NL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS v BRAVES

October 9, 1999

Bobby Cox

BOBBY COX: Smoltz didn't lose it at all. It's hard to contain that team as many innings that we've done that, you know, they have got to explode sometime. Bagwell had a decent pitch and he had Everett 0 and 2 and hitting with a cutter. I knew sometime during the day or yesterday we were probably going to nip Everett because we were trying to run the ball up to him to try to jam him. I knew sometime today we were going to hit the guy. Caminiti hit a decent pitch, too, but he had a great series, but I could have left John in I think, and he still would have gotten out of it. He was strong. He went in that inning with less than a hundred pitches. He was really strong today, had great control of the ball. Rocker, another sensational job. That wasn't easy to come in that situation to get four outs again. The game sort of got on the line there and, you know, we had luck today. We had a lot of luck with our basehits. Everything we touched fell in for us and we had a great pitcher on the mound.

BOBBY COX: We've got a good club. It always starts the guy that throws the ball starts the game. We had four excellent ones and Chen and Mulholland came in at the right time and did a great job for us. Mulholland was a great part of our game. He came in release several times and got them out. He started a couple of ballgames and won. We needed a lift when he came over and he gave it to us. It's a good ballclub. They know how to play the game and they are really aggressive on the bases, can really run the bases well.

BOBBY COX: It's hard to say. They are all significant, believe me. I mean that's what you're being paid to do; is win these things. Every ballclub is paid to do that. That starts the season in April. We've been fortunate. We have had a good club for a long time and that's when you start the season, that's what you talk about. So it's a blend of some real characters on our club. I mean, they have really -- can play the game pretty well and could do a lot of things. It's a different type club.

BOBBY COX: We've got great leadership with Ted Turner. Paul Snyder recently is retiring this year. This is -- he's helping the new scouting director. Roy Clark threw one year and then Paul's retiring. He's done a tremendous job. I mean all these players out there on that field, the Glavines and the Chippers and the Lopezes and all those guys, Kleskos, those are all Paul Snyder's guys. We've had a great scouting division. I don't think we spend the most money in baseball, but we've been able to keep our players. They want to stay there for the most part. I think they enjoy the surroundings in Atlanta. It's a great place to play. It's a tremendous ballpark. We have not as many sellouts as St. Louis and McGwire but we have a few. It's always possible when the Mets, you know, the numbers had to work out. The equation wasn't looking good for them, that's for sure, and it just worked out since he got beat by Milwaukee twice and that's all it took. I know since he led that one game in the 8th inning 3 to 1 with Neagle and somehow they got beat and the Mets win three to one in a row. Cordoba, Benson pitched the last two and I forgot who pitched the first one, Jason Smith. That's not mincemeat out there trying to beat them. They beat them, so they have got a real good ballclub and they have done a great job. They were wounded but they came back.

BOBBY COX: You mentioned our record against them. That honestly does not mean anything. These series, they all start new and, you know, I mean the Mets are a good club and so are the Braves. It should be a great series. I think you throw out the records always. I guess nobody ever believes the managers when they say that but it's very true.

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