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MLB ALL-STAR GAME

July 13, 2009

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

ROB BUTCHER: Before we introduce State Farm Home Run Derby champion, Prince Fielder of the Brewers, please welcome Todd Fischer. Todd is the manager of national sponsorships for State Farm.
TODD FISCHER: Thank you. Where to start with this? What a wonderful evening for the City of St. Louis and for State Farm and all of these folks that join me here. An amazing 2009 State Farm Home Run Derby, and we thank the City of St. Louis, Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals and so many other folk that were involved in this and made it such a great success.
While we sit here tonight and look at Prince as the overall Home Run Derby champion, there are so many winners to talk about and the largest group of all is the Boys & Girls Club tonight. State Farm stepped up to the plate this year and won just the gold ball came up with $5,000 for every non-gold ball home run and it made a lasting impact that's going to go on for a long time.
State Farm was proud to present $665,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America which is more than double than in the past and hopefully at a time where it means the most and will have a lasting impact, and thanks to folks like Prince for knocking it out of the ballpark and folks like Kylie who stepped up and represented their clubs so gracefully. We thank Major League Baseball for their partnership, and the fans, Prince for putting on quite a show. This won't soon be forgotten, so thank you all.
ROB BUTCHER: Before we take any questions, Prince, do you have anything you would like to say or would you rather take questions?
PRINCE FIELDER: Yeah, I just want to thank Sandy for throwing me good pitches to hit, yeah.

Q. What's the feeling like being the Home Run Derby champion?
PRINCE FIELDER: It's really cool. It's something you see growing up as a kid, and I'm just happy my kids were here and also I got to win. That's a big plus. So a very cool night.

Q. You told me earlier today that your biggest memory of your dad's Home Run Derby days was a ball he hit off the glass in Toronto and you feel like it was one of the biggest Home Run Derby hits. Do you feel like you're now on that same stratosphere?
PRINCE FIELDER: Yeah, I've never hit a ball 500 feet, so that's pretty cool. Like I said, I'm just happy it. Was pretty cool to actually win one. You never think as a kid you're going to win one, but I just always hoped I would win one. So to win one tonight is kind of like a dream come true I guess.

Q. Talk a little about the mechanics of your swing, and how the mechanics of your swing -- that you were able to hit so many home runs like that.
PRINCE FIELDER: I don't know. You know, I'm not quite sure about my mechanics. I just know I just have to swing hard.
I don't really know how -- if I get a good pitch to hit, I just have to swing hard, because you know in high school and everything, people told me to swing easier and everything, but I just don't know how to do that. My swing, it's kind of hard, but it works.

Q. When did you know that you were going to keep advancing -- you said that you never know until you get out there and let it move on.
PRINCE FIELDER: At first I was using Ricky's bat and then I grabbed Ryan's, it was a little longer and as soon as I grabbed it -- yeah, not Howard, but Brown. I grabbed his bat and it felt pretty good. I mean, he looks good with it.

Q. Congratulations, did you actually get a chance to speak to your dad tonight?
PRINCE FIELDER: No.

Q. What did you think of the way the City of St. Louis got behind St. Louis?
PRINCE FIELDER: It was what you expected. It was awesome, because you know, this is Albert's stadium and it was cool to see how the fans love him here. I wouldn't expect anything less from the fans here.

Q. Did you actually play with Nelson in the minors, and how well do you guys know each other?
PRINCE FIELDER: We know each other really good. We played against each other in A ball when he was on the A's and he came over here in 2005 I think, and then we played in the Minor Leagues and AAA and we went to the big leagues together. So I know him really well. It was a lot of fun. It was kind of weird, you never figured you would have a Home Run Derby against your former teammate, especially me and him, but it was pretty cool.

Q. There's quite a bit of time between the first round and the time you got up there the second time, was that an advantage for you, or disadvantage? And secondly, what did you do to spend -- how did you spend your time during that lull?
PRINCE FIELDER: I watched a little bit of the Derby. I went and hit a little bit. But after that, I just watched the other guys hit home runs, and seeing them hit home runs like they were just kept me loose I guess, and I just stayed focused that way.

Q. Could you and Kylie talk about what the number means on this check, double last year, and the impact of the gold balls and everything?
TODD FISCHER: Our guest from the Boys and Girls Club of America is Kylie Kochel from a club in Bethalto, Illinois, so right across the river. Kylie is part of the Boys & Girls Club player match up program, and she was matched up with Prince lucky enough this evening. So her club has part of that $665,000, will receive $50,000 they can apply towards new computers, renovations and school supplies that will benefit them for many years to come. So congratulations, Kylie.
KYLIE KOCHEL: It means a lot because I know that I had a small part in helping with the teen center, and it is just a good feeling knowing that we're going to have a better place to hang out, and I'm just very proud. Thank you.
ROB BUTCHER: How old are you?
KYLIE KOCHEL: I'm 14.

Q. Was it Ryan Brown's you used on the 503 home run that you hit?
PRINCE FIELDER: Oh, yes.

Q. And will you use it when you start the regular season?
PRINCE FIELDER: I don't know. Ricky's is going pretty good. I've been using Ricky's for a while. I don't know, I used Ryan's last year a little bit at the end of the season, but I'm just -- whatever feels good at the time is what I use. But I don't know right now.

Q. A couple of years ago in San Francisco, this didn't go quite as well for you. What did you take out of that experience into today?
PRINCE FIELDER: It was just the fact that I knew what to expect this time, so I was a little more -- a little more relaxed.
Yeah, I was just more relaxed I guess, and I knew what to expect. So it worked out all right.

Q. When was the last time you used your own bat?
PRINCE FIELDER: I can't even remember really. Probably in May. Sometime in May, yeah.

Q. I know that people look at this as maybe an entertaining event, but what's the competitive level for you once you get out there and you see that another guy puts up seven home runs or 11 home runs?
PRINCE FIELDER: Yeah, it's very competitive, because I don't think none of the guys in the Derby would be here if they weren't. I think once you see other guys hit home runs and putting on a good show, you want to do the same as well. But it's fun at the same time, so you know, it's really cool.

Q. What, if anything, did Albert Pujols say to you after he was eliminated?
PRINCE FIELDER: He just said keep swinging, really, just keep doing what I was doing. He wished me luck.

Q. We know that you swing hard, but I think it could be helpful for people, especially the kids, they want to though how to hit the ball. What have you worked on maybe over the past year, what part of your swing have you worked on to really help you hit those lowballs?
PRINCE FIELDER: I think I really try to use my hands, but first you have to see the ball, number one. If you don't see it, it doesn't matter how you swing.
First I try to see the ball, and after you get that down, you have to work on knowing what your strike zone is and knowing what kind of pitches you can handle, and after that, swing hard in case you hit it.

Q. The suspense that you added with those three consecutive outs while you were sitting on five home runs, could you have done without that and what was going through your mind while that was happening?
PRINCE FIELDER: I don't know, I was just trying to hit a ball too far I guess. I got a little tight there for a second, but just told me to relax a little bit and I was able to hit the final one.
ROB BUTCHER: Thank you all very much for coming.

End of FastScripts

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