AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v WHITE SOX

October 4, 2005

David Wells

DAVID WELLS: So many never had Babe Ruth. So, that's the myth of whatever it is, but I think deep down, you've got to go out and play regardless, and some things happen for a reason and we don't know why. The White Sox, they've always had some pretty good teams, you know, back then until present. So does the Red Sox, the Yankees always had a good team. I don't know, I guess if you look into it too much, I think you'll believe.

DAVID WELLS: It's a different team. There's only, I think, four guys that are here when I played, and three of them -- or two of them are obviously pitchers, Paul and Aaron, so, no, I don't really look into it. You know, they're my opponents, and I've got to go out there and pitch my game, you know, and try to put a stop to them. They've got a good team. I pitched against them earlier this year and they hit me pretty good. I have to be better than I was last time. I don't really look into facing former teams. I mean, you've got to face somebody regardless of who they are. You know, get my game face on and pitch my game and hopefully it works out.

DAVID WELLS: I'll agree with that. How can you not want out there when the game is on the line, pitch a big game? We play hard all year long to get to this point, and I think, you know, this is where you can shine. You can make a name for yourself, and you can set the tone. You can -- there is a whole lot of things that you can do in this situation. You just can't be afraid. I think that's the bottom line. Some of the guys that have never been in post-season I talked to them and said get the ball, go get them. That's all you can do, make your pitches. Don't be afraid to fail. Everybody is nervous. I still get nervous, but once you get into it and make your pitches, then the game goes on and you can't really worry about it. I think if you have that in the back of your mind, that, I don't want to -- you know, I can't give up these hits, I can't give up runs, you're already done. You've got to go out there with a positive attitude.

DAVID WELLS: Probably the same lineup I faced earlier in the season. They've got a few guys that can make things happen, and some speedsters. So, it's kind of like Tampa Bay. They've got guys that can run real good. They've got some guys that hit powerful, and they make things happen. That's how you can create a lot of disturbance out there, and moving around can drive a pitcher crazy. If you know their game, you can try to put a stop to that. They're a good team. They hit the ball well. They've got good pitching. You know, they're here for a reason, so I know that, and so I've got to go out there and just try to keep them off stride and pitch the way that I know I'm capable of pitching. It's not going to be easy. I know what I'm facing, so -- but, when you get to post-season, anything can happen. They might be a little tense. I might not be, so, we'll see.

DAVID WELLS: I'm glad I taught him all those good things about baseball. Mark, he's an exceptional pitcher. Obviously, he's an All-Star. You know, the short time I spent with him, I talked to him a lot, and his ability was already there. You know, he already had a pretty good game plan, but, you know, it was like me talking with Mike Flanagan, Jimmy Key, back earlier in my career, it doesn't hurt to learn and to find out what pitching is all about, and he's proved it. You know, since I left Chicago, he's proved what he can do. So, I mean, I don't think he really needs anybody really needs to explain too much to him, because he's got a good game and when he's on, he's tough to beat. He's one of the best in the league. So, I feel that as long as he's putting up 0s, it's my job to go out and do the same thing. I can't worry about what he's doing to our hitters or anything. I've got to concentrate on what I have to do to keep my team in the ball game.

DAVID WELLS: You know, I'm fortunate to have been able to play in a lot of post-season games. I think the more you play, I wouldn't say it's easier, but it's a little more relaxing, because you have faced situations that, you know, are pretty intense, and, you know, you can get very intimidated. There's a whole lot of things that can really come into this. I feel pretty much even keel. I go out there, you know, I stay the same person and joke around and have fun. Some people look at me, and say, are you not nervous, and I try not to think about, you know, a little too far into the game. I just go out there and do what I love to do, and I think the more experience, the easier it is for me personally to handle things. And, you know, I can't speak for the younger guys, but I know. I was there at one point, and you couldn't -- I mean, you could rattle my cage as easy as anything, but, you know, I just think with experience, you have a tendency to calm yourself down a little more and not get caught up in the hype and the crowds especially.

