	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ANGELS v YANKEES

October 16, 2009

Johnny Damon

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game One

ANGELS Â– 1
YANKEES Â– 4

THE MODERATOR: First question for Johnny.

Q. Johnny, what was the biggest difference from you Sunday to today at the plate?
JOHNNY DAMON: Well, you know, sometimes in this game you need to have some luck, but you also need to go out and work hard and try to figure out what went wrong in Game 3. But I also understand this game and in the playoffs. So I was just happy we won that Game 3. So I wasn't too terribly upset at myself. But I also knew I had to get in and get my work in and try to get back to the way I swing the bat earlier in the season.

Q. Johnny, talk about the weather conditions and how it affected the game in some ways.
JOHNNY DAMON: The weather is obviously great this time of year. The wind was playing havoc on a few balls out there. Possibly the ball in the first inning that Matsui hit. Seemed like everything was being knocked down. The ball that Vlady hit out to left field, I could have sworn that ball was a home run. And then it just faded back into play. And it started getting cold at the end.
I think in the first six or seven innings we were actually all right. But I think the last two innings it started to get a bit colder.

Q. Johnny, compared to your first two years here, what's it like for you to have CC going out there in Game 1 of an ALCS?
JOHNNY DAMON: Well, you know, we're up one game to nothing right now. This is the first time we've been into the ALCS since I've been here. The two other times we were knocked off in the first round. So having a guy like CC, A.J., Pettitte and the strong bullpen that we have, it's allowed us to get to this point, and we're up 1-0 against a very good team.
So hopefully tomorrow night A.J. shows up and pitches well, and hopefully we can score a few runs off of Saunders.

Q. Johnny, you've seen so many times the Angels get into their running game and doing things on the bases and tonight they couldn't do it because of CC. How important is that to not let them get into what they do best?
JOHNNY DAMON: That's why we got CC. To be a workhorse during the season, of course. But to shut down teams in the postseason. They didn't have too many base-runners tonight. And any time you can do that, it definitely plays in our favor.
But they still fought us tough. They made two mistakes that definitely gave us a run. Who knows about the Torii Hunter ball? I mean, Melky is pretty fast. It might have helped us, but maybe not.
CC, he was pretty amazing.

Q. Johnny, Joe said you might have been helped out by the simulated game you took some hacks in the other day. What, if anything, did you concentrate on the other day during that session?
JOHNNY DAMON: Well, just mostly staying inside of the ball. Trying to keep my head still. Seemed like that game against Pavano I was just jumping out, trying to hit the pitch in front of me instead of waiting for it to get back. Pavano set me up with a change-up in the first and because of that, I was trying to go out and get the other pitches. Then he changed it throwing his fastball to me. And I just couldn't pick it up. Getting that extra work, I knew I had to get it done.

Q. Johnny, the pop-up that you scored on, that fell in and the other plays that you mentioned, how surprising is it to see an Angels team that you've seen play very sound fundamental ball make mistakes like that?
JOHNNY DAMON: Yeah, it's very surprising. Granted normally they make those plays, but this weather can do a lot. The ball went up, you know, and because of how the wind could play havoc. I think as soon as Figgins, the ball behind him, he just figured they were going to make the play. But we'll take it. We don't see them do that too often. So we'll take it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Johnny.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297