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MLB WORLD SERIES: CARDINALS v TIGERS

October 24, 2006

Jim Edmonds

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: Game Three

Q. How long have the symptoms from the concussion been gone now and how disconcerting was it that it took so long to diagnose it and not really knowing what was happening?
JIM EDMONDS: I think they went away for good right at the end the season, just the last week. I stayed home for about three weeks, stayed off the road trips, stayed out of the air, stayed off the airplane and they thought that was a big thing. When I tried to play that last week at home, and I just kind of still had some problems, but it seemed like it was getting a little better each day.
It was just the last week, I think, of the season.

Q. How disconcerting was it to you?
JIM EDMONDS: I knew it wasn't going to be something that lasted forever, but I was just more concerned about not being able to finish the season at all. And I was thinking this might be the last time I play here a little bit, so I was kind of concerned that I wouldn't be able to play the last couple of games of the year.
We were struggling at the end so I didn't know how long -- if we were going to make the playoffs or how far we were going to go. I just wanted a chance to get back on the field.

Q. Can you talk about Chris' performance tonight and how dominant he was.
JIM EDMONDS: Well, he got strike one a lot to a lot of hitters. He moved the ball around and made his pitches. He has an ability to be very calm and consistent and not make a lot of mistakes. And he doesn't get rattled too easy, and that's pretty obvious. But it's amazing to watch him work with Yadi and just throw the ball to the glove and really doesn't look up. He has a focus and a game plan and he doesn't really go away from it. And I think that just helps his consistency and like I said, he puts his hat down and him and Yadi just go to town.

Q. You looked like your old self, how fit do you feel you are right now?
JIM EDMONDS: I can't answer that question. I'd have to lie. I think I'm doing all right. We'll put it at that. This is the World Series and I'm having a good time. This is what it's all about.

Q. How much have you and the whole team used your underdog status as motivation through the series?
JIM EDMONDS: Not one bit. I don't think it's ever even came across the locker room or anybody's ever said a word about it. We're just excited to be here, and we're just trying to focus in on winning games. We know we have a good opponent, and we have the utmost respect for Mr. Leyland and their team. We're just trying to really grind it out and do the best we can to get a chance to win a ring.

Q. You seem to have a knack for coming alive, if you will, in the postseason. Without giving away any trade secrets, how do you pull that off?
JIM EDMONDS: I don't know. I don't really know the stats or anything. I don't really pay attention, but I just think that when you play in the postseason, you have to focus a little bit stronger and a little bit more, stay calm, stay under control, and those are the only things I really try to do is not to get too excited. And I think a lot of times good players get overly excited and things can happen really quick. I think some of the things we talk about is not letting at-bats get away from you too quickly and to take your time. And that's just something that I've been able to do and I've been lucky enough to be in the postseason enough to get some practice at it, I guess. I don't really know what to say.

Q. Your success against lefties in the postseason has been pretty well this postseason, explain why that is. Is it because you're seeing the ball better? Do you approach the left-hander different than the right-hander in any case?
JIM EDMONDS: Well, obviously you get a guy like the guy that was throwing today, he moves the ball around and makes his pitches. He seemed like he didn't get rattled too much, either. I just really try to swing at strikes. That's the basic philosophy. I don't really try to do too much, I just try to swing at strikes. And it's pretty simple.
My No. 1 goal is to make them throw the ball over the plate. We've watched the Yankees do that over the years and have good at-bats, and that's what we try to do and that's what I try to do myself.

Q. Can you talk about what you thought Robertson's strategy was against you when you got the double.
JIM EDMONDS: I really didn't know. You watch tapes on guys, and one game they throw one way, and the next game they throw another. It just depends on the opponent. I was just really trying, like I said, swing at a strike, put a ball in play. I was fortunate enough to get the ball down the line when Sean was playing me in the hole and that's it. I was trying to battle and trying not to do too much and give my team a chance to score a run. That's it, it's pretty simple.

Q. I know the media likes to hype, this game is a must-win game, how critical beyond going up two games to one was it to win this first game at home?
JIM EDMONDS: I think the one thing that I think our team does really well is it doesn't get really excited about this whole deal with we have to be up or our ace is pitching or this guy is going. We just came home and play. I think now that you sit back and think about it, it was an important game with Chris pitching.
But it's amazing, this team is just -- we've got a bunch of characters in there, and they don't really get concerned with being up 2-1, being down 2-1, what the situation is. I think that's been our best trait at the -- our best, I guess, trait would be the word at the end of the year here is everybody is just going and playing. It's amazing if you sit in that clubhouse how many random things are going on and not really concerned with what's going on on TV or what's going on outside in the world. We just come up and try to play.

End of FastScripts...

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