NL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS v BRAVES

October 5, 2004

Jaret Wright

JARET WRIGHT: Just kind of what you said. I'm outside with my bags and the team's going to play. I'm on the corner, waiting for the taxi. I was having a bad year last year, and it was a great opportunity for me to come over here and kind of get back on track, get to the postseason again last year. That was amazing from where I was at. Because if I would have finished the year, I think, in San Diego, it would have been a different story this year. So I'm definitely appreciative for the door that opened up, and try to enjoy it.

JARET WRIGHT: About being a cab driver, because I could have got there faster (laughter). I think in that part, in San Diego, I kind of looked at it as something -- because I wanted to get back to starting, and something that might take two, three years. The bullpen, it was a different feeling for me, to be ready from the first inning till whenever, and I think having this happen, Bobby (Cox) asked me last year if I still wanted to start, and I said, "Yes, all I wanted was a chance." They gave me a chance in spring. Now to finish the regular season making all my starts, it was -- it happened a lot quicker than I thought it would. So it's been something that happened fast, and I'm grateful for.

JARET WRIGHT: I think it definitely starts with Bobby and Leo (Mazzone). I think with Bobby, they've been on this run with 13 now with pitching. They've had Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz. It's just been guys that have thrown the ball amazingly around here. I think it's geared towards a pitcher and to getting stuff done. With Leo, he makes it simple for you, that this is the plan when you go out there. I like the fact that if you're doing something that might not work, he'll let you know and you iron it out from there. I think it starts with Bobby and then Leo, knowing what he's talking about.

JARET WRIGHT: Yeah, mentally for me. I mean, the first three weeks of the season last year felt like two years. I didn't know whether to throw up or - be up or down or... it was tough to adjust to the bullpen after starting. I think physically, in the bullpen, I know a lot of guys might disagree with me, but I think physically in the bullpen it might be a little bit easier, less innings and whatnot. But it's definitely, I think, tougher mentally to be ready for potentially 162 games. You're not going to pitch in all of them, but mentally you've got to be prepared for them. I think that kind of tweaked me a little bit where it kind of got me out of whack.

JARET WRIGHT: I think for me, in San Diego last year, I think my arm felt good. It was just location. I think when I came over here, we worked on location a lot more than velocity and stuff, because coming off an injury, you want to show people that you can still throw like you used to as far as the radar gun and stuff like that. I kind of got away from movement and location because I spent a long time not being able to throw the ball as hard as I used to. So I think that's the biggest thing we worked on when I got over here, was throwing it to where you wanted it instead of 110 percent and not knowing where it's going.

JARET WRIGHT: I think being young and in the postseason, you can let a lot of emotions and adrenaline take you out of your game. I think for me, this time in the postseason, you kind of know what to take in, what's important, what you can let go to focus on what you have to do. I think when I was young, I kind of went more of a football game and, you know, emotionally ran maybe a little bit too high.

JARET WRIGHT: I think for me, I mean, everybody in their lineup is a challenge. I don't think I would sit here and say somebody is going to be an out, or somebody is going to go 4-4 off me. I think every guy, you've got to stay focused. They're Major League hitters, so you have to attack them with your strengths and hopefully they hit it on the ground or something like that. They've definitely got a good lineup and they're hot, so we'll see what happens.

JARET WRIGHT: How is he swinging? Can he hit? He is? Oh, no (laughter). I look at that, it's a Game 1 matchup. He's done a lot of stuff in the game that's amazing. To have my name called in Game 1 and go up against him, I think it's an honor. I'm up for it. He's going to battle, I'm going to battle just as hard and see who comes out on top.

JARET WRIGHT: I would say after I had -- I've had two shoulder surgeries, so after the first one, when I was coming back, everything was going good. I thought I would be fine. Then I was in a game in Ottawa, pitching for Buffalo. I threw a pitch and it went out again. Having two surgeries is not a good thing. It's tough to come back from one, let alone two. I think at that point, when I threw that pitch, kind of squatted down on the mound, I was pretty low right there. You have to have two surgeries and, you know, it's another long road.

JARET WRIGHT: I've been asked that question a lot, because guys come over here and they get back on track, and everybody loves Bobby. It's almost like an aura he has, a winning aura. He trusts his guys a lot. He trusts guys like Smoltzie and Chipper to lead the guys coming over and let them know how he does things around here and what's expected. That's basically it. He expects to win, and I think he puts guys in positions to win.

JARET WRIGHT: Not recently, no, I haven't. But I think it gets played on ESPN Classic a couple times. I've caught glimpses of it. It's kind of a weird feeling, you get butterflies a little bit all over again watching it. I probably would have watched it 50 times over if we would have won.