MLB WORLD SERIES: INDIANS v MARLINS

October 21, 1997

Darren Daulton

DARREN DAULTON: Yeah, watching the series. Yeah, contemplating, but it hadn't hit me or not whether I was going to play. At that time I didn't feel like I was going to be able to come back. So I debated another month and a half, and I actually felt healthy enough to start training again. It was a long time ago.

DARREN DAULTON: Well, we haven't reached the goal yet. It's a good feeling to be able to be a part of winning a ballgame, especially one that went four hours and twelve minutes or whatever, it kind of reminded me of that '93 game with Toronto, I think it was a couple minutes longer, though. But it feels good to be a part of it, but we're not where we want to be yet. So I'm not satisfied yet.

DARREN DAULTON: Well, it's uglier to some other people, you know. So if you're going to -- we didn't play that good of a game, but we were able to win the ballgame and that feels good. So if there's anything positive to look at, you want to come back and try to do better tomorrow, especially if you screwed up. I've always felt that way, that in baseball you have that opportunity, you play another 62 games that you could be the hero one night or the goat, and there's always tomorrow. You're going to come back and try to play better tomorrow.

DARREN DAULTON: Oh, sure, yeah. The kids that are on this ball club have made a big impact for the reason why we're here right now. And that's -- to get the accumulation of young players that we've had plus all the free agents that this club picked up over the winter and have them come in and gel as a ball club, that's not that easy. Usually this club -- this club is I think five years, this organization is five years old, and for them to still be pulling things in, such as this past winter, and then for these kids to step up like they have, that does not happen, that's not that easy. And it's a pleasure to be a part of it.

DARREN DAULTON: No, you can't give up now. We were able to get Charles early and score some runs, and I thought that we were still very confident about being able to score some more runs. Obviously you've got to put the fire out eventually, and stop walking guys and kicking the ball around, but that's baseball. I think the feeling that we had in the dugout was, and I think the feeling that you have to have now is whatever it takes to win. And we got there as a team, and we've always had -- we've had good games and bad games, but we were able to make it this far. And the only way you're going to be able to do that is to do it together, and that's what the feeling was in the dugout -- was whatever it took we were going to do it.

DARREN DAULTON: Well, praise the Lord, personally, you know, my opening question was what were you doing a year ago? I wasn't playing and contemplating requirement and was able to come back and play for the Phillies for the first half. And when I broke camp with the Phillies I didn't even have a job, they picked up Rico Brogna, and Danny Tartabull, and there was no room for me. That was a humbling experience. I didn't want to come back and not be able to play, but Tartabull went down the first day and I volunteered to play right and went out and played right for the first half. Then there was talk about being moved, and the scenario was to be moved to an American League club and DH, and low and behold I'm here in Florida, working with Jeff Conine at first base. That's one heck of a script to write, but I'm glad to be in it and a part of it.

DARREN DAULTON: We were talking about it in there. And after Bip Roberts hit the ball in the gap, I just said, man, this reminds me of that game in '93, 14 wasn't a good number then, but it was tonight.

DARREN DAULTON: Why wouldn't you?