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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND ONEMarch 7, 2006Riccardo De SantisPOOL D: ORLANDO, FLORIDA Q. What have you learned from these big leaguers? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: I'm trying to learn a lot from these guys. It's a great accomplishment for me. It's been very hard to make this team. I've been working a lot the whole winter to first being on the 60-man roster and then to be on the 30-man roster. So for me it's just great. And I wasn't waiting, I wasn't -- I didn't think about pitching in the first game. I felt that they maybe had sent somebody else there. But then when they told me, I was ready. So I talked with Mike Piazza and all the catchers, big leaguers, and they just made me feel like one of them. So it's such a great thing to be here. And to just play baseball. It's fun and if you are here, that means that we can compete with the teams we are facing. So I'm trying to do my best and keep the spot. That's it. Q. What do you throw? What are your pitches? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: I'm a starter in Italy. I have a fastball, curveball, slider, change-up. Q. You throw all four? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: Yeah. But here I just do what they want me to do. Like curveball on lefties and slider on righties. Q. Does Mike speak Italian? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: He's trying to learn. He's helping me with baseball and I'm helping Mike with Italian. Q. As a team what language do you speak? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: English. Q. Every one speaks English? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: Yeah, because there's only four guys from Italy. So we have to speak English. It's good. Q. How old are you? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: 26. Q. And you've been pitching in the Italian league? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: Yeah, I been pitching there. I signed a contract in 2000 with the Twins, but then I had to stay there for my military service. So I'm now I'm done. I'm trying to get another shot here. We'll see. Q. You certainly made a good impression tonight? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: I hope so. Q. Do you find it's tough to pitch in such cold weather? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: In Italy? Q. Yeah, like this. RICCARDO DE SANTIS: Oh, for the whole winter we were outside and it was like 20 degrees outside. So I was used to it. Q. Did you feel like when you were throwing that you were going to be particularly good tonight? RICCARDO DE SANTIS: I'm getting in better shape. Day after day. Because in Italy we only practice at night and not every day. So here I got the opportunity to pitch every day and go to the gym every day and to play as a professional player. That's what we can't do in Italy because we don't play so much. So here it's easier to feel better to get better.
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