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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL C: TORONTO

March 9, 2009

Marco Mazzieri

TORONTO, ONTARIO

Q. (No microphone.)
MARCO MAZZIERI: We had a good game against Israel. We're going to play nine innings again.

Q. What do you expect from this team, like what do you expect the strengths, and what do you expect in terms of areas where maybe you are not as strong, just generally from this ball club?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Well, actually, I think we've been playing pretty good defense throughout our early camp, as I said, for those games we played against major league teams, and the game against Venezuela. And we only lack a little timely hitting. That's what we're look for tonight.

Q. Do you have any guys in mind to follow Dan out of the bullpen?
MARCO MAZZIERI: We'll play it out as the situation arrives and we see where we're at. Of course, it will depend on the point of what inning we're at, then go from there, actually.
We have everybody pretty much available except DiFelice. Actually, he will be available, and he said he would pitch if we want to ask him. Because I think his effort was outstanding. I really appreciate that. And I won't ask him that.

Q. Serafini, are you hoping for four innings?
MARCO MAZZIERI: I hope seven, maybe, because he is a free agent. So, you know, the pitching limitation is not for him.

Q. But he still can't throw more than seventy, right?
MARCO MAZZIERI: From what they say, only contracted players can go seventy pitches.

Q. Is that right?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Yeah.

Q. I thought it was all pitchers. I thought they made it for everybody, the rules, of seventy pitches?
MARCO MAZZIERI: If they change it again, I don't know. But I have the rules and regulation here. We can check it out. But of course if he give us any, I'll be more than happy (indiscernible).

Q. There was a tendency the first time this tournament was held to really underestimate the teams people didn't know a lot about, that didn't maybe have the strongest baseball history. Against Canada, South Africa nearly beat them in that tournament.
MARCO MAZZIERI: Basically, it's growing throughout the world, and the best thing about international baseball is that one single game, you can beat anybody, because they don't know you. You know, that's a big thing. And if you don't play the game right, you can get beat from anybody.
And that's what happened to us in November of 2007. We beat the U.S. team out there. Maybe not a lot of people know it, but we beat the U.S.A. team in Taiwan, and this was their only loss in tournament, and they ended up winning that World Cup. And a great team.
They have Longoria, they had Young, they had Jeff Karstens, an all major league prospect there, and we beat them. So if you don't come out ready, it's going to be tough for anybody.

Q. It's so much different this time?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Of course. One of the things I told my guys when we started this camp is, well, actually this is one of the very first things I told my players when I took the team over in November 2007, "One single game, guys, we can play everybody. Because maybe we're not as talented as other teams, but, you know, one game, international competition, it's like every single game. It's a single final. So you never know what can happen."
In a seven-game series, or a five-game series, maybe a three-game series, the talent, of course, will take over. But one game, again, you better be ready for anybody.

Q. What language do you speak to the team in? Do you have to go English and Italian.
MARCO MAZZIERI: No, I just speak English, and my Italian guys understand it.

Q. So the Italian in the dugout with the coaches?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Well, depends. You know, whatever comes out. Sometimes we get confusing, and I'll speak Italian or English.

Q. Are there any other guys, the major league guys, who understand Italian at all?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Some. But these guys, once again, they've been outstanding. They've been fun to watch. Team Italy is really a team. And that's what I would like to say once again, because, I mean, they're playing as a team. Actually, there's no egos.
The major league players came out and are really willing to be out here, and that's what makes the difference. When I put this team together, I try to get the players that really wanted to be here, be prepared, had no egos. People that didn't just want to come out for exposure kind of thing, but somebody that really wants to play with the Italian jersey on.

Q. Any line-up changes for you?
MARCO MAZZIERI: Yes. We're going to play Alex Liddi at third base and Cervelli catching.

Q. You are in a position where, if you don't win, you could go home and have some guys who never played. Do you want to get everybody in so that a guy doesn't come to the WBC and not play an inning, or do you need to just play your best nine?
MARCO MAZZIERI: We're going to play our best nine to win. Of course, it will depend upon the situation. But my main idea before we came over is, when major league baseball approved my name as the manager of the Italian team, because that was going to be the big issue. When you have major league players, you need to have a manager and a coach that is approved by Major League Baseball. It's not that you can pick up whoever you want. So when they finally approved my name, I said, "What's my main goal here?"
I said, "I want to compete first, but I want to develop my players."
Because those are the ones that will be with me later on for the World Cup in September. That's what we're shooting for, of course.
So I tried to put the team together for those purposes. And I think, you know, we've done everything that we should have done, and we feel pretty good about it.

End of FastScripts

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