NL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS v BRAVES

October 6, 2004

Bobby Cox

BOBBY COX: Not much difference. Yesterday I think we talked early, didn't we, before the workout. Thomson threw. I thought he had a real good side session. It indicated to me he can probably go Saturday.

BOBBY COX: Maybe he can pitch better with extra days, I'm not too sure. But his knee, he's going to have to have it operated on right after the season. We're trying to get him through this month. Right now he's able to go - tomorrow. Hopefully, won't have any problems with it. I can't guarantee anybody that he won't. We got our fingers crossed that he'll be good for at least seven innings.

BOBBY COX: I think it's very valuable to a starting pitcher to be able to do that. He can go longer in the game, for sure. Mike's one of the fastest runners we have on the team when he's healthy. Right now he's not. He hit a home run off Kerry Wood the other day and made the difference in the game. He's a great fielder, he can bounce around. He's a good bunter and hitter. Even more so, he's a better pitcher.

BOBBY COX: I would say Chipper is about 80 percent, nothing more than that. Able to play. Chipper plays with aches and pains all year long, always has his entire career. He swung the bat really well yesterday, hit some balls out. He's not 100 percent. He swung good again today, so he'll be right there in the middle of the lineup.

BOBBY COX: I think it goes back to the medical people we have here, Dr. Chandler and Jeff Porter and Jim Lovell are two trainers staying on top of him every single minute, and they have. He has to have his knee drained periodically. He comes in for treatment often. So a good training staff can keep you in there.

BOBBY COX: I think that happens more often than not, probably. The star of a series could be Bobby Richardson or Billy Martin, or Mark Lemke, wasn't Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris or Dave Justice sometimes. Sometimes it can be the guys down in the order or your little leadoff hitter or whatever really helping you win a ballgame. Wouldn't surprise me.

BOBBY COX: Yeah, he's fine. I talked to Rafy this morning, he's good to go, in a good frame of mind. He's looking forward to getting everything taken care of when all this is done. He's willing to do it, wants to do it. He's a good kid and we'll be there to help him.