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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES v RANGERS

October 16, 2010

Brett Gardner

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Two

Q. As the season has gone on, Joe has given you more and more opportunities against lefties. What has that meant to you confidence wise that he's done that?
BRETT GARDNER: It's meant a lot. The last few years, I felt pretty confident against left-handers and it was something that in college in my first couple of years in the Minor Leagues I struggled with a little bit and obviously worked to maybe change my approach a little bit and try and improve on. You know, the last few years, last year and this year especially, for me, it has not mattered if I'm facing a lefty for a righty as far as mentally my approach, the numbers might be a little bit different.
You know, my confidence versus lefties is there.

Q. Can you remember like a point when you were young or growing up that you realized you were just faster than most of the kids you knew? Did you run track and were you a sprinter?
BRETT GARDNER: I went to a small high school so we didn't have a track team. Didn't get involved in that. But I was always the little guy and the fast guy and that was always my thing.

Q. Didn't see you after the game last night but on the 8th inning hit, how are you making that decision to slide there?
BRETT GARDNER: I don't really know. I mean, it's just instincts. I remember two years ago in Triple-A, Chad was actually in Scranton. It was a play at home. I don't remember who we were playing, but I always -- I don't want to say always, but close plays I would always go in head first, and obviously the farm director and the manager and everybody always tried to get on me in the Minor Leagues because obviously it's dangerous and you might get hurt.
I remember playing Scranton, I had the play beat easily. I was safe by close to a full step and the flow was up the line in front of the base and there was a left-handed pitcher on the mound and he caught it and rolled around and tagged me before my foot hit the base and I was furious. I should have been safe. I had the guy beat to the bag but because he was left-handed when he caught it with his glove, he was able to reach me and tag me out before I hit the base. I said to myself, I'll never let that happen again. There's plays that sometimes I might do it and it's unnecessary, and sometimes I might do it and it might help me out. And yesterday was maybe one of those times.

Q. And Chad remembers --
BRETT GARDNER: He probably knows. He probably knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Q. Do you watch the other fast guys in baseball, and who do you think are some of the guys that run in the same league that you do in terms of foot speed and base running and all that sort of stuff?
BRETT GARDNER: I don't know. I was talking to Curtis the other day, I think they need to have a race at the All-Star Game, just lineup ten or 20 guys and see who wins. That would be fun.
Golson on our team, he's really, really fast. Greg can really, really run. I haven't raced him. I don't really want to. Obviously Borbon, he can run and there's several guys that can really move. There's only one way to find out; let's do a race. (Laughter.)

Q. Given the way that last season went for you, winning the job in center field, losing it early in the season, how satisfying has it been for you this year to be able to sustain your play the whole season and give them the kind of year that you did?
BRETT GARDNER: It's been great. Definitely very, very thankful for the opportunity. I had a rough Spring Training and for them to stick with me at the start of the season, it meant a lot to me. They obviously had a lot of faith in me and I think one of the things that helps is every day, I can play defense and you know, that's probably helped keep me in the lineup at times. You know, didn't have as good of a second half as my first half obviously but just try to keep battling and keep fighting and you know, forget about what happened in the second half. Worry about the next couple of weeks and keep working hard every day.

Q. So to clarify, the dive necessarily isn't to get there faster; it's to avoid the tag in that situation?
BRETT GARDNER: Maybe so. Like I said, everything is going so fast at that time, I can't really say exactly why I did it or why I wouldn't do it. But you know, most of the time, I just do it on a close play when the pitcher is covering the bag. You know, maybe it's to avoid the tag. Maybe it's to get there quicker. A lot of people argue with me about it but there's no way to know unless you can go back and time it.

Q. You don't generally dive if the first baseman is there?
BRETT GARDNER: No. Not typically, no. I wouldn't dive at first on a ground ball to first, per se. But maybe more so to avoid the tag or avoid a collision, if you will, because when I dive I try to go on the outside of the base. Everything happens so fast. I can't really explain it.

Q. Do you find yourself fueled by doubters, people wondering how good you are; have you ever used that in your life to fuel you at all?
BRETT GARDNER: Maybe a little bit. I'm pretty self-motivated, so I don't need any added motivation or anything to really get me going. Every year since college, I've managed to improve every year and improve my game and get better. I enjoy that and I enjoy working hard and seeing results and trying to get better and in turn, try to help the team win. So few players make it up through the Yankees system and play for the Yankees, the perception is they are always looking to bring in veterans.

Q. What was the mind-set you had coming up through the organization in terms of being determined to play here?
BRETT GARDNER: The organization knows that and the young guys know that, the coaching staff and the instructors know that, and we are taught ever since the day that we sign and get on the field; for me, it was Staten Island, we are taught that there's 29 or 30 other teams watching you play every day. Even in Staten Island or A-Ball you look up in the stands and there are ten or 11 scouts watching you in practice.
You may not make it to the Yankees, but somebody is always watching, and always play hard, and always keep working hard. I think that the Yankees do a good job and it keeps their guys motivated. You see so many guys that might be blocked in Triple-A, Shelley Duncan might be in the big leagues, but he's in Triple-A for a few years because he doesn't have a spot. For the Yankees, it's hard to break in at the Major League level and get a starting job. For me, I was just in the right place at the right time and was just very, very fortunate.

Q. Who were the guys in the Minor Leagues Brett was mentioning? And last year, a lot of outfielders, they had decisions to make, and it seems again in the off-season it may come down to that once more. What are your thoughts about wanting to stay and what could happen and whether this year, you think you've maybe changed your perception of whether you're an everyday guy there for a while?
BRETT GARDNER: You know, in the off-season, just try and enjoy the off-season. Take a month or so off and then get back to work. You can't really worry about what's going on. You know, they traded for Grandy and we got him before Melky went away. As soon as we acquired Granderson, I knew one of myself or Melky would probably be gone, and sure enough after, shortly thereafter, Melky went to Atlanta.
This off-season, that's a long ways away -- it's right around the corner but we have a lot of baseball between now and then. I'm not worrying about it. The Yankees are always looking to improve their team and looking to get the best guys and give them a chance to win the World Series the next year. Hopefully I'm a part of that. The past few years for me has been some of the best times of my life and I hope I'm always playing for New York.

End of FastScripts

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