DAVID WELLS: I enjoy playing here. I mean, I feel bad, I mean, I had back surgery here, so it was something that limited my play, but the team that we had here, it was a pretty good team, a bunch of good guys. Jerry Manuel, I thought he was a great manager, he was a Player's manager. He was a little -- he was laid back, and I like that, so I think that, you know, it's just -- I took a lot of criticism, because at that time, I was making a lot of money, and I didn't get to pitch as much, but my health was a concern obviously, but the town was unbelievable. It's one of my favorite cities to come to. The talent was overwhelming, but when you don't have pitching, it's kind of tough to go to post-season, because, you know, pitching usually is the key to winning, and the offense was there, but I felt they lacked one thing, and that was another starter, you know, number 1-2 guys in the lineup. But you can't say anything bad about Chicago. It's a happening town.

DAVID WELLS: It doesn't hurt. I think when you go out there, with Podsednik, you know what he's going to do. It's just a matter if he gets a base hit, he's going to run regardless. His stolen bases this year will prove what he'll do. If he steals or has a hit-and-run, whatever they're going to do, you have to make the pitch and try to keep those guys off base, and, you know, when you get in that situation, you know, a lot of things come into play, so you just don't want to get caught in a routine that's easy to pick up. So, as a pitcher, you want to create, you know, if it's a quick pitch or throwing over 3 or 4 times in a row and try to pick them off or whatever it is, you just don't want to throw the ball down the middle, because you know you got a guy that can run. So, there's a lot of guys that pitch backwards as well, so it's tough, so you have to keep them off base, and I think it will be a lot easier.

DAVID WELLS: Well, I mean, yeah, that was -- I said that back then, but it's easy to retire, you know, when you're hurt or in that situation, but I just didn't want to go out of the game that way. I wanted to go out on my terms and go out healthy, and so I rehabbed and got back to pitching form and ended up having a good year the following year, and then put another year together, and then I had back surgery again. So, you know, that happened, and I said earlier, I want to go out healthy, and all of a sudden, I have back surgery and had another good year. I'm playing games with myself and misleading you guys at times. It's something if you're healthy and you can put anywhere from 12 to 15 wins a year, I think you have an opportunity to help a team, and, you know, coming into Boston with the lineup they have, it's interesting, hey, let's give this a shot and see what could happen. Look what happened, we're in the Playoffs. I'm not getting any younger. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I hope we can just win the whole thing and I can run off into the sunset and say good-bye.

DAVID WELLS: It would make my decisions a lot easier, yeah. I mean, it would be an easy exit, but like I said, I'm not going to jump the gun now. I want to win it first. So when I do, then it will be an easy decision for me.

DAVID WELLS: Who said that?

DAVID WELLS: Our depth has been criticized? Is it unfair? Sure. I mean, I think that we've had problems, but we've overcome, you know, those situations. We've had a lot of injuries, but still, we're here in post-season, so, I mean, there's a lot of teams out there that did have depth and didn't make it. You've got to fight through those tough times, all the accusations, you've got to, you know, fight through those as well. But, you know, I think we've got the right chemistry right now. It's a matter of putting it together at the right time, and I think right now is that right time for us to put it together. The last week of the season has been pretty good. Everybody was doing their job, and, you know, the depth was there for us, so that's a carryover.

DAVID WELLS: I had a couple of good teachers, Sparky Anderson, I sat down with him in '93 and '94 and talked a lot about baseball and the game, Kirk Gibson was one that he was a pretty intense player, and being teammates with him and just talking to him a lot was something that really solidified that gesture. Even early in my career, I really wasn't afraid. I just challenged guys. If you go out there and challenge them, you have an opportunity to win games instead of pitching around guys. Jimmy Key always said he would rather give up one than walk a guy. I kind of took that same approach. As you get older and you get a few more years under your belt, then you get opportunities to play in post-season. That's when you say, hey, you know what, it is what it is. I'm not going to lose any sleep if I lose a big game. I went out and tried and did my best that day. If it wasn't good enough, I'm not going to take it home or let it ruin my life. That's just the approach that I've always taken about the game of baseball. It's a great game. It's the best game in the world, so enjoy it while you can and take the ball when it's given to you and try not to let it go. I think if you have that in the back of your mind, you can achieve pretty much anything in the game.