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AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYSOctober 6, 2010Ron WashingtonTAMPA, FLORIDA: Game One Q. Your team has not been here. What do you instill in them? What is the main thing that you're asking your team to do, besides win obviously? But for a team that's inexperienced in post-season, what do you try to instill in them? RON WASHINGTON: Confidence, more than anything else. You know, they've worked awfully hard to get to where we are right now, and we got here because of teamwork and confidence and attitude, commitment, total effort. Those are the same things we're preaching. You know, now it's just a matter of going out there and playing our type of baseball. But the one thing I continue to tell them is maintain your confidence. Q. It seems like the relationship that the club has with its owner Nolan Ryan is a little bit different than you find in most -- with most teams, because it seems like he's around a lot. Can you describe his influence on your team? RON WASHINGTON: Well, you know, Nolan is -- he brings total presence. He commands respect. He's a solid baseball man. He's been in the trenches, and in a way he's like E.F. Hutton: When he speaks, you listen. Because usually everything that comes out his mouth makes total sense. And that's the one thing when you've got a young group that you want to make sure that they understand, respect for everybody, the game, your teammates, the coaches, front office, outside personnel, security guards, ticket takers. That's the one thing that I think Nolan has brought to Texas, a family atmosphere. Everyone that has anything to do with the Texas Rangers is involved. That's what makes him special. And he's been on the field. Q. Tomorrow what are you looking for from C.J.? RON WASHINGTON: I'm looking for C.J. to do what he does, and that's go out there, pound the strike zone, use his pitches, make adjustments, keep his team in the game, something he's done all year, nothing different. You know, baseball is baseball; once you go between the lines, that's where the confidence come back again. Actually looking for C.J. to go out there and do a great job for us. Q. What made the transition from closer to starter for C.J. just click so quickly? RON WASHINGTON: Well, he was a starter simply before he had the operation to become a reliever. He's a special case because he has both mentalities. He has the mentality of going out there, trying to get through a lineup as long as he possibly can, and he has the mentality of going out there and stopping stuff when it starts. When he gets in trouble, I don't think you'll ever see his demeanor change because he's been in trouble in the 9th inning and had to get that third out. A lot of credit goes to C.J. for the hard work that he put in, the dedication, the work ethic, the commitment, and that's something that I can preach about every single guy in my clubhouse. Q. How has your pitching staff developed or evolved versus what you might have expected in Spring Training? RON WASHINGTON: Well, you know, two years ago we started preaching staying in ballgames, keeping the baseball for as long as you can, building up arm strength, being in better physical condition. Everything that it takes to be a pitcher. And they bought into it, and we made sure that the other guys bought into trying to catch the ball with more consistency, which usually pitching and defense work hand in hand. Those guys committed themselves to it. It's a total organization effort, it was a team effort. You know, when you're a pitcher and you go out there on the mound and you know if you execute a pitch and the ball is put in play and it's an out, it makes it easier for you to continue that. And that's where we evolved. Now, in Texas, I don't think people can say anything again about not being able to pitch there, because we've proved we can. Q. What are you going to do to plug up the eighth inning hole that was left with the injury to Frank Francisco? RON WASHINGTON: Well, we have Darren O'Day, we have Alexi Ogando, and we also have Darren Oliver. So the hole is definitely plugged. We miss Frankie tremendously. But one thing about the game of baseball, it never stops, it continues to move forward and we have to continue to move forward. We certainly have the personnel there to do what we need done in that situation, and they've done a good job to this point, and I don't see any reason why they can't continue. Q. How important is pitch count for a short series like this? RON WASHINGTON: I think that's going to be determined on the production in those pitches, the stress in those pitches. As long as you're getting outs, we're not looking at a pitch count. Once you stop getting outs and allow some starts on the bats, that will determine that maybe it's time for you to come out. I think it's how to get to those pitches that's going to determine how much longer you will stay in the ballgame. End of FastScripts |
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