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MLB ALL-STAR GAMEJuly 9, 2007Vladimir GuerreroSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA JEFF IDELSON: We have Mark Gibson, the assistant vice president of advertising for State Farm, Vlad Guerrero and Pedro Gomez who will translate. Q. After the first round, it looks like something happened to your hand and you put tape on it; what did you do? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: I had to put tape on my fingers because otherwise my fingers will crack and they will open up. Q. Which one? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: The right hand, the index finger. Q. When you won, who was the first person to come and jump on you? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Wilfredo Paulino, my cousin from the Dominican Republic. Q. Coming off a nine-game road trip, a lot of heat, where did you find the strength to get through this? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Well, obviously you have to summon the energy for something like this, and we got in very late last night. So I slept in a little bit later today to rest up a little. Q. You took a swing and then you took a pitch; basically what was the strategy, was it just that? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Well, the first time I came in 2000, I swang at basically every pitch, so you learn. And I came back this year with a different philosophy. I was going to try to take a pitch between to rest a little bit. Q. How many people do you have here today? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: 18. Q. All family or friends and family? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Friends and family. Q. Were there any features in this ballpark that you're trying to hit? You hit a shot 503 feet; were you going for the mitt at all? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: I wasn't looking for anything. I was just trying to swing the ball hard like I always do. There was nothing in the ballpark that I was aiming for. Q. How important was Dino (Ebel), the way he pitched to you, and what went into your position to bring him here as your pitcher? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: He's always been my batting practice pitcher, and that's why he came. He always knows how to pitch to me. He's always been the person that has pitched to me during BP. Q. How much does this mean for you personally and for your homeland? I saw you waving the flag. VLADIMIR GUERRERO: It's important because any time you do anything well, you want to raise your flag. It's no different for anybody else, and that was the reason behind it. Q. When you were a free agent, did you have any interest in playing here, and how do you like hitting in this park? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: When I was a free agent, I didn't know where I was going to end up, but I've always enjoyed hitting in this park from before, when I was still in Montreal and I played in this park, and I've always swung well in this park. Q. What will you do after this, after today? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: I'll be with friends and family. I don't know if we'll celebrate it here or when we get back to Anaheim. Q. Could you tell us about the bat that your friend, David Ortiz, gave you; was that a surprise? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: It was my bat, and we had it planned that if I wasn't doing well at the beginning, he was going to bring it out to me. Q. What does this signify for you as a Latin ballplayer to be sitting up here as the Home Run Derby champion? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Well, with the strength of God, I've been able to do this, and it's always -- it's very prideful to be able to do such a good job here at the All-Star Game and representing Latin ballplayers. Q. Two other guys have won this event and gone on and won the MVP of the game; is that something you'd like to do? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: We have to wait. If it happens, it happens. And if not, it won't. Q. A lot of guys don't want to do this because it's tiring and it might affect their swing. When you get to the end of it and you win like this, does it make it worth whatever you had to go through? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: It's absolutely worth it now that I've won. This is only my second Derby, but it's absolutely worth it. I've had the most problems with my back and my back is perfectly fine now. Q. With all your friends and family here, is that the reason you wanted to compete? VLADIMIR GUERRERO: Not really. They have always come with me to the All-Star games, and they asked me again to participate, and I had not been in a while, so I said yes. Q. Were you surprised that there was no water shots? Such a big deal has been made of McCovey Cove. VLADIMIR GUERRERO: I can't say anything because I don't know why. JEFF IDELSON: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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