games before through the course of the year where we hang in there and keep battling and keep fighting, and that's what good teams do is somebody will seem to come through with a big hit. It's been that way all year. There are guys on the team that have big numbers and that have done it all year. There are a lot of other guys that have contributed a lot of hits here and there. We've usually got a good plan going into the game, figuring out what's going on and the guys going against us, and try and beat them.

J.T. SNOW: I don't think so. I don't think the left-handed thing didn't really bothered our team too much. A lot of people made a big deal out of it but I don't think it really concerned our team. Every pitch is big now. Like I said the only thing that puts it in perspective is now it is a three-game season for us and whoever can win the next two out of these three is going to move on to the next round. Like I said, we've taken it one game at a time. It is easier said than done, but I think this team did that all year over 162 games. We would take it one game at a time and one series at a time, and that is how we are approaching it. The playoffs, I don't think, is a time to panic or to try anything that you have not done all year long. That's the way we have done it all year long. We'll just try to win two out of these next three. However we get it done, we'll try and get it done.

J.T. SNOW: I don't think you can ever let your guard down. You can't rest or you can't get on your heels and think because we have Hampton -- that we faced Hampton and Leiter, got them out of the way, that we can relax. None of these games are going to be easy, because they are not. We have to take whoever is on the mound next and find a way to beat them. This game is too crazy to try and coast through it, or once you think you've got this guy figured out, it will turn on you in a heartbeat. We'll just come out and take the approach that we've had all year.

J.T. SNOW: It will be crazy. That's the way it always is during the regular season. It gets crazy at times during the game. I'm sure it will be a lot more because it is a playoff game. We have got guys that have played a lot of games in their career, and have played in New York before, and I think we've got the type of team that doesn't get rattled very easily. We've got a lot of guys that know how to go about their business, how to prepare for a game, and just go out and play the game. Keep it between the white lines and let whatever happens in the stands or whatever the fans do in the stands, keep it in the stands. Worry about the game. Worry about the nine innings between the white lines.

J.T. SNOW: Good.

J.T. SNOW: Yeah. Couple movies. Nice big plane.